View Rule

Commercial halibut fishing off the coast of Alaska is managed under an Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) program implemented by Federal regulations under the authority of the Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 1982.  One feature of the IFQ program is a limit on the maximum amount of halibut that may be harvested by a vessel (referred to as vessel caps).  Regulations at 50 CFR 679.42(h)(1) specify that no vessel may be used to harvest more IFQ halibut than one-half percent of the combined total catch limits of halibut for IFQ regulatory areas during a fishing year.  Additionally, the regulations specify vessel caps for Community Quota Entities (CQEs) in Alaska IFQ regulatory areas, where no vessel may be used, during any fishing year, to harvest more than 50,000 lb (22.7 mt) of IFQ halibut derived from quota shares held by a CQE. This proposed action would modify the 2021 halibut IFQ vessel harvest limitations in IFQ areas 4A, 4B, 4C, and 4D. On February 10, 2021, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) addressed the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the Pacific halibut fishery by recommending expedited action to temporarily remove IFQ halibut vessel caps for the 2021 fishing year in IFQ regulatory areas 4A (Eastern Aleutian Islands), 4B (Central and Western Aleutian Islands), 4C (Central Bering Sea), and 4D (Eastern Bering Sea).  This action would revise 50 CFR 679.42(h)(1) to remove vessels caps in those three areas for the 2021 fishing year.  This action would not modify any other aspects of the IFQ Program. NMFS seeks to publish the Proposed and Final rules to implement the revised regulations as soon as practicable, with a shortened public comment period.