Framework Adjustment 53 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan

Framework 53 proposes to: 1) Set specifications for fishing year 2015 including shared U.S./Canada quotas for transboundary Georges Bank stocks; 2) modify the seasonal area closures designed to protect Gulf of Maine cod spawning; 3) prohibit possession of Gulf of Maine cod for all recreational groundfish vessels; 4) establish a mechanism to set default specifications in the event a management action is delayed; and 5) modify the sector carryover provision in response to a recent Court ruling.