Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Application for an Exempted Fishing Permit

Official abstract: This notice announces NMFS' receipt of an application from SeaShare, Inc. and Glacier Fish Co. and the public comment period for an exempted fishing permit (EFP). If issued, this permit would allow the applicants to retain Pacific halibut up to a poundage limit and donate it through the Prohibited Species Donation (PSD) Program, after Pacific halibut deck sorting and after sampling by a fisheries observer. This EFP would exempt one catcher/processor vessel from complying with regulations that prohibit the retention of Pacific halibut and donation of Pacific halibut prohibited species. The EFP would place a poundage limit on the allowable retention of Pacific halibut. Effective dates of the EFP would be from May 1, 2027, to December 31, 2028. This experiment would allow retention of Pacific halibut to test an additional way to donate dead Pacific halibut to hunger relief causes that would otherwise be discarded at sea. If successful, this would promote the food-supply and conservation objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act).