Rule2025-16242
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone off Alaska; Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands; Final 2025 and 2026 Harvest Specifications for Groundfish; Correction
Primary source
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Published
August 25, 2025
Effective
August 25, 2025
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
On March 18, 2025, NMFS published the final rule to implement the 2025 and 2026 harvest specifications, apportionments, and prohibited species catch (PSC) allowances for the groundfish fishery of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). Following publication, errors were identified in table 21, which provides notice of allocations of groundfish and apportionments of PSC limits for the Community Development Quota (CDQ) groups. This rule corrects the errors in table 21.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 162 (Monday, August 25, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 162 (Monday, August 25, 2025)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 41344-41345]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-16242]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 679
[250813-0138; RTID 0648-XE346]
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone off Alaska; Bering Sea
and Aleutian Islands; Final 2025 and 2026 Harvest Specifications for
Groundfish; Correction
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Final rule; correction.
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SUMMARY: On March 18, 2025, NMFS published the final rule to implement
the 2025 and 2026 harvest specifications, apportionments, and
prohibited species catch (PSC) allowances for the groundfish fishery of
the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). Following
publication, errors were identified in table 21, which provides notice
of allocations of groundfish and apportionments of PSC limits for the
Community Development Quota (CDQ) groups. This rule corrects the errors
in table 21.
DATES: Effective August 25, 2025, through 2400 hours, A.l.t., December
31, 2025.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve Whitney, 907-206-6783.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
NMFS publishes this rule to correct errors in table 21 of the final
BSAI 2025 and 2026 groundfish harvest specifications. Table 21 sets
forth the allocations of groundfish and apportionments of PSC
allowances for the CDQ groups. PSC allowances are apportioned to
individual CDQ groups as prohibited species quota (PSQ). In 2006,
Public Law 109-241 amended section 305(i)(1) of the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) (16
U.S.C. 1855(i)(1)) to provide for the allocation of CDQ groundfish
among certain entities. The six CDQ groups receiving allocations are
the Aleutian Pribilof Island Community Development Association
(APICDA), Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation (BBEDC), Central
Bering Sea Fisherman's Association (CBSFA), Coastal Villages Regional
Fund (CVRF), Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation (NSEDC), and
Yukon Delta Fisheries Development Association (YDFDA). NMFS published
the CDQ groundfish and PSQ percentages on August 31, 2006 (71 FR
51804). The groundfish and PSQ amounts for each CDQ group are based on
those percentages as applied to the total 2025 CDQ amounts in the final
groundfish harvest specifications, which were published on March 18,
2025 (90 FR 12640). Those amounts for each CDQ group for 2025 are shown
in table 21.
Need for Correction
Multiple errors were discovered in the percentages of flatfish
allocations between the six CDQ groups. As a result, the final rule
specified CDQ allocations that are inconsistent with statute and
regulation. This correction replaces table 21 with a correct table 21
that contains the correct groundfish and PSQ amounts for each CDQ
group.
Classification
NMFS issues this final rule pursuant to section 305(d) of the
Magnuson-Stevens Act because through previous actions, the Fishery
Management Plan (FMP) for Groundfish of the BSAI and implementing
regulations authorize NMFS to take this action pursuant to section
305(d) (see 50 CFR part 679). The NMFS Assistant Administrator has
determined that this final rule is consistent with the FMP, the
Magnuson-Stevens Act, and other applicable laws.
This action is authorized under 50 CFR 679.20 and is exempt from
review under Executive Order 12866.
Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B), there is good cause to waive prior
notice and an opportunity for public comment on this action, as notice
and comment would be unnecessary and contrary to the public interest.
The Magnuson-Stevens Act specifies how to set the percentage
allocations of certain groundfish species among each of the six CDQ
groups. NMFS applies these statutorily-mandated percentages to the
final total allowable catch for those groundfish species each year to
calculate each CDQ group's allocation of groundfish species. NMFS does
not have discretion to change the percentage allocations or the final
allocations in the annual BSAI groundfish harvest specifications.
Therefore, prior notice and an opportunity for public comment is
unnecessary on this final rule to correct flatfish allocations that are
inconsistent with statute and regulation. In addition, notice and
comment would prevent NMFS from correcting the CDQ groundfish
allocations in a timely fashion and would delay publishing the correct
allocations for CDQ fisheries that are currently underway. These errors
were discovered only after publication of the final BSAI 2025 and 2026
groundfish harvest specifications, and now these fisheries are
currently being prosecuted. If this correction is delayed to allow for
notice and comment, it would result in confusion for participants in
the CDQ fisheries, given that the final rule implementing the BSAI 2025
and 2026 groundfish harvest specifications is already effective.
Without this correction, participants in the CDQ fisheries may believe
that there are different amounts available for harvest in 2025 then are
actually available. Therefore, there is good cause to waive the
requirement to provide prior notice and opportunity for public comment
in order to avoid any negative consequences that could result from
delaying notice of these corrections.
For the same reasons, good cause to waive the 30-day delay in the
effective date of this action under 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3) exists.
Because prior notice and opportunity for public comment are not
required for this rule by 5 U.S.C. 553, or any other law, the
analytical requirements of the Regulatory Flexibility Act, 5 U.S.C. 601
et seq., are inapplicable.
This rule contains no information collection requirements under the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
Correction
In the Federal Register of March 18, 2025, in FR Doc. 2025-04406,
on page 12659, Table 21 is corrected as follows:
Table 21--2025 CDQ Program Quota Categories, Target CDQ Reserves, Prohibited Species Quota (PSQ) Reserves, and CDQ Group Quotas
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Species or species group APICDA BBEDC CBSFA CVRF NSEDC YDFDA Total
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Groundfish units are in metric tons.
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BS Pollock A season..................... 8,662.5 12,993.8 3,093.8 14,850.0 13,612.5 8,662.5 61,875
[[Page 41345]]
BS Pollock B season..................... 10,587.5 15,881.3 3,781.3 18,150.0 16,637.5 10,587.5 75,625
BS Pollock Total........................ 19,250.0 28,875.0 6,875.0 33,000.0 30,250.0 19,250.0 137,500
AI Pollock.............................. 266.0 399.0 95.0 456.0 418.0 266.0 1,900
BS Fixed Gear Sablefish................. 127.4 169.9 135.9 0.0 152.9 263.4 850
AI Fixed Gear Sablefish................. 166.7 226.3 35.7 321.6 273.9 166.7 1,191
BS Sablefish............................ 66.9 70.1 28.7 41.4 41.4 70.1 319
AI Sablefish............................ 38.7 29.8 11.9 19.4 17.9 31.3 149
BS Pacific cod.......................... 2,208.4 2,993.2 1,266.7 2,562.5 2,554.0 2,710.7 14,295
AI Pacific cod.......................... 143.7 194.8 82.4 166.8 166.2 176.4 930
WAI Atka Mackerel....................... 595.6 297.8 158.8 297.8 278.0 357.4 1,986
CAI Atka Mackerel....................... 784.5 392.4 209.2 392.3 366.2 470.8 2,615
EAI/BS Atka Mackerel.................... 1,251.7 626.0 333.9 626.0 584.3 751.1 4,173
Yellowfin Sole.......................... 4,002.9 3,455.9 1,156.0 917.8 1,052.6 3,859.7 14,445
Yellowfin Sole ABC reserves............. 3,782.2 3,265.4 1,092.2 867.2 994.6 3,646.9 13,649
Rock Sole............................... 1,931.5 1,846.1 639.2 877.8 879.5 1,850.9 8,025
Rock Sole ABC reserves.................. 2,124.3 2,030.4 703.0 965.4 967.3 2,035.7 8,826
BS Greenland Turbot..................... 24.2 30.3 12.1 25.7 28.8 30.3 151
Arrowtooth Flounder..................... 329.6 329.6 134.8 194.7 179.8 329.6 1,498
Flathead Sole........................... 772.3 812.4 341.7 576.9 576.2 772.5 3,852
Flathead Sole ABC reserves.............. 1,025.6 1,078.8 453.8 766.2 765.2 1,025.8 5,115
WAI Pacific Ocean Perch................. 369.2 184.6 98.4 184.6 172.3 221.5 1,231
CAI Pacific Ocean Perch................. 178.4 89.2 47.6 89.2 83.3 107.1 595
EAI Pacific Ocean Perch................. 201.5 100.8 53.7 100.8 94.0 120.9 672
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PSQ
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Halibut PSQ is in metric tons. Crab and salmon PSQ are in number of animals.
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Zone 1 Red King Crab.................... 2,491 2,180 830 1,245 1,245 2,387 10,379
Zone 1 Bairdi Tanner Crab............... 27,264 25,166 8,389 8,389 8,389 27,264 104,860
Zone 2 Bairdi Tanner Crab............... 76,270 73,092 25,423 34,957 31,779 76,270 317,790
COBLZ Opilio Tanner Crab................ 343,738 329,988 109,996 137,495 109,996 343,738 1,374,950
Pacific Halibut......................... 69 69 28 38 38 72 315
BS Chinook Salmon A season.............. 547 820 195 937 859 547 3,906
BS Chinook Salmon B season.............. 139 208 50 238 218 139 990
BS Chinook Salmon total................. 685 1,028 245 1,175 1,077 685 4,896
AI Chinook Salmon....................... 7 11 3 13 12 7 53
Non-Chinook Salmon...................... 629 944 225 1,079 989 629 4,494
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Refer to Sec. 679.2 for definitions of areas and zones.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: August 18, 2025.
Samuel D. Rauch III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2025-16242 Filed 8-22-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on August 25, 2025.
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