Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan; Secretarial Amendment

Resumen

NMFS proposes a Secretarial Amendment to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan to establish a mechanism for specifying annual catch limits and accountability measures for the small-mesh multispecies fishery. The Secretarial Amendment, incorporating a draft Environmental Assessment and an Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis, is available for public comment. NMFS is proposing this amendment because the New England Fishery Management Council has been delayed in implementing the mechanism to specify annual catch limits and accountability measures for the silver hake, red hake, and offshore hake stocks. This amendment is intended to comply with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act requirements for establishing a mechanism for specifying annual catch limits and accountability measures in this fishery.