The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is exchanging flathead sole and yellowfin sole Community Development Quota (CDQ) for rock sole CDQ Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) reserves in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area according to James W. Balsiger, Administrator, Alaska Region, NMFS. This action is necessary to provide opportunity for harvest of the 2019 total allowable catch (TAC) of flathead sole and yellowfin sole by the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Community Development Association consistent with the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area.
This action decreases the TAC and CDQ reserves and increases the CDQ ABC reserve for rock sole by 400 metric tons (mt) and increases the TAC and CDQ reserves and decreases the CDQ ABC reserve for flathead sole by 50 mt and yellowfin sole by 350 mt.
The changes to Tables 11 and 13 of the final 2019 and 2020 harvest specifications for groundfish in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (84 FR 9000, March 13, 2019) and revised by flatfish exchanges (84 FR 49067, September 18, 2019) can be found here.
Fishermen are reminded that all actions and closures remain in full force and effect. This reallocation does not rescind or modify closures to directed fishing or actions prohibiting retention of a groundfish species.
This information bulletin only provides notice of a fishery management action. For the purposes of complying with any requirements of this action, you are advised to see the actual text of the action in the Federal Register.
