Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Reallocation of Pollock in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands
AI-generated summary for informational purposes only. Not legal advice. See the original source for the authoritative text.
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is issuing a temporary rule reallocating unused pollock quotas from the Aleutian Islands subarea to the Bering Sea subarea in Alaska's exclusive economic zone. Specifically, 6,300 metric tons (mt) from the Aleut Corporation's directed fishing allowance (DFA) and 1,900 mt from the Community Development Quota (CDQ) DFA in the Aleutian Islands will not be harvested, as determined by harvest data up to March 14, 2026. This reallocation allows Bering Sea sectors with available capacity to harvest the 2026 total allowable catch (TAC) under the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area. The reallocated 1,900 mt CDQ DFA is added directly to the Bering Sea pollock CDQ DFA. The 6,300 mt from the Aleut Corporation is distributed to Bering Sea American Fisheries Act (AFA) sectors: 50% (3,150 mt) to the inshore sector, 40% (2,520 mt) to catcher/processor sector, and 10% (630 mt) to mothership sector. As a result, Aleutian Islands allocations drop to 0 mt for CDQ DFA and 6,300 mt for Aleut Corporation DFA. The Bering Sea incidental catch allowance stays at 46,000 mt. Effective from 1200 hours Alaska local time on April 3, 2026, through December 31, 2026, this action revises Table 4 in 50 CFR 679.20(a)(5) and is authorized under the Magnuson-Stevens Act. NMFS waived prior notice and comment due to recent data availability, ensuring timely harvest opportunities.
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Key Changes
- Reallocate 6,300 mt Aleut Corporation DFA from Aleutian Islands to Bering Sea AFA sectors (50% inshore, 40% C/P, 10% mothership)
- Reallocate 1,900 mt pollock CDQ DFA from Aleutian Islands to Bering Sea CDQ DFA
- Aleutian Islands CDQ DFA revised to 0 mt; Aleut Corporation DFA to 6,300 mt
+ 3 more changes with Pro
Obligations
What this law requires
Implement revised pollock quota allocations in Table 4 of 50 CFR 679.20(a)(5) effective 1200 hours Alaska local time on April 3, 2026 through December 31, 2026
Reallocate 6,300 metric tons from Aleut Corporation's Aleutian Islands directed fishing allowance to Bering Sea American Fisheries Act sectors: 50% (3,150 mt) to inshore sector, 40% (2,520 mt) to catcher/processor sector, and 10% (630 mt) to mothership sector
Add 1,900 metric tons of reallocated Community Development Quota directed fishing allowance from Aleutian Islands directly to Bering Sea pollock CDQ directed fishing allowance
Set Aleutian Islands pollock allocations to 0 metric tons for CDQ directed fishing allowance and 6,300 metric tons for Aleut Corporation directed fishing allowance for 2026
Maintain Bering Sea incidental catch allowance at 46,000 metric tons throughout the reallocation period