Amendment 25 to the Northeast Multispecies FMP
Summary
This action incorporates revised stock unit definitions for Atlantic cod into the Northeast Multispecies FMP, based on the best scientific information available.
The four revised cod stock units in the FMP are:
- A new stock unit of Eastern Gulf of Maine (EGOM) cod;
- A new stock unit of Western Gulf of Maine (WGOM) cod;
- A revised stock unit of Georges Bank (GB) cod; and
- A new stock unit of Southern New England (SNE) cod.
The overall geographic management area remain unchanged and continues to include the entire range of Atlantic cod in U.S. waters. The revised cod stock units are be defined by the following statistical areas:
| Stock | Statistical Area |
| Eastern Gulf of Maine cod | 465, 467, 511, 512 |
| Western Gulf of Maine cod | 513, 514, 515, 521, 526, 541 |
| Georges Bank cod | 464, 522, 525, 542, 543, 551, 552, 561, 562 |
| Southern New England cod | 533, 534, 537, 538, 539, 611, 612, 613, 614, 615, 616, 621, 622, 623, 624, 625, 626, 627, 628, 629, 631, 632, 633, 634, 635, 636, 637, 638, 639 |
This action also implements through regulations the management measures necessary to manage four stocks of Atlantic cod. Management measures include:
- Status Determination Criteria for the four cod stocks;
- Specifications for the four cod stocks for fishing year 2026;
- An apportionment method for setting the WGOM cod commercial sub-annual catch limits (ACL);
- Management uncertainty buffers for the four cod stocks;
- Recreational sub-ACLs for WGOM and SNE cod;
- Common pool trimester total allowable catch (TAC) distributions, TAC closure areas, and baseline common pool trip limits for the four cod stocks;
- Recreational measures for SNE cod; and
- A regulatory process for the Regional Administrator to set recreational measures for GB and EGOM cod for fishing year 2026.
This action is necessary to respond to updated scientific information and achieve the goals and objectives of the fishery management plan. The measures are intended to help prevent overfishing, rebuild overfished stocks, achieve optimum yield, and ensure that management measures are based on the best scientific information available.