NOAA Fisheries announces seven routine inseason adjustments to management measures for groundfish fisheries, including:
- increasing the limited entry fixed gear (LEFG) and open access (OA) trip limits for the Minor Nearshore Rockfish complex from 42˚ North Latitude (N. lat.) to 40˚10’ N. lat;
- increasing the LEFG and OA trip limits for deeper nearshore rockfish complex south of 40°10’ N. lat.;
- increasing the LEFG and OA trip limits for blackgill rockfish south of 40°10’ N. lat.;
- increasing the LEFG and OA trip limits and recreational bag limit for lingcod south of 40°10’ N. lat.;
- increasing the California recreational canary rockfish bag limit;
- increasing the California recreational black rockfish bag limit, and
- transferring lingcod south of 40°10’ N. lat. from the research and incidental open access (IOA) set-asides to the set asides for exempted fishing permits (EFPs).
These adjustments were recommended to NOAA Fisheries by the Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) at its March and April 2019 meetings.
Inseason Adjustments Effective June 4, 2019
Minor Nearshore Rockfish Complex limits for the LEFG and OA Fisheries from 42˚ North Latitude (N. lat.) to 40˚10’ N. lat.
The trip limits for minor nearshore rockfish for LEFG and OA fixed gear will increase from “7,000 lb/two months, no more than 1,200 lb of which may be species other than black rockfish” to “7,000 lb/two months, no more than 1,500 lb of which may be species other than black rockfish” for Periods 3-6 (May-December).
Deeper Nearshore Rockfish south of 40° 10′ N. lat.
The LEFG and OA fixed gear trip limits for deeper nearshore rockfish south of 40°10′ N. lat. will increase from “1,000 lb/two months” to “1,200 lb/two months” for Period 3-6 (May-December).
Blackgill Rockfish South of 40°10’ N. lat.
The LEFG trip limits for Periods 3-6 (May through December) will increase to 40,000 lb per two months of slope rockfish, of which no more than 4,000 lb may be blackgill rockfish, and the OA trip limits for Period 3-6 (May through December) will increase to 10,000 lb per two months, of which no more than 800 lb may be blackgill rockfish.
Lingcod South of 40°10’ N. lat.
LEFG trip limits will increase to 1,200 lb for all remaining periods and OA fishery trip limits will increase to 500 lb for all remaining periods.
The recreational bag limit for vessels targeting lingcod south of 40°10’ N. lat. in the recreational fishery will increase from one lingcod to two lingcod.
California Recreational Bag Limit for Canary Rockfish
The recreational sub-bag limit for canary rockfish will increase from two to three fish for the California recreational fishery.
California Recreational Bag Limit for Black Rockfish
The black rockfish sub-bag limit will increase from three to four fish for the California recreational fishery.
Lingcod Off-the-Top Deductions
NOAA Fisheries is implementing the Council’s recommendation to redistribute a total of 1.5 mt of lingcod south of 40°10’ N. lat. from the setasides for IOA and research catch to the setaside for EFPs to be used by the participants in the San Francisco Community Fishing Association Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP), also known as the Emley/Platt EFP.
Changes described in this public notice are currently available for public inspection and will publish in the Federal Register on June 4, 2019.
