The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has issued a temporary rule reallocating some unused Pacific cod quota from jig gear vessels to smaller catcher vessels using hook-and-line or pot gear in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands. This adjustment, effective from January 2, 2025, through December 31, 2025, is necessary to ensure the 2025 total allowable catch of Pacific cod is fully utilized. The reallocation is based on recent data showing that jig vessels cannot harvest their full share. This regulation falls under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and is exempt from public comment or a 30-day delay due to the immediacy of the data and need for action.
Simple Explanation
The government is moving some extra fish from the big boats that can't catch it all to smaller boats that can, so nothing goes to waste. They did this quickly without asking people first, which might make some folks feel left out.