Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Northeast Multispecies Fishery; Trip Limit Reductions and Gear Modifications for the Common Pool Fishery

This action decreases the landing limits for Gulf of Maine (GOM) cod to 100 lb (45.4 kg) per days-at-sea (DAS) up to 1000 lb (453.6 kg) per trip, Georges Bank (GB) yellowtail flounder to 100 lb (45.4 kg) per trip, and white hake to 100 lb (45.4 kg) per DAS up to 500 lb (226.8 kg) per trip; expands the trawl gear restriction in the U.S./Canada Management Area to include the entire Western U.S./Canada Area; and authorizes the use of the rope separator trawl in the Western U.S./Canada Area for NE multispecies vessels fishing in the common pool for the remainder of the 2010 fishing year (FY) (through April 30, 2011). This action is authorized under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), and by the regulations implementing Amendment 16 and Framework Adjustment 44 (FW 44) to the NE Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP). It is intended to optimize the harvest of NE regulated multispecies by decreasing the likelihood of harvest exceeding the subcomponent of the annual catch limit (ACL) allocated to the common pool (common pool sub- ACL) for each of these three stocks during FY 2010 (May 1, 2010, through April 30, 2011).