NMFS is seeking public comment on the proposed regulatory changes for the commercial West Coast Groundfish fisheries that harvest sablefish. Public comments must be received by July 1, 2016.
This proposed rule contains eight major actions, along with related minor clarifications and non-substantive changes.
- Electronic fish tickets;
- Ownership limitation exemption;
- Joint registration;
- Remove sablefish at-sea processing exemption (only for limited entry fixed gear sablefish vessels when participating in the Shorebased Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Program);
- Amendment 6 sablefish allocation clarifications;
- Declarations when vessel registers a Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) unit;
- Updated equipment requirements for electronic fish tickets; and
- Clarifications regarding “take” versus “take and retain” and how those phrases are used in groundfish regulations.
This proposed rule contains burden-hour estimates for collection-of-information requirements related to the Paperwork Reduction Act. We are seeking comments on the burden hour estimates described in this rule.
