This action prohibits possession of Gulf of Maine cod by common pool vessels through the end of fishing year 2023 on April 30, 2024. This action also closes the Gulf of Maine Cod Trimester Total Allowable Catch Area to Northeast multispecies common pool vessels fishing with trawl gear, sink gillnet gear, and longline/hook gear for Trimester 3 of fishing year 2023, from January 1, 2024 through April 30, 2024. These actions are necessary because the common pool fishery is projected to have achieved the annual sub-annual catch limit and caught more than 90 percent of its Trimester 3 quota for Gulf of Maine cod. This action is intended to prevent overages of the common pool’s quota for this stock.
This bulletin serves as a Small Entity Compliance Guide, complying with section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996.
