[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 76 (Wednesday, April 20, 2022)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 23482-23492]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-08314]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 220413-0095]
RIN 0648-BL12


Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act 
Provisions; Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Northeast 
Multispecies Fishery; Framework Adjustment 63

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Proposed rule; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: This action proposes to approve and implement Framework 
Adjustment 63 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan. 
This rule proposes to set or adjust catch limits for 5 of the 20 
multispecies (groundfish) stocks, adjust recreational measures for 
Georges Bank cod, and revise the default specifications process. This 
action is necessary to respond to updated scientific information and to 
achieve the goals and objectives of the fishery management plan. The 
proposed 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.

DATES: Comments must be received by May 5, 2022.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by NOAA-NMFS-2021-0133, 
by the following method:
     Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public 
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to www.regulations.gov 
and enter NOAA-NMFS-2021-0133 in the Search box. Click on the 
``Comment'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or attach 
your comments.
    Instructions: Comments sent by any other method, to any other 
address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, 
may not be considered by us. All comments received are a part of the 
public record and will generally be posted for public viewing on 
www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying 
information (e.g., name, address, etc.), confidential business 
information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily 
by the sender will be publicly accessible. We will accept anonymous 
comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to remain 
anonymous).
    Copies of Framework Adjustment 63, including the draft 
Environmental Assessment, the Regulatory Impact Review, and the 
Regulatory Flexibility Act Analysis prepared by the New England Fishery 
Management Council in support of this action, are available from Thomas 
A. Nies, Executive Director, New England Fishery Management Council, 50 
Water Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950. The supporting documents 
are also accessible via the internet at: https://www.nefmc.org/management-plans/northeast-multispecies or https://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Liz Sullivan, Fishery Policy Analyst, 
phone: 978-282-8493; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Summary of Proposed Measures

    This action would implement the management measures in Framework 
Adjustment 63 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan 
(FMP). The New England Fishery Management Council reviewed the proposed 
regulations and deemed them consistent with, and necessary to 
implement, Framework 63 in a March 8, 2022, letter from Council 
Chairman Eric Reid to Regional Administrator Michael Pentony. Under the 
Magnuson-Stevens Act, we approve, disapprove, or partially approve 
measures that the Council proposes, based on consistency with the Act 
and other applicable law. We review proposed regulations for 
consistency with the fishery management plan, plan amendment, the 
Magnuson-Stevens Act and other applicable law, and publish the proposed 
regulations, solicit public comment, and promulgate the final 
regulations. We are seeking comments on the Council's proposed measures 
in Framework 63. Through Framework 63, the Council proposes to:
     Set shared U.S./Canada quotas for Georges Bank (GB) 
yellowtail flounder and eastern GB cod and haddock for fishing years 
2022 and 2023;
     Set specifications, including catch limits, for five 
groundfish stocks: Gulf of Maine (GOM) cod (2022-2024), GB yellowtail 
flounder (2022-2023), and GB cod, GB haddock, and white hake (2022);
     Adjust recreational measures for GB cod;
     Grant the Regional Administrator authority to adjust 
recreational

[[Page 23483]]

measures for GB cod in 2023 and 2024, and;
     Modify the current process for default specifications.
    This action also proposes regulatory corrections that are not part 
of Framework 63, but that may be considered and implemented under our 
section 305(d) authority in the Magnuson-Stevens Act to make changes 
necessary to carry out the FMP. We are proposing these corrections in 
conjunction with the Framework 63 proposed measures for expediency 
purposes. These proposed corrections are described in Regulatory 
Corrections under Secretarial Authority.

Fishing Years 2022 and 2023 Shared U.S./Canada Quotas

Management of Transboundary Georges Bank Stocks

    Eastern GB cod, eastern GB haddock, and GB yellowtail flounder are 
jointly managed with Canada under the United States/Canada Resource 
Sharing Understanding. The Transboundary Management Guidance Committee 
(TMGC) is a government-industry committee made up of representatives 
from the United States and Canada. For historical information about the 
TMGC see: https://www.bio.gc.ca/info/intercol/tmgc-cogst/index-en.php. 
Each year, the TMGC recommends a shared quota for each stock based on 
the most recent stock information and the TMGC's harvest strategy. The 
TMGC's harvest strategy for setting catch levels is to maintain a low 
to neutral risk (less than 50 percent) of exceeding the fishing 
mortality limit for each stock. The harvest strategy also specifies 
that when stock conditions are poor, fishing mortality should be 
further reduced to promote stock rebuilding. The shared quotas are 
allocated between the United States and Canada based on a formula that 
considers historical catch (10-percent weighting) and the current 
resource distribution (90-percent weighting).
    For GB yellowtail flounder, the Council's Scientific and 
Statistical Committee (SSC) also recommends an acceptable biological 
catch (ABC) for the stock. The ABC is typically used to inform the U.S. 
TMGC's discussions with Canada for the annual shared quota. Although 
the stock is jointly managed with Canada, and the TMGC recommends 
annual shared quotas, the Council may not set catch limits that would 
exceed the SSC's recommendation. The SSC does not recommend ABCs for 
eastern GB cod and haddock because they are management units of the 
total GB cod and haddock stocks. The SSC recommends overall ABCs for 
the total GB cod and haddock stocks. The shared U.S./Canada quota for 
eastern GB cod and haddock is included in these overall ABCs, and must 
be consistent with the SSC's recommendation for the total GB stocks.

2022 and 2023 U.S./Canada Quotas

    The Transboundary Resources Assessment Committee conducted 
assessments for the three transboundary stocks in July 2021, and 
detailed summaries of these assessments can be found at: https://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/assessments/trac/. The TMGC met in September 2021 to 
recommend shared quotas for 2022 based on the updated assessments, and 
the Council adopted the TMGC's recommendations in Framework 63. 
Framework 63 proposes to set the same shared quotas for a second year 
(i.e., for fishing year 2023) as placeholders, with the expectation 
that those quotas will be reviewed annually and new recommendations 
will be received from the TMGC. The proposed 2022 and 2023 shared U.S./
Canada quotas, and each country's allocation, are listed in Table 1.

     Table 1--Proposed 2022 and 2023 Fishing Years U.S./Canada Quotas (mt, live weight) and Percent of Quota
                                            Allocated to Each Country
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                Quota                       Eastern GB cod         Eastern GB haddock     GB yellowtail flounder
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Shared Quota...................  571....................  14,100.................  200.
U.S. Quota...........................  160 (28 percent).......  6,627 (47 percent).....  122 (61 percent).
Canadian Quota.......................  411 (72 percent).......  7,473 (53 percent).....  78 (39 percent).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The proposed 2022 U.S. quota for eastern GB cod would represent a 
16.1-percent decrease compared to 2021; the proposed 2022 U.S. quota 
for eastern GB haddock and GB yellowtail flounder would represent 2-
percent and 53-percent increases, respectively, compared to 2021. For a 
more detailed discussion of the TMGC's 2022 catch advice, including a 
description of each country's quota share, see the TMGC's guidance 
document that will be posted at: https://www.greateratlantic.fisheries.noaa.gov/.
    The regulations implementing the U.S./Canada Resource Sharing 
Understanding require deducting any overages of the U.S. quota for 
eastern GB cod, eastern GB haddock, or GB yellowtail flounder from the 
U.S. quota in the following fishing year. If catch information for the 
2021 fishing year indicates that the U.S. fishery exceeded its quota 
for any of the shared stocks, we will reduce the respective U.S. quotas 
for the 2022 fishing year in a future management action, as close to 
May 1, 2022, as possible. If any fishery that is allocated a portion of 
the U.S. quota exceeds its allocation and causes an overage of the 
overall U.S. quota, the overage reduction would be applied only to that 
fishery's allocation in the following fishing year. This ensures that 
catch by one component of the overall fishery does not negatively 
affect another component of the overall fishery.

Catch Limits for Fishing Years 2022-2024

Summary of the Proposed Catch Limits

    Tables 2 through 11 show the proposed catch limits for the 2022-
2024 fishing years. A brief summary of how these catch limits were 
developed is provided below. More details on the proposed catch limits 
for each groundfish stock can be found in Appendix II (Calculation of 
Northeast Multispecies Annual Catch Limits, FY 2022-FY 2024) to the 
Framework 63 Environmental Assessment (see ADDRESSES for information on 
how to get this document).
    Through Framework 63, the Council proposes to adopt catch limits 
for GOM cod for the 2022-2024 fishing years and for GB cod for the 2022 
fishing year, based on stock assessments completed in 2021; a catch 
limit for white hake for fishing year 2022, based on the revised 
rebuilding plan implemented by Framework 61; and a catch limit for GB 
yellowtail flounder for fishing years 2022-2023. Framework 59 (85 FR 
45794; July 30, 2020) previously set 2022 quotas for seven groundfish 
stocks based on assessments conducted in 2019, which would remain in 
place, with a small change to the U.S. ABC for GB haddock to reflect 
the 2022 TMGC

[[Page 23484]]

recommendation for that stock. Framework 61 (86 FR 40353; July 28, 
2021) previously set 2022-2023 quotas for the remaining nine groundfish 
stocks based on assessments conducted in 2020, and those would also 
remain in place. Table 2 provides an overview of which catch limits, if 
any, would change, as proposed in Framework 63, as well as when the 
stock was most recently assessed. Table 3 provides the percent change 
in the 2022 catch limit compared to the 2021 fishing year.

      Table 2--Changes to Catch Limits, as Proposed in Framework 63
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                   Most recent      Proposed change in
             Stock                 assessment          framework 63
------------------------------------------------------------------------
GB Cod.........................            2021  New 2022 ABC.
GOM Cod........................            2021  New 2022-2024 ABC.
GB Haddock.....................            2019  New 2022 U.S. ABC.
GOM Haddock....................            2019  No change: 2022 catch
                                                  limits set by
                                                  Framework 59.
GB Yellowtail Flounder.........            2020  New 2022-2023 ABC.
SNE/MA Yellowtail Flounder.....            2019  No change: 2022 catch
                                                  limits set by
                                                  Framework 59.
CC/GOM Yellowtail Flounder.....            2019  No change: 2022 catch
                                                  limits set by
                                                  Framework 59.
American Plaice................            2019  No change: 2022 catch
                                                  limits set by
                                                  Framework 59.
Witch Flounder.................            2019  No change: 2022 catch
                                                  limits set by
                                                  Framework 59.
GB Winter Flounder.............            2020  No change: 2022-2023
                                                  catch limits set by
                                                  Framework 61.
GOM Winter Flounder............            2020  No change: 2022-2023
                                                  catch limits set by
                                                  Framework 61.
SNE/MA Winter Flounder.........            2020  No change: 2022-2023
                                                  catch limits set by
                                                  Framework 61.
Redfish........................            2020  No change: 2022-2023
                                                  catch limits set by
                                                  Framework 61.
White Hake.....................            2019  New 2022 ABC.
Pollock........................            2019  No change: 2022 catch
                                                  limits set by
                                                  Framework 59.
N. Windowpane Flounder.........            2020  No change: 2022-2023
                                                  catch limits set by
                                                  Framework 61.
S. Windowpane Flounder.........            2020  No change: 2022-2023
                                                  catch limits set by
                                                  Framework 61.
Ocean Pout.....................            2020  No change: 2022-2023
                                                  catch limits set by
                                                  Framework 61.
Atlantic Halibut...............            2020  No change: 2022-2023
                                                  catch limits set by
                                                  Framework 61.
Atlantic Wolffish..............            2020  No change: 2022-2023
                                                  catch limits set by
                                                  Framework 61.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
N = Northern; S = Southern.


                             Table 3--Proposed Fishing Years 2022-2024 Overfishing Limits and Acceptable Biological Catches
                                                                    [mt, live weight]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                       2022               Percent change               2023                            2024
                                         --------------------------------    from 2021   ---------------------------------------------------------------
                  Stock                                                  ----------------
                                                OFL          U.S. ABC                           OFL          U.S. ABC           OFL          U.S. ABC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GB Cod..................................             UNK             343          -73.78  ..............  ..............  ..............  ..............
GOM Cod.................................             724             551               0             853             551             980             551
GB Haddock..............................         114,925          81,383              -2  ..............  ..............  ..............  ..............
GOM Haddock.............................          14,834          11,526             -31  ..............  ..............  ..............  ..............
GB Yellowtail Flounder..................             UNK             122              53             UNK             122  ..............  ..............
SNE/MA Yellowtail Flounder..............             184              22               0  ..............  ..............  ..............  ..............
CC/GOM Yellowtail Flounder..............           1,116             823               0  ..............  ..............  ..............  ..............
American Plaice.........................           3,687           2,825              -2  ..............  ..............  ..............  ..............
Witch Flounder..........................             UNK           1,483               0  ..............  ..............  ..............  ..............
GB Winter Flounder......................             974             608               0           1,431             608  ..............  ..............
GOM Winter Flounder.....................             662             497               0             662             497  ..............  ..............
SNE/MA Winter Flounder..................           1,438             456               0           1,438             456  ..............  ..............
Redfish.................................          13,354          10,062              -1          13,229           9,967  ..............  ..............
White Hake..............................           3,022           2,116              -1  ..............  ..............  ..............  ..............
Pollock.................................          21,744          16,812             -24  ..............  ..............  ..............  ..............
N. Windowpane Flounder..................             UNK             160               0             UNK             160  ..............  ..............
S. Windowpane Flounder..................             513             384               0             513             384  ..............  ..............
Ocean Pout..............................             125              87               0             125              87  ..............  ..............
Atlantic Halibut........................             UNK             101               0             UNK             101  ..............  ..............
Atlantic Wolffish.......................             122              92               0             122              92  ..............  ..............
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UNK = Unknown.
Note: An empty cell indicates no OFL/ABC is adopted for that year. These catch limits would be set in a future action.


[[Page 23485]]

Overfishing Limits and Acceptable Biological Catches

    The overfishing limit (OFL) is calculated to set the maximum amount 
of fish that can be caught in a year, without constituting overfishing. 
The ABC is typically set lower than the OFL to account for scientific 
uncertainty. For GB cod, GB haddock, and GB yellowtail flounder, the 
total ABC is reduced by the amount of the Canadian quota (see Table 1 
for the Canadian and U.S. shares of these stocks). Although the TMGC 
recommendations were only for fishing year 2022, the portion of the 
shared quota allocated to Canada in fishing year 2022 was used to 
project U.S. ABCs for GB yellowtail for 2023. This avoids artificially 
inflating the U.S. ABC up to the total ABC for the 2023 fishing year. 
Because there are no proposed total ABCs for GB cod and GB haddock for 
fishing year 2023, there are no fishing year 2023 U.S. ABCs for these 
two stocks either, although there are proposed quotas for eastern GB 
cod and haddock (see Fishing Years 2022 and 2023 Shared U.S./Canada 
Quotas). The TMGC will make new recommendations for 2023, which would 
replace any quotas for these stocks set in this action. Additionally, 
although GB winter flounder, white hake, and Atlantic halibut are not 
jointly managed with Canada, there is some Canadian catch of these 
stocks. Because the total ABC must account for all sources of fishing 
mortality, expected Canadian catch of GB winter flounder (26 mt), white 
hake (39 mt), and Atlantic halibut (49 mt) is deducted from the total 
ABC. The U.S. ABC is the amount available to the U.S. fishery after 
accounting for Canadian catch (see Table 3). For stocks without 
Canadian catch, the U.S. ABC is equal to the total ABC.
    The OFLs are currently unknown for GB cod, GB yellowtail flounder, 
witch flounder, northern windowpane flounder, and Atlantic halibut. For 
2022, the SSC recommended maintaining the unknown OFL for GB yellowtail 
flounder and GB cod. Empirical stock assessments are used for these 
five stocks, and these assessments can no longer provide quantitative 
estimates of the status determination criteria, nor were appropriate 
proxies for stock status determination able to be developed. In the 
temporary absence of an OFL, in this and previous actions, we have 
considered recent catch data and estimated trends in stock biomass as 
an indication that the catch limits derived from ABCs are sufficiently 
managing fishing mortality at a rate that is preventing overfishing. 
For GB yellowtail flounder, the SSC noted that the fishery does not 
appear to be the main driver limiting stock recovery. However, the 
continued low stock biomass and poor recruitment for this stock warrant 
the maintenance of low catch levels. For GB cod, a majority of the SSC 
accepted the continued use of the ``PlanBSmooth'' approach for setting 
the ABC for GB cod, which results in a large decrease (approximately 57 
percent) from the previously set ABC value, and a 37-percent decrease 
from the most recent 3-year average catch. This large reduction in the 
ABC for GB cod is anticipated to increase the probability of stock 
rebuilding. Based on these considerations, we have preliminarily 
determined that these ABCs are a sufficient limit for preventing 
overfishing and are consistent with the National Standards. This action 
does not propose any changes to the status determination criteria for 
these stocks.

Georges Bank Cod

    The GB cod 2021 management track assessment followed the 
PlanBsmooth approach, using updated commercial fishery catch data 
through calendar year 2020 and updated research survey indices of 
abundance through 2021. While this approach does not allow biological 
reference points to be calculated, the output of the PlanBsmooth 
approach has been used as the basis of catch advice since the 2015 age-
based updated assessment was rejected by the peer review. At the 
October 25, 2021, SSC meeting, two applications of the PlanBsmooth 
approach were presented. In the first method, Plan B was applied with 
missing values for the 2020 spring and fall surveys, which were not 
conducted due to impacts of the COVID-19 health emergency. In the 
second method, values for the 2020 survey data were imputed based on 
averages of recent data. The results of the two methods were a slightly 
different catch multiplier (0.611 vs. 0.632, respectively) and 
recommended ABCs (729 mt vs. 754 mt). While a minority of the SSC 
advocated for an alternative proposal that used a ramp-down approach to 
setting the GB cod ABC for 2022-2024, the majority of the SSC endorsed 
the use of the PlanBsmooth as the best scientific information available 
on which to set catch advice and adopted the use of the second method 
with imputed survey data. The SSC recommended a 3-year constant ABC of 
754 mt, which would represent a 57-percent decrease from the 2021 ABC 
value. Because a portion of the total ABC is allocated to Canada, the 
resulting U.S. ABC of 343 mt would be a 74-percent decrease from the 
2021 U.S. ABC. The Council discussed both the SSC's recommendation and 
the opinion presented in the SSC's minority report, and ultimately 
decided to propose the SSC's recommended ABC of 754 mt, but for fishing 
year 2022 only. Framework 63 would not set an ABC for GB cod for 2023 
or beyond, and the Council would need to propose an ABC in a future 
action.

Annual Catch Limits

Development of Annual Catch Limits
    The U.S. ABC for each stock is divided among the various fishery 
components to account for all sources of fishing mortality. An estimate 
of catch expected from state waters and the other sub-component (e.g., 
non-groundfish fisheries or some recreational groundfish fisheries) is 
deducted from the U.S. ABC. The remaining portion of the U.S. ABC is 
distributed to the fishery components that receive an allocation for 
the stock. Components of the fishery that receive an allocation have a 
sub-ACL set by reducing their portion of the ABC to account for 
management uncertainty and are subject to accountability measures (AM) 
if they exceed their respective catch limit during the fishing year. 
For GOM cod and haddock only, the U.S. ABC is first divided between the 
commercial and recreational fisheries, before being further divided 
into sub-components and sub-ACLs. This process is described fully in 
Appendix II of the Framework 63 Environmental Assessment. Amendment 23, 
if approved, could remove the management uncertainty buffer for 
sectors, and the Amendment 23 proposed rule (87 FR 11014; February 28, 
2022) provides additional information regarding the implementation of 
this potential change. However, the allocations in Framework 63 include 
the management uncertainty buffers.
Sector and Common Pool Allocations
    For stocks allocated to sectors, the commercial groundfish sub-ACL 
is further divided into the non-sector (common pool) sub-ACL and the 
sector sub-ACL, based on the total vessel enrollment in sectors and the 
cumulative potential sector contributions (PSC) associated with those 
sectors. The sector and common pool sub-ACLs proposed in this action 
are based on preliminary fishing year 2022 sector rosters. All permits 
enrolled in a sector, and the vessels associated with those permits, 
have until April 30, 2022, to withdraw from a sector and fish in the 
common pool for the 2022 fishing year. In addition to the enrollment

[[Page 23486]]

delay, all permits that change ownership after the roster deadline are 
able to join a sector (or change sector) through April 30, 2022.

Common Pool Total Allowable Catches

    The common pool sub-ACL for each allocated stock (except for SNE/MA 
winter flounder) is further divided into trimester TACs. Table 7 
summarizes the common pool trimester TACs proposed in this action.
    Incidental catch TACs are also specified for certain stocks of 
concern (i.e., stocks that are overfished or subject to overfishing) 
for common pool vessels fishing in the special management programs 
(i.e., special access programs (SAP) and the Regular B Days-at-Sea 
(DAS) Program), in order to limit the catch of these stocks under each 
program. Tables 8 through 11 summarize the proposed Incidental Catch 
TACs for each stock and the distribution of these TACs to each special 
management program.

                                                                    Table 4--Proposed Catch Limits for the 2022 Fishing Year
                                                                                        [mt, live weight]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                     Common                    Midwater
                             Stock                               Total ACL   Groundfish   Sector   pool sub-   Recreational     trawl     Scallop   Small-mesh    State waters      Other sub-
                                                                              sub-ACL     sub-ACL     ACL         sub-ACL      fishery    fishery    fisheries   sub-component      component
                                                                    A to H        A+B+C         A          B               C          D          E           F                G                H
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GB Cod........................................................         330          244       238          6  ..............  .........  .........  ..........               11               75
GOM Cod.......................................................         522          462       263        7.4             192  .........  .........  ..........               48               12
GB Haddock....................................................      77,302       75,382    74,090      1,292  ..............      1,514  .........  ..........                0              406
GOM Haddock...................................................      10,873       10,690     6,922        134           3,634        107  .........  ..........               38               38
GB Yellowtail Flounder........................................         118           97        93        4.5  ..............  .........         19         2.3              0.0              0.0
SNE/MA Yellowtail Flounder....................................          21           16        12        3.2  ..............  .........        2.0  ..........              0.2              3.3
CC/GOM Yellowtail Flounder....................................         787          692       666         26  ..............  .........  .........  ..........               58               37
American Plaice...............................................       2,687        2,630     2,565         65  ..............  .........  .........  ..........               28               28
Witch Flounder................................................       1,414        1,317     1,285         33  ..............  .........  .........  ..........               44               52
GB Winter Flounder............................................         591          563       550         14  ..............  .........  .........  ..........                0               27
GOM Winter Flounder...........................................         482          281       260         21  ..............  .........  .........  ..........              194              7.5
SNE/MA Winter Flounder........................................         441          288       254         34  ..............  .........  .........  ..........               21              132
Redfish.......................................................       9,559        9,559     9,470         89  ..............  .........  .........  ..........                0                0
White Hake....................................................       2,011        1,990     1,971         19  ..............  .........  .........  ..........               11               11
Pollock.......................................................      16,068       14,135    14,028        107  ..............  .........  .........  ..........            1,093              841
N Windowpane Flounder.........................................         150          108        na        108  ..............  .........         31  ..........              0.8               10
S Windowpane Flounder.........................................         371           43        na         43  ..............  .........        129  ..........               23              177
Ocean Pout....................................................          83           50        na         50  ..............  .........  .........  ..........                0               33
Atlantic Halibut..............................................          97           73        na         73  ..............  .........  .........  ..........               20              3.5
Atlantic Wolffish.............................................          86           86        na         86  ..............  .........  .........  ..........                0                0
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
na: Not allocated to sectors.


                                                                   Table 5--Proposed Catch Limits for the 2023 Fishing Year *
                                                                                        [mt, live weight]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                     Common                    Midwater
                             Stock                               Total ACL   Groundfish   Sector   pool sub-   Recreational     trawl     Scallop   Small-mesh    State waters      Other sub-
                                                                              sub-ACL     sub-ACL     ACL         sub-ACL      fishery    fishery    fisheries   sub-component      component
                                                                    A to H        A+B+C         A          B               C          D          E           F                G                H
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GOM Cod.......................................................         522          462       263        7.4             192  .........  .........  ..........               48               12
GB Yellowtail Flounder........................................         118           97        93        4.5  ..............  .........         19         2.3                0                0
GB Winter Flounder............................................         591          563       550         14  ..............  .........  .........  ..........                0               27
GOM Winter Flounder...........................................         482          281       260         21  ..............  .........  .........  ..........              194              7.5
SNE/MA Winter Flounder........................................         441          288       254         34  ..............  .........  .........  ..........               21              132
Redfish.......................................................       9,469        9,469     9,381         88  ..............  .........  .........  ..........                0                0
N. Windowpane Flounder........................................         150          108        na        108  ..............  .........         31  ..........              0.8               10
S. Windowpane Flounder........................................         371           43        na         43  ..............  .........        129  ..........               23              177
Ocean Pout....................................................          83           50        na         50  ..............  .........  .........  ..........                0               33
Atlantic Halibut..............................................          97           73        na         73  ..............  .........  .........  ..........               20              3.5
Atlantic Wolffish.............................................          86           86        na         86  ..............  .........  .........  ..........                0                0
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
na: Not allocated to sectors.
* All other Northeast multispecies stocks not included in Table 4 do not have catch limits approved or proposed beyond fishing year 2022.


[[Page 23487]]


                                                                   Table 6--Proposed Catch Limits for the 2024 Fishing Year *
                                                                                        [mt, live weight]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                     Common                    Midwater
                             Stock                               Total ACL   Groundfish   Sector   pool sub-   Recreational     trawl     Scallop   Small-mesh    State waters      Other sub-
                                                                              sub-ACL     sub-ACL     ACL         sub-ACL      fishery    fishery    fisheries   sub-component      component
                                                                    A to H        A+B+C         A          B               C          D          E           F                G                H
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GOM Cod.......................................................         522          462       263          7             192  .........  .........  ..........               48               12
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Framework 63 only proposes a fishing year 2024 catch limit for GOM cod.


                                          Table 7--Proposed Fishing Years 2022-2024 Common Pool Trimester TACs
                                                                    [mt, live weight]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                    2022                                    2023                                    2024
              Stock               ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                   Trimester 1  Trimester 2   Trimester 3  Trimester 1  Trimester 2   Trimester 3  Trimester 1  Trimester 2  Trimester 3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GB Cod...........................          1.7          2.1          2.3   ...........  ...........  ............  ...........  ...........  ...........
GOM Cod..........................          3.6          2.4          1.3           3.6          2.4          1.3           3.6          2.4          1.3
GB Haddock.......................        348.8        426.3        516.8   ...........  ...........  ............  ...........  ...........  ...........
GOM Haddock......................         36.2         34.9         63.0   ...........  ...........  ............  ...........  ...........  ...........
GB Yellowtail Flounder...........          0.8          1.3          2.3           0.8          1.3          2.3   ...........  ...........  ...........
SNE/MA Yellowtail Flounder.......          0.7          0.9          1.6   ...........  ...........  ............  ...........  ...........  ...........
CC/GOM Yellowtail Flounder.......         15.0          6.9          4.5   ...........  ...........  ............  ...........  ...........  ...........
American Plaice..................         48.1          5.2         11.7   ...........  ...........  ............  ...........  ...........  ...........
Witch Flounder...................         18.0          6.5          8.2   ...........  ...........  ............  ...........  ...........  ...........
GB Winter Flounder...............          1.1          3.3          9.2           1.1          3.3          9.2   ...........  ...........  ...........
GOM Winter Flounder..............          7.6          7.8          5.1           7.6          7.8          5.1   ...........  ...........  ...........
Redfish..........................         22.2         27.5         39.1          22.0         27.3         38.7   ...........  ...........  ...........
White Hake.......................          7.2          5.9          5.9   ...........  ...........  ............  ...........  ...........  ...........
Pollock..........................         29.9         37.4         39.6   ...........  ...........  ............  ...........  ...........  ...........
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


               Table 8--Proposed Common Pool Incidental Catch TACs for the 2022-2024 Fishing Years
                                                [mt, live weight]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                   Percentage of
                      Stock                         common pool        2022            2023            2024
                                                      sub-ACL
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GB Cod..........................................            1.68            0.10  ..............  ..............
GOM Cod.........................................               1            0.07            0.07            0.07
GB Yellowtail Flounder..........................               2            0.09             0.9  ..............
CC/GOM Yellowtail Flounder......................               1            0.26  ..............  ..............
American Plaice.................................               5            3.25  ..............  ..............
Witch Flounder..................................               5            1.63  ..............  ..............
SNE/MA Winter Flounder..........................               1            0.34            0.34  ..............
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Table 9--Percentage of Incidental Catch TACs Distributed to Each Special
                           Management Program
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                           Regular B DAS   Eastern U.S./
                  Stock                       program     CA haddock SAP
                                             (percent)       (percent)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
GB Cod..................................              60              40
GOM Cod.................................             100             n/a
GB Yellowtail Flounder..................              50              50
CC/GOM Yellowtail Flounder..............             100             n/a
American Plaice.........................             100             n/a
Witch Flounder..........................             100             n/a
SNE/MA Winter Flounder..................             100             n/a
------------------------------------------------------------------------
na: Not allocated to sectors.


                          Table 10--Proposed Fishing Years 2022-2024 Incidental Catch TACs for Each Special Management Program
                                                                    [mt, live weight]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                       Regular B DAS program                      Eastern U.S./Canada haddock SAP
                          Stock                          -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                               2022            2023            2024            2022            2023            2024
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GB Cod..................................................            0.06  ..............  ..............            0.04  ..............  ..............
GOM Cod.................................................            0.07            0.07            0.07             n/a             n/a             n/a
GB Yellowtail Flounder..................................            0.04            0.04  ..............            0.04            0.04  ..............

[[Page 23488]]

 
CC/GOM Yellowtail Flounder..............................            0.26  ..............  ..............             n/a             n/a             n/a
American Plaice.........................................            3.25  ..............  ..............             n/a             n/a             n/a
Witch Flounder..........................................            1.63  ..............  ..............             n/a             n/a             n/a
SNE/MA Winter Flounder..................................            0.34            0.34  ..............             n/a             n/a             n/a
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
na: Not allocated to sectors.


                                                Table 11--Proposed Fishing Years 2022-2024 Regular B DAS Program Quarterly Incidental Catch TACs
                                                                                        [mt, live weight]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                 2022                                        2023                                        2024
                                                             -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                 1st        2nd        3rd        4th        1st        2nd        3rd        4th        1st        2nd        3rd        4th
                            Stock                              quarter    quarter    quarter    quarter    quarter    quarter    quarter    quarter    quarter    quarter    quarter    quarter
                                                                 (13        (29        (29        (29        (13        (29        (29        (29        (13        (29        (29        (29
                                                               percent)   percent)   percent)   percent)   percent)   percent)   percent)   percent)   percent)   percent)   percent)   percent)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GB Cod......................................................       0.01       0.02       0.02       0.02  .........  .........  .........  .........  .........  .........  .........  .........
GOM Cod.....................................................       0.01       0.02       0.02       0.02       0.01       0.02       0.02       0.02       0.01       0.02       0.02       0.02
GB Yellowtail Flounder......................................      0.006      0.013      0.013      0.013       0.01       0.01       0.01       0.01  .........  .........  .........  .........
CC/GOM Yellowtail Flounder..................................       0.03       0.08       0.08       0.08  .........  .........  .........  .........  .........  .........  .........  .........
American Plaice.............................................       0.42       0.94       0.94       0.94  .........  .........  .........  .........  .........  .........  .........  .........
Witch Flounder..............................................       0.21       0.47       0.47       0.47  .........  .........  .........  .........  .........  .........  .........  .........
SNE/MA Winter Flounder......................................       0.04       0.10       0.10       0.10       0.04       0.10       0.10       0.10  .........  .........  .........  .........
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recreational Fishery Measures

    The recreational fishery harvests GB cod, but there is no 
allocation to the recreational sector. A portion of the ABC is set 
aside for the catch in state waters (including both commercial and 
recreational vessels) and catch in Federal waters by other fisheries 
(including non-groundfish commercial vessels and recreational 
groundfish vessels). There are no AMs for the GB cod recreational 
fishery; an overage to the ACL, even if it results from catch by the 
recreational fishery, is paid back (pound-for-pound) by the commercial 
groundfish fishery.
    Given the proposed reduction in the GB cod ABC, the Council has 
proposed setting a new GB cod recreational catch target of 75 mt, which 
would replace the current catch target of 138 mt. The Council used this 
catch target to set the proposed values of the state and other sub-
components (see Appendix II of the EA).
    Framework 63 would also adjust the current recreational measures 
for GB cod, in order to reduce mortality to stay below the GB cod 
recreational catch target. Combined with the reduction in catch target, 
these measures were developed to reduce mortality on GB cod and allow 
for the promotion of GB cod stock rebuilding. These measures would 
apply to both private and for-hire recreational vessels, and would 
remain in place unless modified. Table 12 shows the current and 
proposed GB cod recreational measures.

 Table 12--Current and Proposed Georges Bank Cod Recreational Management
                                Measures
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                         Current            Proposed
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Minimum Size.....................  21 in (53.3 cm)...  22 in (55.9 cm).
Maximum Size.....................  None..............  28 in (71.1 cm).
Possession Limit.................  10 fish per person  5 fish per person
                                    per day.            per day.
Closed Season....................  None..............  May 1 through
                                                        July 31.
Open Season......................  All year..........  August 1 through
                                                        April 30.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Past data show that setting a possession limit, increasing minimum 
size, and establishing a closed season are effective techniques for 
reducing recreational catch. While less common, a maximum size limit 
(often referred to as a ``slot limit'' when coupled with a minimum 
size) can also increase the chance that large fish, which are more 
likely successful spawners, are released alive and are able to continue 
to spawn. Based on data from recent fishing years, it is estimated that 
the proposed measures would result in approximately 60 mt of catch. 
Given the variability in MRIP data and the lack of a bioeconomic model 
for GB cod to evaluate the potential behavioral effects of the proposed 
measures, there is uncertainty about the accuracy of that estimate for 
any given year.
    To help prevent future overages of the GB cod ACL, Framework 63 
proposes to grant the Regional Administrator authority to set 
recreational measures for fishing years 2023 and 2024 to prevent the 
catch target from being exceeded. After consultation with the Council, 
we would make any changes to

[[Page 23489]]

recreational measures consistent with the Administrative Procedure Act.

Default Specifications Process

    Framework 53 (80 FR 25110; May 1, 2015) established a mechanism for 
setting default catch limits in the event a future management action is 
delayed. If final catch limits have not been implemented by the start 
of a fishing year on May 1, then default catch limits are set at 35 
percent of the previous year's catch limit, effective until July 31 of 
that fishing year, or when replaced by new catch limits, whichever 
happens first.
    Framework 63 proposes to modify the default specifications process 
to increase the default limits to 75 percent of the previous year's 
catch limit, and extend the effective date through October 31 of that 
fishing year, or when replaced by new catch limits, whichever happens 
first. As implemented by Framework 53, if the default value is higher 
than the Council's recommended catch limit for the upcoming fishing 
year, the default catch limits will be equal to the Council's 
recommended catch limits for the applicable stocks for the upcoming 
fishing year. Additionally, there is no proposed change to the sector 
holdback provision. When specifications are in place at the start of 
the fishing year, a portion of each groundfish sector's quota is not 
allocated to the sector while NMFS determines whether overages or other 
catch accounting issues occurred in the prior fishing year. Under the 
sector holdback provision, if a default catch limit is in place, 
sectors would not be subject to holdback at the beginning of the 
fishing year. As part of the proposed changes to the default 
specifications process, the Council recommended setting a second year 
TAC for eastern GB cod and haddock, with the expectation on that these 
would be replaced as a result of the annual TMGC process. This is more 
fully described in Fishing Years 2022 and 2023 Shared U.S./Canada 
Quotas.
    Because most groundfish vessels are not able to fish if final catch 
limits have not been implemented, this measure was originally 
established to allow fishing to continue for a short interim period to 
minimize disruption to the groundfish fishery. The proposed 
modifications would particularly benefit seasonal fisheries that 
primarily operate in the early part of the fishing year, which would 
have access to a greater portion of their quota, while still ensuring 
that overfishing will not occur. In recent years, various factors have 
led to the groundfish framework actions not being implemented until 
close to the end of the current default period, and the potential for 
the catch limits to expire before new catch limits are set has led to 
disruptions and uncertainty for the industry. The addition of 3 months 
to the current expiration date of default specifications (October 31 vs 
July 31) retains a timeline for rulemaking while reducing the 
likelihood of having specifications for groundfish stocks expire. 
However, both the Council and NMFS intend for the annual specifications 
to be in place at, or as close as possible to, the start of the fishing 
year (May 1) each year.

Regulatory Corrections Under Secretarial Authority

    Framework 63 would reinstate the possession limit for the northern 
red hake stock, specified at Sec.  648.86(d)(1)(vi), under our 
authority described in section 305(d) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Red 
hake is considered a small-mesh multispecies along with silver and 
offshore hake. Small-mesh multispecies are included as a part of the 
FMP; however, because the fishery is conducted with much smaller mesh 
it is managed separately from other regulated NE multispecies through 
distinct actions specific to the small-mesh fishery. The 2015-2018 
Small-Mesh Multispecies Specifications (80 FR 30379; May 28, 2015) 
reduced the possession limit of the northern red hake stock from 5,000 
lb (2,268 kg) to 3,000 lb (1,361 kg) based on an approved Council 
recommendation. The possession limit for the northern red hake stock 
remains unchanged at 3,000 lb (1,361 kg) and Framework 63 would 
reinstate the possession limit that was inadvertently deleted through a 
prior rulemaking.

Classification

    Pursuant to section 304(b)(1)(A) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the 
NMFS Assistant Administrator has made a preliminary determination that 
this proposed rule is consistent with Framework 63, other provisions of 
the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and other applicable law, subject to further 
consideration after public comment. In making the final determination, 
we will consider the data, views, and comments received during the 
public comment period.
    This proposed rule has been determined to be not significant for 
purposes of Executive Order (E.O.) 12866.
    This proposed rule does not contain policies with federalism or 
takings implications as those terms are defined in E.O. 13132 and E.O. 
12630, respectively.
    An Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (IRFA) was prepared for 
this proposed rule, as required by section 603 of the Regulatory 
Flexibility Act, 5 U.S.C. 603. The IRFA describes the economic impact 
that this proposed rule would have on small entities, including small 
businesses, and also determines ways to minimize these impacts. The 
IRFA includes this section of the preamble to this rule and analyses 
contained in Framework 63 and its accompanying EA/RIR/IRFA. A copy of 
the full analysis is available from the Council (see ADDRESSES). A 
summary of the IRFA follows.

Description of the Reasons Why Action by the Agency Is Being Considered 
and Statement of the Objectives of, and Legal Basis for, This Proposed 
Rule

    This action proposes management measures, including annual catch 
limits, for the multispecies fishery in order to prevent overfishing, 
rebuild overfished groundfish stocks, and achieve optimum yield in the 
fishery. A complete description of the action, why it is being 
considered, and the legal basis for this action are contained in 
Framework 63, and elsewhere in the preamble to this proposed rule, and 
are not repeated here.

Description and Estimate of the Number of Small Entities to Which This 
Proposed Rule Would Apply

    The proposed rule would impact the recreational groundfish, 
Atlantic sea scallop, small mesh multispecies, Atlantic herring, and 
large-mesh non-groundfish fisheries. Individually-permitted vessels may 
hold permits for several fisheries, harvesting species of fish that are 
regulated by several different FMPs, even beyond those impacted by the 
proposed action. Furthermore, multiple-permitted vessels and/or permits 
may be owned by entities affiliated by stock ownership, common 
management, identity of interest, contractual relationships, or 
economic dependency. For the purposes of the Regulatory Flexibility Act 
analysis, the ownership entities, not the individual vessels, are 
considered to be the regulated entities.
    As of June 1, 2021, NMFS had issued 721 commercial limited-access 
groundfish permits associated with vessels (including those in 
confirmation of permit history, CPH), 649 party/charter groundfish 
permits, 705 limited access and general category Atlantic sea scallop 
permits, 734 small-mesh multispecies permits, 80 Atlantic herring 
permits, and 802 large-mesh non-groundfish permits (limited access 
summer flounder and scup permits).

[[Page 23490]]

Therefore, this action potentially regulates 3,691 permits. When 
accounting for overlaps between fisheries, this number falls to 2,126 
permitted vessels. Each vessel may be individually owned or part of a 
larger corporate ownership structure, and for RFA purposes, it is the 
ownership entity that is ultimately regulated by the proposed action. 
Ownership entities are identified on June 1st of each year based on the 
list of all permit numbers, for the most recent complete calendar year, 
that have applied for any type of Greater Atlantic Federal fishing 
permit. The current ownership data set is based on calendar year 2020 
permits and contains gross sales associated with those permits for 
calendar years 2018 through 2020.
    For RFA purposes only, NMFS has established a small business size 
standard for businesses, including their affiliates, whose primary 
industry is commercial fishing (see 50 CFR 200.2). A business primarily 
engaged in commercial fishing (NAICS code 11411) is classified as a 
small business if it is independently owned and operated, is not 
dominant in its field of operation (including its affiliates), and has 
combined annual receipts not in excess of $11 million for all its 
affiliated operations worldwide. The determination as to whether the 
entity is large or small is based on the average annual revenue for the 
three years from 2018 through 2020. The Small Business Administration 
(SBA) has established size standards for all other major industry 
sectors in the U.S., including for-hire fishing (NAICS code 487210). 
These entities are classified as small businesses if combined annual 
receipts are not in excess of $8.0 million for all its affiliated 
operations. As with commercial fishing businesses, the annual average 
of the three most recent years (2018-2020) is utilized in determining 
annual receipts for businesses primarily engaged in for-hire fishing.
    Based on the ownership data, 1,696 distinct business entities hold 
at least one permit that the proposed action potentially regulates. All 
1,696 business entities identified could be directly regulated by this 
proposed action. Of these 1,696 entities, 976 are commercial fishing 
entities, 281 are for-hire entities, and 439 did not have revenues 
(were inactive in 2020). Of the 976 commercial fishing entities, 967 
are categorized as small entities and 9 are categorized as large 
entities, per the NMFS guidelines. Furthermore, 579 of these commercial 
fishing entities held limited access groundfish permits, with 577 of 
these entities being classified as small businesses and 2 of these 
entities being classified as large businesses. All 281 for-hire 
entities are categorized as small businesses.

Description of the Projected Reporting, Record-Keeping, and Other 
Compliance Requirements of This Proposed Rule

    The proposed action does not contain any new collection-of-
information requirements under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA).

Federal Rules Which May Duplicate, Overlap, or Conflict With This 
Proposed Rule

    The proposed action does not duplicate, overlap, or conflict with 
any other Federal rules.

Description of Significant Alternatives to the Proposed Action Which 
Accomplish the Stated Objectives of Applicable Statutes and Which 
Minimize Any Significant Economic Impact on Small Entities

    The economic impacts of each proposed measure are discussed in more 
detail in sections 6.5 and 7.12 of the Framework 63 Environmental 
Assessment and are not repeated here. For the updated groundfish 
specifications and adjustments to the GB cod recreational measures, the 
No Action alternative was the only other alternative considered by the 
Council. There are no significant alternatives that would minimize the 
economic impacts. The proposed action is predicted to generate $73.3 
million in gross revenues on the sector portion of the commercial 
groundfish trips, which is $2.2 million less than No Action, but falls 
within the recent historical range. Small entities engaged in common 
pool groundfish fishing may be negatively impacted by the proposed 
action as well. Likewise, small entities engaged in the recreational 
groundfish fishery are also likely to be negatively impacted. These 
negative impacts for both commercial and recreational groundfish 
entities are driven primarily by a substantial decline in the ACL for 
GB cod for fishing year 2022. While this decline is expected to result 
in short-term negative impacts, decreased GB cod catch in fishing year 
2022 is expected to yield long-term positive impacts through stock 
rebuilding.

List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 648

    Fisheries, Fishing, Recordkeeping, and reporting requirements.

    Dated: April 13, 2022.
Samuel D. Rauch, III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.

    For the reasons stated in the preamble, 50 CFR part 648 is proposed 
to be amended as follows:

PART 648--FISHERIES OF THE NORTHEASTERN UNITED STATES

0
1. The authority citation for part 648 continues to read as follows:

    Authority:  16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

0
2. In Sec.  648.14, revise paragraph (k)(16)(v) to read as follows:


Sec.  648.14  Prohibitions.

* * * * *
    (k) * * *
    (16) * * *
    (v) Size limits. If fishing under the recreational or charter/party 
regulations, possess regulated species or ocean pout that are smaller 
than the minimum fish sizes or larger than maximum fish sizes specified 
in Sec.  648.89(b)(1) and (b)(3).
* * * * *
0
3. In Sec.  648.86 add paragraph (d)(1)(vi) to read as follows:


Sec.  648.86  NE Multispecies possession restrictions.

* * * * *
    (d) * * *
    (1) * * *
    (vi) Possession of northern red hake. Vessels participating in the 
small-mesh multispecies fishery and fishing on the northern red hake 
stock, defined as statistical areas 464-465, 467, 511-515, 521-522, and 
561, may possess and land no more than 3,000 lb 91,361 kg) of red hake 
when fishing in the GOM/GB Exemption area, as described in Sec.  
648.80(a)(17).
* * * * *
0
4. Amend Sec.  648.89 by revising paragraph (b) introductory text, 
paragraphs (b)(1), Table 2 to paragraph (c), Table 3 to paragraph (c), 
and (g), to read as follows:


Sec.  648.89  Recreational and charter/party vessel restrictions.

* * * * *
    (b) Recreational minimum and maximum fish sizes--
    (1) Minimum and maximum fish sizes. Unless further restricted under 
this section, persons aboard charter or party boats permitted under 
this part and not fishing under the NE multispecies DAS program or 
under the restrictions and conditions of an approved sector operations 
plan, and private recreational fishing vessels may

[[Page 23491]]

not possess fish in or from the EEZ that are smaller than the minimum 
fish sizes or larger than the maximum fish sizes, measured in total 
length, as follows:

                                           Table 1 to Paragraph (b)(1)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                           Minimum size                    Maximum size
                     Species                     ---------------------------------------------------------------
                                                      Inches            cm            Inches            cm
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cod:
    Inside GOM Regulated Mesh Area \1\..........              21            53.3             N/A             N/A
    Outside GOM Regulated Mesh Area \1\.........              22            55.9              28            71.1
Haddock:
    Inside GOM Regulated Mesh Area \1\..........              17            43.2             N/A             N/A
    Outside GOM Regulated Mesh Area \1\.........              18            45.7             N/A             N/A
Pollock.........................................              19            48.3             N/A             N/A
Witch Flounder (gray sole)......................              14            35.6             N/A             N/A
Yellowtail Flounder.............................              13            33.0             N/A             N/A
American Plaice (dab)...........................              14            35.6             N/A             N/A
Atlantic Halibut................................              41           104.1             N/A             N/A
Winter Flounder (black back)....................              12            30.5             N/A             N/A
Redfish.........................................               9            22.9             N/A             N/A
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ GOM Regulated Mesh Area specified in Sec.   648.80(a).

* * * * *
    (c) * * *
    (1) * * *
    (i) * * *

                                            Table 2 to Paragraph (c)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                Stock                        Open season            Possession limit          Closed season
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GB Cod...............................  August 1-April 30......  5......................  May 1-July 31.
GOM Cod..............................  September 15-30, April   1......................  April 15-September 14,
                                        1-14.                                             October 1-March 31.
GB Haddock...........................  All Year...............  Unlimited..............  N/A.
GOM Haddock..........................  May 1-February 28 (or    15.....................  March 1-March 31.
                                        29), April 1-30.
GB Yellowtail Flounder...............  All Year...............  Unlimited..............  N/A.
SNE/MA Yellowtail Flounder...........  All Year...............  Unlimited..............  N/A.
CC/GOM Yellowtail Flounder...........  All Year...............  Unlimited..............  N/A.
American Plaice......................  All Year...............  Unlimited..............  N/A.
Witch Flounder.......................  All Year...............  Unlimited..............  N/A.
GB Winter Flounder...................  All Year...............  Unlimited..............  N/A.
GOM Winter Flounder..................  All Year...............  Unlimited..............  N/A.
SNE/MA Winter Flounder...............  All Year...............  Unlimited..............  N/A.
Redfish..............................  All Year...............  Unlimited..............  N/A.
White Hake...........................  All Year...............  Unlimited..............  N/A.
Pollock..............................  All Year...............  Unlimited..............  N/A.
N Windowpane Flounder................  Closed.................  No retention...........  All Year.
S Windowpane Flounder................  Closed.................  No retention...........  All Year.
Ocean Pout...........................  Closed.................  No retention...........  All Year.
Atlantic Halibut.....................  See paragraph (c)(3) of
                                        this section.
Atlantic Wolffish....................  Closed.................  No retention...........  All Year.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

* * * * *
    (2) * * *

                                            Table 3 to Paragraph (c)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
               Species                       Open season            Possession limit          Closed season
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GB Cod...............................  August 1-April 30......  5......................  May 1-July 31.
GOM Cod..............................  September 8-October 7,   1......................  April 15-September 7,
                                        April 1-14.                                       October 8-March 31.
GB Haddock...........................  All Year...............  Unlimited..............  N/A.
GOM Haddock..........................  May 1-February 28 (or    15.....................  March 1-March 31.
                                        29), April 1-30.
GB Yellowtail Flounder...............  All Year...............  Unlimited..............  N/A.
SNE/MA Yellowtail Flounder...........  All Year...............  Unlimited..............  N/A.
CC/GOM Yellowtail Flounder...........  All Year...............  Unlimited..............  N/A.
American Plaice......................  All Year...............  Unlimited..............  N/A.
Witch Flounder.......................  All Year...............  Unlimited..............  N/A.
GB Winter Flounder...................  All Year...............  Unlimited..............  N/A.
GOM Winter Flounder..................  All Year...............  Unlimited..............  N/A.

[[Page 23492]]

 
SNE/MA Winter Flounder...............  All Year...............  Unlimited..............  N/A.
Redfish..............................  All Year...............  Unlimited..............  N/A.
White Hake...........................  All Year...............  Unlimited..............  N/A.
Pollock..............................  All Year...............  Unlimited..............  N/A.
N Windowpane Flounder................  Closed.................  No retention...........  All Year.
S Windowpane Flounder................  Closed.................  No retention...........  All Year.
Ocean Pout...........................  Closed.................  No retention...........  All Year.
Atlantic Halibut.....................  See Paragraph (c)(3) of
                                        this section.
Atlantic Wolffish....................  Closed.................  No retention...........  All Year.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

* * * * *
    (g) Regional Administrator authority for Georges Bank cod 
recreational measures. For the 2023 and 2024 fishing years, the 
Regional Administrator, after consultation with the NEFMC, may adjust 
recreational measures for Georges Bank cod to prevent the recreational 
fishery from exceeding the annual catch target as determined by the 
NEFMC. Appropriate measures, including adjustments to fishing seasons, 
minimum fish sizes, or possession limits, may be implemented in a 
manner consistent with the Administrative Procedure Act, with the final 
measures published in the Federal Register prior to the start of the 
fishing year when possible. Separate measures may be implemented for 
the private and charter/party components of the recreational fishery. 
Measures in place in fishing year 2024 will be in effect beginning in 
fishing year 2025, and will remain in effect until they are changed by 
a Framework Adjustment or Amendment to the FMP, or through an emergency 
action.
* * * * *
0
5. In Sec.  648.90, revise paragraph (a)(3)(i) and paragraph (a)(4)(i) 
introductory text to read as follows:


Sec.  648.90  NE multispecies assessment, framework procedures and 
specifications, and flexible area action system.

* * * * *
    (a) * * *
    (3) * * *
    (i) Unless otherwise specified in this paragraph (a)(3), if final 
specifications are not published in the Federal Register for the start 
of a fishing year, as outlined in paragraph (a)(4) of this section, 
specifications for that fishing year shall be set at 75 percent of the 
previous year's specifications for each NE multispecies stock, 
including the U.S./Canada shared resources, for the period of time 
beginning on May 1 and ending on October 31, unless superseded by the 
final rule implementing the current year's specifications.
* * * * *
    (4) * * *
    (i) ABC/ACL recommendations. As described in this paragraph (a)(4), 
with the exception of stocks managed by the Understanding, the PDT 
shall develop recommendations for setting an ABC, ACL, and OFL for each 
NE multispecies stock for each of the next 3 years as part of the 
biennial review process specified in paragraph (a)(2) of this section. 
ACLs can also be specified based upon updated information in the annual 
SAFE report, as described in paragraph (a)(1) of this section, and 
other available information as part of a specification package, as 
described in paragraph (a)(6) of this section. For NE multispecies 
stocks or stock components managed under both the NE Multispecies FMP 
and the Understanding, the PDT shall develop recommendations for ABCs, 
ACLs, and OFLs for the pertinent stock or stock components for each of 
the next 2 years as part of the annual process described in this 
paragraph (a)(4) and Sec.  648.85(a)(2).
* * * * *
[FR Doc. 2022-08314 Filed 4-19-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P