Federal Register #2026-06566

NOAA Reallocation of Pollock Allowances for 2026 in Alaska Federal Waters

This opportunity concerns the reallocation of pollock fishing allowances in Alaska's federal waters for the 2026 season: - Government Buyer: - National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), under the Department of Commerce and NOAA, Office of Sustainable Fisheries - Products/Services Requested: - Reallocation of 6,300 metric tons (mt) of pollock from the Aleut Corporation's Directed Fishing Allowance (DFA) in the Aleutian Islands subarea to the Bering Sea subarea - Reallocation of 1,900 mt of pollock from the Community Development Quota (CDQ) DFA in the Aleutian Islands subarea to the Bering Sea subarea - Closure of directed pollock fishing in Statistical Area 620 of the Gulf of Alaska to prevent exceeding the 2026 A season total allowable catch (TAC) of 46,510 mt - Unique or Notable Requirements: - Sector-specific allocations in the Bering Sea: 50% to AFA inshore sector, 40% to AFA catcher/processor sector, 10% to AFA mothership sector - Compliance with the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area and CFR Part 679 regulations - Actions taken to optimize harvest opportunities and ensure sustainable fishery management under the Magnuson-Stevens Act - No specific OEMs or commercial vendors are named, as this is a regulatory action affecting fishing quotas and allocations - Places of Performance: - Aleutian Islands subarea (source of reallocated quota) - Bering Sea subarea (recipient of reallocated quota) - Statistical Area 620, Gulf of Alaska (subject to directed fishing closure)

Description

This temporary rule by the National Marine Fisheries Service reallocates unused pollock allowances from the Aleutian Islands subarea to the Bering Sea subarea for the 2026 fishing season. The reallocation aims to optimize harvest opportunities consistent with the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area. The action is effective from April 3, 2026, through December 31, 2026, and responds to recent data indicating underharvest in the Aleutian Islands and available capacity in the Bering Sea sectors.

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