Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Northeast Multispecies Fishery; Trip Limit Adjustments for the Common Pool Fishery

NMFS increases the possession limit for George's Bank (GB) cod, Cape Cod (CC)/Gulf of Maine (GOM) yellowtail flounder, and Southern New England (SNE)/Mid-Atlantic (MA) yellowtail flounder, and reduces the trip limit GOM cod and GOM winter flounder for Northeast (NE) multispecies common pool vessels for 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, and by the regulations implementing Amendment 16 and Framework Adjustment 44 to the NE Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The action is intended to facilitate the harvest of GB cod, CC/GOM yellowtail flounder, and SNE/MA yellowtail to allow the total catch of these stocks to approach the pertinent common pool sub-annual catch limits (sub-ACLs). This action is also intended to reduce catch rates of GOM cod and GOM winter flounder by NE common pool vessels and minimize additional overharvest of these stocks relative to the pertinent common pool sub-ACLs.