Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Prohibited Species Donation Program

NMFS issues a final rule that permanently extends the existing regulations that establish and govern the voluntary Pacific halibut donation program. Under this program, Pacific halibut that is taken incidentally in groundfish trawl fisheries off Alaska may be donated for consumption by economically disadvantaged individuals rather than discarded, as normally required. This action is necessary to promote the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plan for the Groundfish Fishery of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Area (BSAI) and the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) (FMPs). The intended effect of this action is to reduce the amount of regulatory discards in the groundfish fisheries.