Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 244 / Thursday, December 19, 2024 / Rules and Regulations 103695 

Chief Counsel convenes and presides 

over the hearing. If requested by the 

respondent, and if practicable, the 

hearing is held in the general vicinity of 

the place where the alleged violation 

occurred, at a place convenient to the 

respondent, or virtually. Testimony by 

witnesses shall be given under oath and 

the hearing shall be recorded verbatim. 

(b) The presiding official may: 

(1) Administer oaths and affirmations; 

(2) Issue subpoenas as provided by 

§ 209.7; 

(3) Adopt procedures for the 

submission of evidence in written form; 

(4) Take or cause depositions to be 

taken; 

(5) Rule on offers of proof and receive 

relevant evidence; 

(6) Examine witnesses at the hearing; 

(7) Convene, recess, reconvene, and 

adjourn and otherwise regulate the 

course of the hearing; 

(8) Hold conferences for settlement, 

simplification of the issues or any other 

proper purpose; and 

(9) Take any other action authorized 

by, or consistent with, the provisions of 

this subpart pertaining to civil monetary 

penalties and permitted by law that may 

expedite the hearing or aid in the 

disposition of an issue raised, therein. 

(c) The Office of the Chief Counsel 

has the burden of providing the facts 

alleged in the demand letter and may 

offer such relevant information as may 

be necessary fully to inform the 

presiding officer as to the matter 

concerned. 

(d) The respondent may appear and 

be heard on the respondent’s own behalf 

or through counsel of the respondent’s 

choice. The respondent or respondent’s 

counsel may offer relevant information, 

including testimony, which they believe 

should be considered in defense of the 

allegations, or that may bear on the 

proposed civil monetary penalty, and 

conduct such cross-examination as may 

be required for a full disclosure of the 

material facts. 

(e) At the conclusion of the hearing, 

or as soon thereafter as the hearing 

officer shall provide, the parties may file 

proposed findings and conclusions, 

together with supporting reasons. 

§ 215.421 Presiding officer’s decision. 

(a) After consideration of the evidence 

of record, the presiding officer may 

dismiss the demand letter in whole or 

in part. If the presiding officer does not 

dismiss the civil penalty enforcement 

action in whole, the presiding officer 

will issue and serve on the respondent 

an order assessing a civil penalty. The 

presiding officer’s decision will include 

a statement of findings and conclusions 

as well as the reasons therefor on all 

material issues of fact, law, and 

discretion. 

(b) If, within twenty (20) days after 

service of an order assessing a civil 

penalty fine issued by the presiding 

officer under paragraph (a) of this 

section, the respondent does not pay the 

civil penalty fine, the case may be 

referred to the Attorney General with a 

request that an action to collect the 

penalty be brought in the appropriate 

United States District Court. In the civil 

action, the amount and appropriateness 

of the civil penalty shall not be subject 

to review. 

Issued in Washington, DC. 

Amitabha Bose, 

Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2024–30030 Filed 12–18–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–06–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 648 

[Docket No. 241212–0326] 

RIN 0648–XE368 

Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; 

Fisheries of the Northeastern United 

States; Fisheries of the Northeastern 

United States; Atlantic Herring Fishery; 

Adjustment to 2025 Specifications 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Interim final rule. 

SUMMARY: This interim final rule makes 

an in-season adjustment to the 2025 

Atlantic herring specifications and subannual catch limits for the four Atlantic 

herring management areas (including 

Area 1A, 1B, 2, and 3). This action is 

necessary to respond to updated 

scientific information from a 2024 

herring management track stock 

assessment and achieve the goals and 

objectives of the Atlantic Herring 

Fishery Management Plan. This action 

reduces current 2025 catch limits to 

lessen the risk overfishing and help 

rebuild the stock. 

DATES: Effective December 19, 2024, 

through December 31, 2025. 

ADDRESSES: Copies of supporting 

documents, including the 2023–2025 

Atlantic Herring Specifications, are 

available from the Sustainable Fisheries 

Division, Greater Atlantic Regional 

Fisheries Office, 55 Great Republic 

Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930, telephone 

(978) 281–9315, or online at: https://

www.nefmc.org/management-plans/ 

herring and https://www.fisheries.

noaa.gov/species/atlanticherring#management. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Carrie Nordeen, Fishery Policy Analyst, 

978–281–9272. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Regulations implementing the 

Atlantic Herring Fishery Management 

Plan (FMP) appear at 50 CFR part 648, 

subpart K. NMFS implemented the 2025 

specifications in the 2023–2025 

specifications for the Atlantic herring 

fishery (88 FR 17397; March 23, 2023). 

The specifications set an overfishing 

limit (OFL), acceptable biological catch 

(ABC), annual catch limit (ACL), and 

sub-ACLs for 2023–2025 for each of the 

four management areas in the herring 

fishery, subject to future review and any 

necessary adjustments. FMP regulations 

§ 648.200(e) state that NMFS may make 

in-season adjustments to the herring 

specifications and sub-ACLs to achieve 

conservation and management 

objectives, after consulting with the 

New England Fishery Management 

Council, during the fishing year in 

accordance with the Administrative 

Procedure Act and consistent with FMP 

objectives and provisions. 

Amendment 8 to the FMP (86 FR 

1810; January 11, 2021) implemented an 

ABC control rule for the herring fishery. 

The ABC control rule is a formulaic 

approach for setting a harvest limit and 

is designed to balance the goals and 

objectives of the FMP, including 

managing the fishery at long-term 

sustainable levels and accounting for 

herring’s role as forage in the ecosystem. 

The ABC control rule states that when 

biomass is at or above 50 percent of the 

biomass associated with maximum 

sustainable yield (BMSY) or its proxy, 

ABC is the catch associated with a 

maximum fishing mortality (F) of 80 

percent of FMSY or its proxy. When 

biomass falls below 50 percent of BMSY

or its proxy, the allowable F declines 

linearly to zero at 10 percent of BMSY or 

its proxy. 

On October 2, 2020, NMFS 

determined the Atlantic herring stock 

was overfished, but overfishing was not 

occurring. Framework 9 to the FMP (87 

FR 42962; July 19, 2022) established a 

5-year rebuilding plan for herring with 

an F consistent with the ABC control 

rule implemented in Amendment 8. The 

rebuilding plan was expected to rebuild 

the stock by 2026, however, the 

duration of the rebuilding period was 

extended from 5 years (2026) to 7 years 


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103696 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 244 / Thursday, December 19, 2024 / Rules and Regulations 

(2028) with implementation of the 

2023–2025 herring specifications. 

A 2024 herring management track 

stock assessment (2024 stock 

assessment) was completed in June 

2024. According to the results of the 

2024 stock assessment, the stock 

continues to be overfished with 

overfishing not occurring. Retrospective 

pattern adjustments were necessary 

because the model overestimated 

biomass and underestimated mortality. 

The adjusted spawning stock biomass 

was estimated to be 26 percent (47,955 

metric tons (mt)) of BMSY and the 

adjusted F was estimated to be 58 

percent (0.263) of the overfishing 

threshold (FMSY equals 0.45). The 2024 

stock assessment was unable to explain 

a cause for the stock’s historic and 

continued low recruitment and 

projected that poor recruitment of 

herring will likely result in a substantial 

decline in biomass. 

On July 31, 2024, the Council’s 

Science and Statistical Committee (SSC) 

reviewed the 2024 stock assessment and 

recommended harvest limits for 2025– 

2027. The SSC recommended using the 

ABC control rule for the OFL and ABC 

recommendations for 2025–2027, while 

noting concern for the continued low 

recruitment and low spawning stock 

biomass. 

At its September 2024 meeting, the 

Council reviewed the 2024 stock 

assessment and recommended new 

specifications for 2025–2027. The 

Council’s recommendations are 

consistent with the ABC control rule 

and the SSC’s recommendations, with 

the following exception. Catch 

projections from the 2024 stock 

assessment allow for harvest limit 

increases in 2026 and 2027, compared 

to 2025. However, the Council 

recommended holding 2026 harvest 

limits constant for 2027, instead of 

allowing for projected limit increases. 

This precautionary measure is intended 

to lessen the risk of overfishing and 

support stock rebuilding, while 

recognizing that 2027 specifications will 

likely be revised following the 2025 

herring research track stock assessment. 

NMFS intends to implement the 

2025–2027 specifications via proposed 

and final rulemaking as soon as 

possible, but the 2025–2027 

specifications would not be effective in 

time for the start of the fishing year on 

January 1, 2025. Catch projections from 

the 2024 assessment indicate the need 

for an almost 90-percent reduction from 

the current 2025 ACL (23,961 mt) to the 

new, reduced 2025 ACL (2,710 mt). 

Implementing the reduced 2025 

specifications after the start of the 

fishing year on January 1, 2025, raises 

a significant risk that catch may exceed 

the reduced catch limits. Therefore, to 

ensure the reduced 2025 specifications 

are in place at the start of the fishing 

year on January 1, the Council requested 

that NMFS use an in-season adjustment 

to reduce the current 2025 

specifications and sub-ACLs as soon as 

possible, and NMFS concurs. 

The FMP regulations at § 648.201(g) 

specify that unharvested catch in a 

herring management area in a fishing 

year (up to 10 percent of that area’s subACL) shall be carried over and added to 

the sub-ACL for that herring 

management area for the fishing year 

following the year when total catch is 

determined. Preliminary data suggest 

that 2023 catch levels were substantially 

lower than allowed in herring 

management areas 1B and 2. Thus, a 

percentage of catch underages from 

2023 is eligible for carryover to 2025: 

approximately 54 mt from Area 1B and 

346 mt from Area 2. Given the 

substantial catch reduction needed for 

2025 to support the FMP’s conservation 

and management objectives, the Council 

requested that NMFS use its in-season 

adjustment authority to nullify any 

carryover in 2025. NMFS agrees that 

nullifying any carryover is necessary to 

lessen the risk of overfishing and to help 

rebuild the stock. The potential longterm negative effects on the herring 

stock associated with an increased risk 

of overfishing and delayed rebuilding 

outweigh the short-term economic 

benefits associated with harvesting the 

available carryover. 

Therefore, this interim final rule 

adjusts the 2025 specifications and subACLs consistent with the FMP’s goals to 

lessen the risk of overfishing and help 

rebuild the stock. The current and 

reduced 2025 specifications are shown 

in the table below. 

Measures Implemented in This Action 

This action reduces 2025 

specifications and sub-ACLs consistent 

with the FMP’s goals to lessen the risk 

of overfishing and help rebuild the 

stock. The complete 2025–2027 

specifications would be implemented 

via proposed and final rulemaking as 

soon as possible following the in-season 

adjustment. The current and new, 

reduced 2025 specifications are shown 

in table 1 below. 

TABLE 1—IN-SEASON ADJUSTED 2025 HERRING SPECIFICATIONS

Specifications Current 2025 

(mt) 

New 2025 

(mt) 

Overfishing Limit ...................................................................................................................................................... 40,727 18,273 

Acceptable Biological Catch .................................................................................................................................... 28,181 6,741 

Management Uncertainty Buffer .............................................................................................................................. 4,220 4,031 

Optimal Yield/Annual Catch Limit ............................................................................................................................ 23,961 2,710 

Domestic Annual Harvest ........................................................................................................................................ 23,961 2,710 

Border Transfer ........................................................................................................................................................ 0 0 

Domestic Annual Processing ................................................................................................................................... 23,961 2,710 

US At-Sea Processing ............................................................................................................................................. 0 0 

Area 1A Sub-ACL (28.9%) ...................................................................................................................................... 6,925 783 

Area 1B Sub-ACL (4.3%) ........................................................................................................................................ 1,030 117 

Area 2 (27.8%) ........................................................................................................................................................ 6,661 753 

Area 3 (39%) ........................................................................................................................................................... 9,345 1,057 

Fixed Gear Set-Aside .............................................................................................................................................. 30 30 

Research Set-Aside ................................................................................................................................................. 0% 0% 

* If New Brunswick weir landings are less than 2,722 mt through October 1, then 1,000 mt will be subtracted from the management uncertainty 

buffer and reallocated to the Area 1A sub-ACL and the ACL. 


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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 244 / Thursday, December 19, 2024 / Rules and Regulations 103697 

OFL 

OFL is equal to catch resulting from 

applying FMSY to a current estimate of 

stock size. This action decreases the 

2025 OFL by 55 percent relative to the 

current 2025 OFL. The difference 

between the current and reduced OFLs 

is due to data updates during the 2024 

assessment. FMSY is lower in the 2024 

assessment than it was in the previous 

2022 assessment (0.45 and 0.50, 

respectively) and projected biomass is 

much lower in the 2024 assessment than 

it was in the 2022 assessment (47,955 

mt and 79,231 mt, respectively). 

ABC 

ABC must be less than or equal to the 

OFL. This action reduces the current 

2025 ABC by 76 percent. The difference 

between the current and reduced ABCs 

are due to data updates contained and 

discussed in the 2024 assessment. 

Under the ABC control rule, the target 

F that defines the ABC depends on the 

ratio of biomass to BMSY. The smaller 

the ratio, the smaller the target F and 

ABC. Biomass is lower in the 2024 

assessment than it was in the 2022 

assessment, causing the ratio of biomass 

to BMSY to decrease relative to the 2022 

assessment, resulting in a lower target F 

and ABC. 

Management Uncertainty 

The ACL is reduced from the ABC to 

account for management uncertainty. 

The Atlantic Herring FMP states that 

sources of management uncertainty can 

include, but are not limited to, 

uncertainty surrounding catch in the 

New Brunswick weir fishery and 

herring discard estimates in Federal and 

State waters. Currently, the only source 

of management uncertainty that is 

applied to the 2025 ABC is catch in the 

New Brunswick weir fishery. Since 

Framework Adjustment 6 to the Atlantic 

Herring FMP was implemented in 2020 

(85 FR 26874; May 6, 2020), 

management uncertainty has been 

calculated as the average annual 

landings in the New Brunswick weir 

fishery over the most recent 10-year 

period. Landings in the weir fishery are 

highly variable, fluctuating with herring 

availability and fishing effort. Using 

landings data from a 10-year period 

captures this variability. This action 

maintains the same approach for 

calculating management uncertainty. 

The resulting management uncertainty 

buffer (4,031 mt) is based on New 

Brunswick weir fishery landings during 

2014–2023. 

Other Specifications Components 

The Council recommended 

maintaining the remainder of the 2025 

herring specifications at current levels 

or using existing methodology to 

calculate them, as described in Table 1, 

and NMFS agrees with this approach. 

Classification 

NMFS is issuing this rule pursuant to 

section 305(d) of the Magnuson-Stevens 

Act. Pursuant to section 305(d), this 

action is necessary to carry out the 

Atlantic Herring FMP and its 

regulations at § 648.200(e). Consistent 

with the FMP and regulations, in this 

action NMFS reduces the 2025 herring 

specifications to achieve conservation 

and management objectives, after 

consulting with the Council at its 

September 2024 meeting. The NMFS 

Assistant Administrator (AA) has 

determined that this rule is consistent 

with Atlantic Herring FMP, National 

Standards and other provisions of the 

Magnuson-Stevens Act, and other 

applicable law. 

This interim final rule is exempt from 

the procedures of the Regulatory 

Flexibility Act because the rule is not 

required to be issued with opportunity 

for prior notice and opportunity for 

public comment. 

This interim final rule is exempt from 

the procedures of Executive Order (E.O.) 

12866. 

NMFS has determined that this action 

would not have a substantial direct 

effect on one or more Indian Tribes, on 

the relationship between the Federal 

Government and Indian Tribes, or on 

the distribution of power and 

responsibilities between the Federal 

Government and Indian Tribes; 

therefore, consultation with Tribal 

officials under E.O. 13175 is not 

required, and the requirements of 

sections (5)(b) and (5)(c) of E.O. 13175 

also do not apply. A Tribal summary 

impact statement under section 

(5)(b)(2)(B) and section (5)(c)(2)(B) of 

E.O. 13175 is not required and has not 

been prepared. 

This interim final rule contains no 

information collection requirements 

under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 

1995. 

The AA finds good cause under 5 

U.S.C. 553(b)(B) that prior notice and 

the opportunity for public comment on 

this interim final rule would be 

impracticable and contrary to the public 

interest because this action to make an 

in-season adjustment to reduce the 2025 

Atlantic herring specifications would 

lessen the risk of overfishing and help 

rebuild the stock, consistent with the 

Magnuson-Stevens Act, and the Atlantic 

Herring FMP, including the rebuilding 

plan. 

Data in the 2024 assessment, which 

was completed in June, showed that the 

stock continues to be overfished with 

overfishing not occurring. At its 

September 2024 meeting, the Council 

reviewed the 2024 stock assessment and 

recommended new specifications for 

2025–2027. Catch projections in the 

2024 assessment indicate the need for 

an almost 90-percent reduction in the 

current 2025 ACL (23,961 mt) to the 

adjusted 2025 ACL (2,710 mt), as 

reduced in this in-season adjustment. 

NMFS intends to implement the 2025– 

2027 specifications in proposed and 

final rules via the notice and comment 

rulemaking process as soon as possible, 

but the 2025–2027 specifications would 

not be effective in time for the start of 

the fishing year on January 1, 2025. 

However, implementing the adjusted 

2025 specifications after the start of the 

fishing year on January 1, 2025, would 

raise a significant risk that catch 

occurring before implementation may 

exceed the adjusted 2025 catch limits. 

The Atlantic Herring FMP regulations 

at § 648.200(e) specify that NMFS may 

adjust the herring specifications and 

sub-ACLs to achieve conservation and 

management objectives, after consulting 

with the Council, in accordance with 

the Administrative Procedure Act and 

consistent with FMP objectives and 

provisions. To ensure adjusted 

(reduced) 2025 harvest specifications 

are in place at the start of the fishing 

year on January 1, 2025, thus lessening 

the risk of overfishing and helping 

rebuild the stock, the Council requested 

NMFS to use an in-season adjustment to 

reduce the 2025 specifications and subACLs as soon as possible, and NMFS 

concurs. Public testimony at the 

September Council meeting largely 

reflected the understanding that this 

2025 in-season adjustment is necessary 

to lessen the risk of overfishing and help 

rebuild the stock. A delay in 

implementing adjusted (reduced) 2025 

specifications would increase the risk 

that 2025 catch levels would exceed the 

adjusted (reduced) limits, potentially 

resulting in overfishing and negatively 

affecting stock rebuilding. 

For these same reasons, the AA also 

finds good cause under 5 U.S.C. 553(d) 

(3) to waive the 30-day delay in the date 

of effectiveness for this interim final 

rule. Waiving the delay in the date of 

effectiveness for this in-season action to 

adjust (reduce) the 2025 catch limits 

would allow the adjusted catch limits to 

go in effect at the start of the fishing 

year, whereas delaying the effective date 

could undermine this action’s intended 

conservation benefits of lessening the 

risk of overfishing and helping rebuild 

the stock. 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. 


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103698 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 244 / Thursday, December 19, 2024 / Rules and Regulations 

Dated: December 13, 2024. 

Samuel D. Rauch, III, 

Deputy Assistant Administrator for 

Regulatory Programs, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–30083 Filed 12–18–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 679 

[Docket No. 240227–0061; RTID 0648– 

XE542] 

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic 

Zone Off Alaska; Inseason Adjustment 

to the 2025 Gulf of Alaska Pollock and 

Pacific Cod Total Allowable Catch 

Amounts 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Temporary rule; inseason 

adjustment; request for comments. 

SUMMARY: NMFS is adjusting the 2025 

total allowable catch (TAC) amounts for 

the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) pollock and 

Pacific cod fisheries. This action is 

necessary because NMFS has 

determined these TACs are incorrectly 

specified, as they are not informed by 

the most recent specifications 

recommended by the Council for the 

start of the 2025 fishing year. This 

action will ensure the GOA pollock and 

Pacific cod TACs are the correct, 

appropriate amount based on the best 

scientific information available for 

pollock and Pacific cod in the GOA. 

This action is consistent with the goals 

and objectives of the Fishery 

Management Plan for Groundfish of the 

Gulf of Alaska (FMP). 

DATES: Effective 0001 hours, Alaska 

local time (A.l.t.), January 1, 2025, until 

the effective date of the final 2025 and 

2026 harvest specifications for GOA 

groundfish, unless otherwise modified 

or superseded through publication of a 

notification in the Federal Register. 

Comments must be received at the 

following address no later than 4:30 

p.m., A.l.t., January 3, 2025. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

on this document, identified by docket 

number NOAA–NMFS–2023–0133 by 

any of the following methods: 

Electronic Submission: Submit all 

electronic public comments via the 

Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to 

https://www.regulations.gov and enter 

NOAA–NMFS–2023–0133 in the Search 

box. Click on the ‘‘Comment’’ icon, 

complete the required fields, and enter 

or attach your comments. 

Mail: Submit written comments to 

Gretchen Harrington, Assistant Regional 

Administrator, Sustainable Fisheries 

Division, Alaska Region NMFS. Mail 

comments to P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, 

AK 99802–1668. 

Instructions: Comments sent by any 

other method, to any other address or 

individual, or received after the end of 

the comment period, may not be 

considered by NMFS. All comments 

received are a part of the public record 

and will generally be posted for public 

viewing on https://www.regulations.gov 

without change. All personal identifying 

information (e.g., name, address, etc.), 

confidential business information, or 

otherwise sensitive information 

submitted voluntarily by the sender will 

be publicly accessible. NMFS will 

accept anonymous comments (enter ‘‘N/ 

A’’ in the required fields if you wish to 

remain anonymous). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Abby Jahn, 907–586–7228. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS 

manages the groundfish fishery in the 

GOA exclusive economic zone 

according to the FMP prepared by the 

North Pacific Fishery Management 

Council (Council) under authority of the 

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act 

(Magnuson-Stevens Act). Regulations 

governing fishing by U.S. vessels in 

accordance with the FMP appear at 50 

CFR part 679 and at subpart H of 50 CFR 

part 600. 

The final 2024 and 2025 harvest 

specifications for groundfish in the GOA 

(89 FR 15484, March 4, 2024) set the 

2025 pollock TAC at 163,494 metric 

tons (mt) in the GOA. In December 

2024, the Council recommended a 2025 

pollock TAC of 186,245 mt for the GOA, 

which is greater than the 163,494 mt 

established by the final 2024 and 2025 

harvest specifications for groundfish in 

the GOA. The Council’s recommended 

2025 TACs and the area and seasonal 

apportionments are based on the 

Science and Statistical Committee’s 

(SSC’s) overfishing limit (OFL) and 

allowable biological catch (ABC) 

recommendations. The SSC 

recommendations are informed by the 

Groundfish Plan Team’s recommended 

OFLs and ABCs as well as a review of 

the Stock Assessment and Fishery 

Evaluation (SAFE) report dated 

November 2024. 

The final 2024 and 2025 harvest 

specifications for groundfish in the GOA 

set the 2025 Pacific cod TAC at 20,757 

mt in the GOA. In December 2024, the 

Council recommended a 2025 Pacific 

cod TAC of 23,670 mt for the GOA, 

which is greater than the 20,757 mt 

established by the final 2024 and 2025 

harvest specifications for groundfish in 

the GOA. The Council’s recommended 

2025 TACs and the area and seasonal 

apportionments are based on the SSC’s 

OFL and ABC recommendations. The 

SSC recommendations are informed by 

the Groundfish Plan Team’s 

recommended OFLs and ABCs as well 

as a review of the SAFE report dated 

November 2024. 

Steller sea lions occur in the same 

location as the pollock and Pacific cod 

fisheries and are listed as endangered 

under the Endangered Species Act. 

Pollock and Pacific cod are principal 

prey species for Steller sea lions in the 

GOA. The seasonal apportionment of 

pollock and Pacific cod harvests are 

necessary to ensure the groundfish 

fisheries are not likely to cause jeopardy 

of extinction or adverse modification of 

critical habitat for Steller sea lions. The 

regulations at § 679.20(a)(5)(iv) specify 

how the pollock TAC will be 

apportioned and the regulations at 

§ 679.20(a)(6)(ii) and (a)(12)(i) specify 

how the Pacific cod TAC will be 

apportioned. 

In accordance with § 679.25(a)(1)(iii), 

(a)(2)(i)(B), and (a)(2)(iv) the 

Administrator, Alaska Region, NMFS 

(Regional Administrator), has 

determined that, based on the best 

scientific information available for this 

fishery, the current GOA pollock and 

Pacific cod TACs are incorrectly 

specified, as they are not using the most 

recent data available. Consequently, 

pursuant to § 679.25(a) the Regional 

Administrator is adjusting the 2025 

GOA pollock TAC to 186,245 mt and the 

2025 Pacific cod TAC to 23,670 mt. 

Therefore, tables 4 and 6 of the final 

2024 and 2025 harvest specifications for 

groundfish in the GOA are revised 

consistent with this adjustment. 

Pursuant to § 679.20(a)(5)(iv), table 4 

of the final 2024 and 2025 harvest 

specifications for groundfish in the GOA 

is revised for the 2025 TACs of pollock 

in the Central and Western Regulatory 

Area of the GOA. 


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