Notice2026-06853

North Pacific Albacore United States Stakeholder Meeting; Meeting Announcement

Primary source

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Published
April 9, 2026

Issuing agencies

Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Abstract

NMFS announces a U.S. stakeholder meeting to discuss North Pacific albacore (NPALB) management. This meeting is intended to provide updates from the February stakeholder webinar and gather stakeholder input to prepare for potential discussions at the 2026 annual meetings of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) and Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission Northern Committee (WCPFC NC) related to management of NPALB fisheries. The meeting topics are described under the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice.

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 68 (Thursday, April 9, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 68 (Thursday, April 9, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Page 17949]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-06853]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XF671]


North Pacific Albacore United States Stakeholder Meeting; Meeting 
Announcement

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces a U.S. stakeholder meeting to discuss North 
Pacific albacore (NPALB) management. This meeting is intended to 
provide updates from the February stakeholder webinar and gather 
stakeholder input to prepare for potential discussions at the 2026 
annual meetings of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) 
and Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission Northern Committee 
(WCPFC NC) related to management of NPALB fisheries. The meeting topics 
are described under the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this 
notice.

DATES: The virtual meeting will be held on May 21, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 
1 p.m. HST (12 p.m. to 4 p.m. PDT). You must complete the registration 
process by May 14, 2026, if you plan to attend the meeting (see 
ADDRESSES).

ADDRESSES: If you plan to attend the meeting, which will be held by 
webinar, please register at <a href="https://forms.gle/GN1x1QvnuRzXBAdj9">https://forms.gle/GN1x1QvnuRzXBAdj9</a>. 
Instructions for attending the meeting will be emailed to meeting 
participants before the meeting occurs.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Valerie Post, Pacific Islands Regional 
Office at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#aed8cfc2cbdcc7cb80dec1dddaeec0c1cfcf80c9c1d8"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e791868b82958e82c997889493a789888686c9808891">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>; 1-323-372-2946 or Tyler Lawson, West 
Coast Region Office at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#aaded3c6cfd884c6cbddd9c5c4eac4c5cbcb84cdc5dc"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="780c01141d0a5614190f0b17163816171919561f170e">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>; 1-503-230-5421.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 2025, the WCPFC NC requested the 
International Scientific Committee on Tuna and Tuna-like Species in the 
North Pacific Ocean (ISC) to provide estimates of the historical impact 
of each fleet group on the NPALB stock to guide discussions on 
potential fleet-specific reductions if stock biomass were to fall below 
the threshold reference point as mandated by the harvest strategy. This 
stakeholder meeting is intended to discuss this topic, review 
preliminary results of the 2026 stock assessment for NPALB, gather 
stakeholder input, and prepare for anticipated discussions at the IATTC 
and WCPFC NC in 2026.

NPALB U.S. Stakeholder Meeting Topics

    The meeting agenda will be distributed to participants in advance 
of the meeting. The meeting agenda will include a discussion on the 
executive summary of the 2026 NPALB stock assessment and updated 
estimates by the ISC of the historical impact of fleet groups. The 
meeting agenda will also discuss translating fishing intensity into 
catch and/or effort limits for NPALB, and potential modifications to 
the harvest strategy. Additionally, a timeline of important events 
leading up to the 2026 meeting of the WCPFC NC will be discussed.

Special Accommodations

    Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids 
should be indicated when registering for the meeting (see ADDRESSES) by 
May 14, 2026.
    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 951 et seq., 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq., and 16 
U.S.C. 6901 et seq.

    Dated: April 6, 2026.
David R. Blankinship,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2026-06853 Filed 4-8-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P


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Indexed from Federal Register on April 9, 2026.

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