Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Discard Provision for Herring Midwater Trawl Vessels Fishing in Groundfish Closed Area I

Résumé

NMFS seeks public comment on a provision of the regulations implemented by a November 2, 2009, final rule, as well as comments on proposed alternatives to replace this provision. The provision allows a midwater trawl vessel with an All Areas and/or Areas 2 and 3 Atlantic herring limited access permit fishing in Northeast (NE) multispecies Closed Area I (CA I) to release fish that cannot be pumped from the net and, thus, remain in the net at the end of pumping operations, without those fish being sampled by a NMFS at-sea observer. Based on comments that it receives, NMFS may keep the current provision unchanged, modify the provision, or remove the provision entirely. This action is part of a Court-approved joint motion to stay.