Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Black Sea Bass Fishery; Revised 2017 and Projected 2018 Specifications

In this rule, NMFS issues revised final 2017 and projected 2018 specifications, and removes a previously implemented commercial fishery accountability measure for the 2017 black sea bass fishery. These actions are necessary to comply with regulations implementing the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan, and to ensure compliance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The intended effect of this rule is to revise 2017 black sea bass catch limits to afford more opportunity to obtain optimum yield and to inform the public of projected changes to 2018 catch limits.