Bycatch Limits Extended through May 1

November 7, 2005

Release from:
NOAA

This action extends an emergency rule, published May 5, 2005, that establishes routine authority to reduce trip limits to incidental levels in the open access fishery for groundfish before the sector has taken its full target allocations. This action is necessary to quickly restrict the directed open access groundfish fishery if the incidental catch of an overfished species is too high.

At its June 13-17, 2005 meeting, the Pacific Fishery Management Council recommended setting the open access bycatch limits for canary and yelloweye rockfish at 3 metric tons each. The Council also determined that a more direct way of addressing the potential for canary and yelloweye rockfish bycatch in the open access fisheries would be to review the need for spiny dogfish trip limits.

NOAA Fisheries Service is extending the May 2005 rule, and re-publishing the annual open access bycatch limits for canary and yelloweye rockfish. This rule is effective through May 1, 2006. NOAA Fisheries Service anticipates publishing a proposed rule to implement spiny dogfish trip limits in late 2005.

Background documents are available on the Northwest Region Web site.

For more information, contact Yvonne.deReynier@noaa.gov.