Framework adjustment 53 to the northeast multispecies fishery management plan Environmental assessment (EA) for framework adjustment 53 to the northeast multispecies fishery management plan Framework adjustment 53

"This action is intended to be implemented for the 2015 fishing year, beginning on May 1, 2015. The action proposes to: set specifications for fishing years 2015-2017, including shared U.S./Canada quotas for transboundary Georges Bank stocks; modify seasonal area closures designed to protect Gulf of Maine (GOM) codspawning; prohibit possession of GOM cod for all recreational groundfish vessels; establish a mechanism to set default specifications in the event a management action is delayed; and modify the sector carryover provision in response to a recent court ruling"--Cover letter summary.