Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act Provisions; Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Northeast Multispecies Fishery; Unused Catch Carryover; Emergency Action

NMFS is changing the accounting system and accountability measures implemented last year for fishing year 2012 Northeast multispecies fishery sector annual catch entitlement carryover used during fishing year 2013. This change implements a stock level pound- for-pound payback accountability measure if a sector uses its 2012 carryover and both the sector sub-annual catch limit and the overall annual catch limit are exceeded. This rule is necessary to comply with an April 4, 2014, ruling by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia that invalidated and vacated the fishing year 2013 carryover measures.