Closure of the Regular B Days-at-Sea Program for the Remainder of Fishing Year 2019

This action closes the Regular B Days-at-Sea Program and prohibits the use of Regular B Days-at-Sea for all Northeast multispecies vessels for the remainder of fishing year 2019, through April 30, 2020. This action is being taken because the common pool fishery is projected to have caught 77 percent of the Incidental Catch Total Allowable Catch for Gulf of Maine Cod. We have projected that continuation of the program would undermine the achievements of the objectives of the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan and the Regular B Days-at-Sea Program.