The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announces publication of the final rule for 2020 harvest specifications and management measures for Pacific whiting, cowcod and shortbelly rockfish in the Federal Register (here). This rule will publish on June 18, 2020. Regulations will be effective upon publication.
This rule establishes the 2020 harvest specifications for Pacific whiting including the U.S. Total Allowable Catch (TAC), the 2020 tribal allocation for the Pacific whiting fishery, allocations for three commercial whiting sectors, and set-asides for Pacific whiting research and incidental mortality in other fisheries. The rule also adjusts the 2020 harvest specifications for shortbelly rockfish and cowcod south of 40°10’ N lat.
The final rule can be found on our Fisheries Rules & Regulations webpage.
A compliance guide is available on our West Coast Groundfish Compliance Guides webpage.
