2025 Harvest Specifications for Pacific Whiting and 2025 Tribal Allocation

NOAA Fisheries is announcing a public comment period on our proposed rule for the 2025 Pacific whiting fishery. Comments may be submitted per the Federal Register notice (see below). The proposed rule would establish a Tribal Pacific whiting allocation in 2025 as a percentage of the U.S. TAC, and a 750 metric ton (mt) set-aside for research and incidental mortality in non-groundfish fisheries in 2025.

NOAA Fisheries contacted the four Pacific whiting treaty Tribes in late 2024 to determine their plans for participation in the 2025 Tribal Pacific whiting fishery. Only the Makah Indian Tribe indicated its intent to fish and requested 17.5 percent of the U.S. Pacific whiting TAC, which is identical to the Tribal allocation percentage implemented in previous years. The Quileute Indian Tribe, Quinault Indian Nation, and Hoh Indian Tribe, while reserving the right to fish Pacific whiting, do not have plans to enter into or participate in the 2025 Pacific whiting fishery. The 750 mt incidental set-aside is consistent with the PFMC recommendations made during their November 2024 meeting.

The public comment period for this proposed rule is open for 15 days, giving the public adequate time to comment on the proposed measures while allowing for the implementation of the management measures and announcing the Pacific whiting allocations as close as possible to the start of the Pacific whiting fishery season on May 1, 2025. Because the final rule for this action will publish after May 1, the 2025 whiting fishery will start the season on interim allocations based on the recommended U.S. TAC announced in the proposed rule