Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Northeast Multispecies Fishery; 2014 Sector Operations Plans and Contracts and Allocation of Northeast Multispecies Annual Catch Entitlements
We have partially approved 17 sector operations plans and contracts for fishing year 2014, providing allocations of Northeast multispecies (groundfish) to these sectors, and granting 20 regulatory exemptions. Approval of sector operations plans is necessary to allocate quotas to the sectors and for the sectors to operate. The Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan allows limited access permit holders to form sectors, and requires sectors to submit their operations plans and contracts to us, NMFS, for approval or disapproval. Approved sectors are exempt from certain effort control regulations and receive allocations of groundfish based on their members' fishing history.