Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Northeast Multispecies Fishery; 2010 Sector Operations Plans and Contracts, and Allocation of Northeast Multispecies Annual Catch Entitlements

This final rule implements 17 sector operations plans and contracts for fishing year (FY) 2010. In order to be considered for approval on a parallel track with Amendment 16 to the Northeast (NE) Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP), representatives from 17 sectors submitted operations plans and sector contracts, and requested an allocation of stocks regulated under the FMP for FY 2010. NMFS received sector operations plans and contracts from the Northeast Fishery Sectors (NFS) II through XIII, the Sustainable Harvest Sector (SHS), the Tri-State Sector (TSS), the Northeast Coastal Communities Sector (NCCS), the Georges Bank Cod Fixed Gear Sector (FGS), and the Port Clyde Community Groundfish Sector (PCCGS). Following approval of the Amendment 16 sector measures and provisions, the Administrator, NE Region, NMFS (Regional Administrator) has partially approved the operations plans and contracts, and allocated an annual catch entitlement (ACE) of certain NE multispecies stocks to the NFS II-XIII, the FGS, the SHS, the TSS, the PCCGS, and the NCCS.