July 26, 2012 — In a letter to Capt. Paul Howard, executive director of the New England Fisheries Management Council, Daniel Morris, Acting Regional Administrator of NOAA Fisheries Northeast Regional Office stated that authorizing a year-to-year carryover on Gulf of Maine cod allocation would require a council action or the industry to voluntarily set aside a portion of their 2012 allocation for 2013. The Commerce Secretary does not have the ability to implement the carryover through an interim or emergency rule. It also explains that overfishing for Gulf of Maine cod must end in 2013 as the interim measures that were implemented in 2012 only can be in place for a period of one year.