NOAA Fisheries is issuing interim allocation amounts of Pacific whiting for the Shorebased Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Program and the at-sea Mothership (MS) Coop and Catcher/Processor (C/P) Coop sectors prior to the start of the Pacific whiting fishery on May 15, 2020.
The interim allocation amounts are shown in Table 1 and Table 2. The interim allocations are based on the lowest value of the coastwide total allowable catch (TAC) (555,000 mt) analyzed in the proposed rule (84 FR 20578, April 17, 2020). We will allocate any additional amounts of Pacific whiting to each sector after the final rule establishing the 2020 U.S. TAC, tribal allocation, and set-asides for research and incidental mortality is published in early June.
We expect the interim allocations will provide sufficient fishing opportunity for the whiting fleet until we publish the final rule establishing the 2020 Pacific whiting TAC. Additional details about the interim allocations for each sector of the whiting fishery are summarized in the tables and text below.
|
Lowest 2020 Coastwide TAC (mt) |
Lowest 2020 Adjusted U.S. TAC (mt) |
Lowest 2020 Tribal Allocation (mt) |
2020 Research Bycatch Set Aside (mt) |
2020 Interim Harvest Guideline (mt) |
| 555,000 | 410,034 | 71,756 | 1,500 | 336,778 |
|
Commercial Sector |
Commercial Sector Proportion of 2020 Interim Harvest Guideline |
Interim Sector Allocation (mt) |
|
Shorebased IFQ |
0.42 |
141,446.8 |
|
MS |
0.24 |
80,826.7 |
|
C/P |
0.34 |
114,504.5 |
Shorebased Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ)
On December 20, 2019, NOAA Fisheries made an initial allocation of Pacific whiting Quota Pounds (QP) to IFQ permit holder accounts. Before the start of the primary whiting season, we will make a deposit into the vessel account system based on the revised interim allocations. After we publish the final Pacific whiting TAC, we will deposit any additional QP into the accounts.
Mothership and Catcher/Processor Cooperatives
Before the start of the primary whiting season, we will notify approved cooperatives of their interim allocation through the Initial Administrative Decision (IAD) associated with the 2020 cooperative permits. After the final Pacific whiting harvest specifications are established, NOAA Fisheries will notify the cooperatives and allocate any additional amounts of Pacific whiting to each sector.
