Annual Catch Limit Implemented for Deep 7 Bottomfish in the Main Hawaiian Islands

This final rule establishes an annual catch limit (ACL) of 492,000 lb for Deep 7 bottomfish in the main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) for each of the three fishing years 2018-19, 2019-20, and 2020-21. If NOAA Fisheries projects that the fishery will reach the ACL in any given fishing year, NOAA Fisheries would close the commercial and non-commercial fisheries for MHI Deep 7 bottomfish in federal waters for the remainder of that fishing year as an accountability measure. This rule also makes housekeeping changes to the federal bottomfish fishing regulations. This rule supports the long-term sustainability of Deep 7 bottomfish.

The final rule is effective July 24, 2019. The final rule is applicable in fishing years 2018-2019, 2019-2020 and 2020-2021.