This action closes the witch flounder Trimester Total Allowable Catch Area to Northeast multispecies common pool vessels fishing with trawl gear for the remainder of Trimester 1, through August 31, 2016. The closure is required by regulation because the common pool fishery has caught 90 percent of its Trimester 1 quota for witch flounder. This closure is intended to prevent an overage of the common pool's quota for this stock.