Comments close: Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Modify Groundfish Season Timing in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands and Gulf of Alaska Groundfish Fisheries

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has proposed a rule to modify the timing regulations for groundfish fisheries in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) and the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). The proposal introduces two primary changes: authorizing the Regional Administrator to align sablefish Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) and Community Development Quota (CDQ) season times with the International Pacific Halibut Commission's (IPHC) halibut season, and providing NMFS with the flexibility to set specific times of day for groundfish fishery closures rather than defaulting to 1200 hours, Alaska local time (A.l.t.). These changes are intended to address inefficiencies in current regulations, which require a fixed 1200 hours A.l.t. opening and closing time. This rigidity has historically led to increased sablefish discards when halibut and sablefish seasons are misaligned, and has prevented the full utilization of Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for groundfish by forcing closures before the TAC is reached. By allowing for more precise timing, NMFS aims to reduce regulatory discards, improve harvest efficiency, and minimize the risk of exceeding TAC limits. The proposed rule follows requests from the North Pacific Fishery Management Council made in April and October 2025. NMFS has certified that this action will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities, noting that the changes are administrative and intended to provide greater operational flexibility for fishery participants. Public comments on the proposed rule are being accepted until November 20, 2026.