(a) AMs—(1) Herring sub-ACLs and ACL—(i) Possession Limit Adjustments—(A) Areas 1A and 1B Possession Limit Adjustment. If NMFS projects that catch from Area 1A or 1B will reach 92 percent of the annual sub-ACL allocated to Area 1A or Area 1B, before the end of the fishing year, or 92 percent of the Area 1A sub-ACL allocated to the seasonal period as set forth in paragraph (d) of this section, beginning the date the catch is projected to reach 92 percent of the sub-ACL, vessels may not attempt or do any of the following: Fish for, possess, transfer, receive, land, or sell more than 2,000 lb (907.2 kg) of Atlantic herring per trip in or from the applicable area, and from landing herring more than once per calendar day, except as provided in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section. NMFS shall implement these restrictions in accordance with the APA.

(B) Areas 2 and 3—(1) Possession Limit Adjustment—Phase 1. If NMFS projects that catch from Area 2 or Area 3 will reach 90 percent of the annual sub-ACL allocated to Area 2 or Area 3 before the end of the fishing year, beginning the date the catch is projected to reach 90 percent of the applicable sub-ACL, vessels may not attempt or do any of the following: Fish for, possess, transfer, receive, land, or sell more than 40,000 lb (18,143.7 kg) of Atlantic herring per trip in or from the applicable area, and from landing herring more than once per calendar day, except as provided in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section. Based on catch projections in relation to the amount of catch available between the applicable 90 percent (Phase 1) and 98 percent (Phase 2) sub-ACL adjustment thresholds, NMFS may bypass implementing this Phase 1, 40,000-lb (18,143.7-kg) possession limit and instead implement the Phase 2, 2,000-lb (907.2-kg) possession limit described at § 648.201(a)(1)(i)(B)(2) as warranted to avoid impracticable transitions from Phase 1 to Phase 2 thresholds, avoid overages, or reduce the risk of exceeding the ABC. NMFS shall implement these restrictions in accordance with the APA.

(2) Possession Limit Adjustment—Phase 2. If NMFS projects that catch will reach 98 percent of the annual sub-ACL allocated to Area 2 or Area 3 before the end of the fishing year, beginning the date the catch is projected to reach 98 percent of the sub-ACL, vessels may not attempt or do any of the following: Fish for, possess, transfer, receive, land, or sell more than 2,000 lb (907.2 kg) of Atlantic herring per trip in the applicable area, and from landing herring more than once per calendar day, except as provided in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section. Based on catch projections, NMFS may implement this Phase 2, 2,000-lb (907.2-kg) possession limit without first implementing the Phase 1, 40,000-lb (18,143.7-kg) possession limit described at § 648.201(a)(1)(i)(B)(1) as warranted to avoid impracticable transitions from Phase 1 to Phase 2 thresholds, avoid overages, or reduce the risk of exceeding the ABC. NMFS shall implement these restrictions in accordance with the APA.

(ii) Herring fishery closure. If NMFS projects that catch will reach 95 percent of the ACL before the end of the fishing year, beginning the date the catch is projected to reach 95 percent of the ACL, vessels may not attempt or do any of the following: Fish for, possess, transfer, receive, land, or sell more than 2,000 lb (907.2 kg) of Atlantic herring per trip in all herring management areas, and from landing herring more than once per calendar day, except as provided in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section. NMFS shall implement these restrictions in accordance with the APA.

(2) When the Regional Administrator has determined that the GOM and/or GB incidental catch cap for haddock in § 648.90(a)(4)(iii)(D) has been caught, no vessel issued a Federal Atlantic herring permit and fishing with midwater trawl gear in the applicable Accountability Measure (AM) Area, i.e., the Herring GOM Haddock AM Area or Herring GB Haddock AM Area, as defined in § 648.86(a)(3)(ii)(A)(2) and (3) of this part, may fish for, possess, transfer, receive, land, or sell herring in excess of 2,000 lb (907.2 kg) per trip in or from the applicable AM Area, and from landing herring more than once per calendar day, unless all herring possessed and landed by a vessel were caught outside the applicable AM Area and the vessel's gear is not available for immediate use as defined in § 648.2 while transiting the applicable AM Area. Upon this determination, the haddock possession limit is reduced to 0 lb (0 kg) in the applicable AM area for a vessel issued a Federal Atlantic herring permit and fishing with midwater trawl gear or for a vessel issued a Category A or B Herring Permit fishing on a declared herring trip, regardless of area fished or gear used, in the applicable AM area, unless the vessel also possesses a Northeast multispecies permit and is operating on a declared (consistent with § 648.10(g)) Northeast multispecies trip.

(3) ACL and sub-ACL overage deductions. (i) If NMFS determines that total catch exceeded an Atlantic herring sub-ACL by 10 percent or less and the ACL was not exceeded in a given fishing year, then NMFS shall not deduct any amount of the overage from the applicable sub-ACL or ACL in the fishing year following total catch determination.

(ii) If NMFS determines that total catch exceeded an Atlantic herring sub-ACL by greater than 10 percent and the ACL was not exceeded in a given fishing year, then NMFS shall subtract the amount of the overage above 10 percent from the ACL and applicable sub-ACL in the fishing year following total catch determination. For example, if catch exceeded the Area 1A sub-ACL by 15 percent in Year 1 and the ACL was not exceeded, the amount equal to the 5 percent overage would be deducted from the ACL and Area 1A sub-ACL in Year 3.

(iii) If NMFS determines that total catch exceeded an Atlantic herring sub-ACL by any amount and the ACL was also exceeded in a given fishing year, then NMFS shall subtract the full amount of the sub-ACL overage from the applicable sub-ACL, and the full amount of the ACL overage from the ACL, in the fishing year following total catch determination. For example, if catch exceeded the Area 1A sub-ACL by 15 percent and the ACL by 5 percent in Year 1, the amount equal to the 15-percent overage would be deducted from the Area 1A sub-ACL and the amount equal to the 5-percent overage would be deducted from the ACL in Year 3.

(iv) If NMFS determines that total catch exceeded the Atlantic herring ACL and no herring sub-ACLs were exceeded in a given fishing year, then NMFS shall subtract the full amount of the overage from the ACL in the fishing year following total catch determination. For example, if catch exceeded the herring ACL by 2 percent in Year 1, the amount equal to the 2-percent overage would be deducted from the ACL in Year 3, and no sub-ACLs would be reduced.

(v) NMFS shall make overage determinations and implement any changes to ACLs or sub-ACLs, through notification in the Federal Register, and if possible, prior to the start of the fishing year during which the reduction would occur.

(4) River herring and shad catch cap. (i) The catch from all trips that land more than 6,600 lb (3 mt) of herring shall apply to the river herring and shad catch cap in the herring fishery. Caps by gear and by area shall be established through the specifications process described in § 648.201.

(ii) Beginning on the date that NMFS projects that river herring and shad catch will reach 95 percent of a catch cap for specified gear applicable to an area specified in § 648.200(f)(7) for the remainder of the fishing year, vessels may not attempt or do any of the following: Fish for, possess, transfer, receive, land, or sell more than 2,000 lb (907.2 kg) of Atlantic herring per trip using the applicable gear in the applicable catch cap closure area, specified in § 648.200(f)(8), and from landing herring more than once per calendar day, except as provided in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section. NMFS shall implement these restrictions in accordance with the APA.

(b) A vessel may transit an area that is limited to the 2,000-lb (907.2-kg) limit or 40,000-lb (18,143.7-kg) limit specified in paragraph (a) of this section with greater than 2,000 lb (907.2 kg) or greater than 40,000 lb (18,143.7 kg) of herring on board, provided such herring were caught in an area or areas not subject to the 2,000-lb (907.2-kg) limit or 40,000-lb (18,143.7-kg) limit specified in paragraph (a) of this section, and that all fishing gear is stowed and not available for immediate use as defined in § 648.2, and provided the vessel is issued a vessel permit appropriate to the amount of herring on board and the area where the herring was harvested.

(c) A vessel may land an area that is limited to the 2,000-lb (907.2-kg) limit or 40,000-lb (18,143.7-kg) limit specified in paragraph (a) of this section with greater than 2,000 lb (907.2 kg) or greater than 40,000 lb (18,143.7 kg) of herring on board, provided such herring were caught in an area or areas not subject to the 2,000-lb (907.2-kg) limit or 40,000-lb (18,143.7-kg) limit specified in paragraph (a) of this section, and that all fishing gear is stowed and not available for immediate use as defined in § 648.2, and provided the vessel is issued a vessel permit appropriate to the amount of herring on board and the area where the herring was harvested.

(d) Seasonal sub-ACL periods. The sub-ACL for each herring management area may be divided into seasonal periods by month. Seasonal sub-ACLs for herring management areas, including the specification of the seasonal periods, shall be set through the annual specification process described at § 648.200. The seasonal allocation of sub-ACLs are as follows:

(1) Area 1A: Zero percent available for harvest during January-May; 100 percent available for harvest during June-December.

(2) Area 1B: 100 percent available for harvest during January-December.

(3) Area 2: 100 percent available for harvest during January-December.

(4) Area 3: 100 percent available for harvest during January-December.

(e) A vessel may transit an area that has zero percent sub-ACL available for harvest specified in paragraph (d) of this section with herring on board, provided such herring were caught in an area or areas with sub-ACL available specified in paragraph (d) of this section, that all fishing gear is stowed and not available for immediate use as defined in § 648.2, and the vessel is issued a permit that authorizes the amount of herring on board for the area where the herring was harvested.

(f) Up to 500 mt of the Area 1A sub-ACL shall be allocated for the fixed gear fisheries in Area 1A (weirs and stop seines) that occur west of 67°16.8′ W. long (Cutler, Maine). This set-aside shall be available for harvest by fixed gear within the specified area until November 1 of each fishing year. Any portion of this allocation that has not been utilized by November 1 shall be restored to the sub-ACL allocation for Area 1A.

(g) Carryover. (1) Subject to the conditions described in this paragraph (g), unharvested catch in a herring management area in a fishing year (up to 10 percent of that area's sub-ACL) shall be carried over and added to the sub-ACL for that herring management area for the fishing year following the year when total catch is determined. For example, NMFS will determine total catch from Year 1 during Year 2, and will add carryover to the applicable sub-ACL(s) in Year 3. All such carryover shall be based on the herring management area's initial sub-ACL allocation for Year 1, not the sub-ACL for Year 1 as increased by carryover or decreased by an overage deduction, as specified in paragraph (a)(3) of this section. All herring caught from a herring management area shall count against that area's sub-ACL, as increased by carryover. For example, if 100 mt of herring is added as carryover from Year 1 to a 5,000 mt sub-ACL in Year 3, catch in that management area would be tracked against a total sub-ACL of 5,100 mt. NMFS shall add sub-ACL carryover only if catch does not exceed the Year 1 ACL, specified consistent with § 648.200(b)(3). The ACL, consistent with § 648.200(b)(3), shall not be increased by carryover specified in this paragraph (g).

(2) [Reserved]

(h) If NMFS determines that the New Brunswick weir fishery landed less than 2,722 mt of herring through October 1, NMFS will subtract 1,000 mt from management uncertainty and reallocate that 1,000 mt to the ACL and Area 1A sub-ACL. NMFS will notify the Council of this adjustment and publish the adjustment in the Federal Register.

[76 FR 11380, Mar. 2, 2011, as amended at 76 FR 56999, Sept. 15, 2011; 78 FR 26169, May 3, 2013; 78 FR 61837, Oct. 4, 2013; 79 FR 52580, Sept. 4, 2014; 79 FR 71971, Dec. 4, 2014; 81 FR 19054, Apr. 4, 2016; 81 FR 75739, Nov. 1, 2016; 85 FR 26886, May 6, 2020; 86 FR 17085, Apr. 1, 2021; 87 FR 42967, July 19, 2022; 88 FR 17402, Mar. 23, 2023]