Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Northeast Multispecies Fishery; 2011 Sector Operations Plans and Contracts, and Allocation of Northeast Multispecies Annual Catch Entitlements

This interim final rule partially approves and implements 19 sector operations plans and contracts for fishing year (FY) 2011. NMFS received sector operations plans and contracts from the following 22 sectors: The Georges Bank (GB) Cod Fixed Gear Sector; the Maine Permit Bank Sector; the Massachusetts Permit Bank Sector; the New Hampshire Permit Bank Sector; the Northeast Coastal Communities Sector; Northeast Fishery Sectors II through XIII; the Port Clyde Community Groundfish Sector; the Rhode Island Permit Bank Sector; Sustainable Harvest Sectors 1 and 3; and the Tri-State Sector. This interim final rule partially approves the operations plans and contracts, and allocates an annual catch entitlement (ACE) of certain NE multispecies stocks to the following 19 sectors: The GB Cod Fixed Gear Sector; the Maine Permit Bank Sector; the Northeast Coastal Communities Sector; Northeast Fishery Sectors II through XIII; the Port Clyde Community Groundfish Sector; Sustainable Harvest Sectors 1 and 3; and the Tri-State Sector. The Massachusetts Permit Bank Sector, the New Hampshire Permit Bank Sector, and the Rhode Island Permit Bank Sector, were unable to fulfill the roster requirements, and, therefore, were not approved to operate in FY 2011. Certain exemptions proposed in the operations plans have not been approved, as explained in detail below. Additionally, NMFS is modifying, for the purposes of this rule, the definition for "unmarketable" fish (see Exemption 11) and will accept further comment on this definition. NMFS is also accepting further comment on final sector membership. NMFS will publish a subsequent final rule, if necessary, making any further changes to this definition or in light of additional comments on changes to membership of sectors since the publication of this rule.