North Pacific Albacore United States Stakeholder Meeting Announcement

Notice

North Pacific Albacore United States Stakeholder Meeting; Meeting Announcement

A Notice by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 04/09/2026

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• Public Inspection Published Document: 2026-06853 (91 FR 17949) Document Headings ###### Department of Commerce

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

1. [RTID 0648-XF671]

AGENCY:

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION:

Notice of public meeting.

SUMMARY:

NMFS announces a U.S. stakeholder meeting to discuss North Pacific albacore (NPALB) management. This meeting is intended to provide updates from the February stakeholder webinar and gather stakeholder input to prepare for potential discussions at the 2026 annual meetings of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) and Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission Northern Committee (WCPFC NC) related to management of NPALB fisheries. The meeting topics are described under the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice.

DATES:

The virtual meeting will be held on May 21, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. HST (12 p.m. to 4 p.m. PDT). You must complete the registration process by May 14, 2026, if you plan to attend the meeting (see ADDRESSES).

ADDRESSES:

If you plan to attend the meeting, which will be held by webinar, please register at https://forms.gle/​GN1x1QvnuRzXBAdj9. Instructions for attending the meeting will be emailed to meeting participants before the meeting occurs.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Valerie Post, Pacific Islands Regional Office at valerie.post@noaa.gov; 1-323-372-2946 or Tyler Lawson, West Coast Region Office at tyler.lawson@noaa.gov; 1-503-230-5421.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

In 2025, the WCPFC NC requested the International Scientific Committee on Tuna and Tuna-like Species in the North Pacific Ocean (ISC) to provide estimates of the historical impact of each fleet group on the NPALB stock to guide discussions on potential fleet-specific reductions if stock biomass were to fall below the threshold reference point as mandated by the harvest strategy. This stakeholder meeting is intended to discuss this topic, review preliminary results of the 2026 stock assessment for NPALB, gather stakeholder input, and prepare for anticipated discussions at the IATTC and WCPFC NC in 2026.

NPALB U.S. Stakeholder Meeting Topics

The meeting agenda will be distributed to participants in advance of the meeting. The meeting agenda will include a discussion on the executive summary of the 2026 NPALB stock assessment and updated estimates by the ISC of the historical impact of fleet groups. The meeting agenda will also discuss translating fishing intensity into catch and/or effort limits for NPALB, and potential modifications to the harvest strategy. Additionally, a timeline of important events leading up to the 2026 meeting of the WCPFC NC will be discussed.

Special Accommodations

Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be indicated when registering for the meeting (see ADDRESSES) by May 14, 2026.

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 951 et seq., 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq., and 16 U.S.C. 6901 et seq.

Dated: April 6, 2026.

David R. Blankinship,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 2026-06853 Filed 4-8-26; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-22-P

Published Document: 2026-06853 (91 FR 17949)