NSEDC trades unused flatfish quota for 900 tons of Bering Sea rock sole

Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation can now direct 900 more metric tons of rock sole into its 2026 community development quota harvest in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands, after federal regulators approved its request to give up flathead sole and yellowfin sole quota it had not used.

The National Marine Fisheries Service traded 200 tons of flathead sole and 700 tons of yellowfin sole for an equal amount of rock sole drawn from reserves held for the CDQ sector. The CDQ rock sole allocation rises from 8,025 tons to 8,925 tons; flathead sole falls to 3,652 tons and yellowfin sole to 14,815. Shannon Bettridge, acting director of the Office of Sustainable Fisheries, signed the approval Sept. 29; it took effect Oct. 1 and runs through Dec. 31.

NSEDC filed its application Sept. 18. The agency waived public comment and the usual 30-day delay, writing that without the in-season adjustment the CDQ rock sole fishery could not be harvested "in an expedient manner." It found the trade keeps harvest under biological limits and that NSEDC has not received the three approved flatfish exchanges the rules allow; existing closures and retention bans stay in force.

The CDQ sector's rock sole harvest is ongoing, the notice says. The CDQ program serves 65 western Alaska communities through six groups.