Regulations at 50 CFR 660.131(h) provide for the reapportionment of Pacific whiting Tribal allocation that the Regional Administrator determines will not be used by the end of the fishing year. The best available information in late September 2025 indicated that an additional 20,000 metric tons (mt) of the revised Tribal allocation of 30,000 mt for the 2025 Tribal Pacific whiting fishery will not be used by December 31, 2025. NMFS first took action on September 16, 2025 to reapportion 21,716 mt to the non-Tribal sectors, leaving 30,000 mt of the original 51,716 mt Tribal Pacific whiting allocation for 2025. This notice announces the second such reapportionment of Tribal Pacific whiting to the non-Tribal sectors for 2025.
Reapportioning this additional amount of 20,000 mt to the non-Tribal fishery is expected to allow for greater attainment of the U.S. Total Allowable Catch. In addition, recent conversations between the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and Tribal fishery managers indicate that reapportioning 20,000 mt, leaving a Tribal allocation of 10,000 mt, will not limit Tribal harvest opportunities for the remainder of the year.
As required under the 2017 Endangered Species Act (ESA) Section 7(a)(2) biological opinion on the effects of the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan on listed salmonids and regulations at 50 CFR 660.131(h)(5), NMFS considered the number and bycatch rate of Chinook salmon taken in the Pacific whiting fishery. Based on the best available information in late September 2025, NMFS determined there was low risk that the reapportionment would cause the Pacific whiting sector fisheries to exceed both the guideline limit of 11,000 and reserve of 3,500 Chinook salmon under current regulations and practices. At the time of the action, incidental take of Chinook salmon by the non-Tribal sector was 6% of the guideline limit. NMFS will continue to monitor Chinook salmon bycatch as part of in-season management.
NMFS took action on September 29, 2025 to reapportion 20,000 mt of Pacific whiting. NMFS provided public notice to stakeholders on the date of the action. Reapportionments are disbursed to the other Pacific whiting fishery sectors in the same proportion as each sector's allotted portion of the fishery harvest guideline specified in the regulations. All non-Tribal commercial sectors have expressed an interest in this potential for additional 2025 harvest of Pacific whiting. In the Shorebased IFQ program, whiting quota pounds will be allocated to quota share accounts as soon as feasible.
Effective 04:30 pm (16:30) PST, on September 29, 2025, 20,000 mt of Pacific whiting was reapportioned from the Tribal allocation to the non-Tribal commercial Pacific whiting fishery.
The revised Pacific whiting allocations by sector for 2025 are listed below:
| Allocation (share) | Reapportionment (mt) | Revised 2025 Sector Allocations (mt) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| C/P Co-op Program | 34% | 6,800 | 96,821.80 |
| MS Co-op Program | 24% | 4,800 | 68,344.80 |
| Shorebased IFQ Program | 42% | 8,400 | 119,603.40 |
| Total reapportioned | 20,000 |
The initial 2025 whiting allocations are detailed in the June 26, 2025 Final Rule for 2025 Pacific Whiting U.S. Total Allowable Catch, 2025 Tribal Allocation, 2025 Incidental Set-Aside, and Annual Specifications for 2025 Non-Tribal Fisheries (90 FR 27261)
