FW 40B was developed to modify existing effort control programs implemented under Amendment 13 to the FMP to improve the effectiveness of these programs, to create additional opportunities for commercial fishing vessels in the fishery to target healthy groundfish stocks, and to increase the information available to assess groundfish bycatch in the herring fishery.
This final rule implements several revisions to the Days-at-Sea (DAS) Leasing and Transfer Programs, modifies provisions for the Closed Area (CA) II Yellowtail Flounder Special Access Program (SAP), revises the allocation criteria for the Georges Bank (GB) Cod Hook Sector (Sector), establishes a DAS credit for vessels standing by an entangled whale, implements new notification requirements for Category 1 herring vessels, and removes the net limit for Trip gillnet vessels.