Control Date Set for Open Access Groundfish Fishery

November 7, 2006

Release from:
NOAA

NOAA Fisheries and the Pacific Fishery Management Council are beginning to develop a groundfish fishery management plan (FMP) amendment to reduce harvest capacity in the open access portion of the Pacific Coast groundfish fishery in Federal waters off Washington, Oregon, and California. This notice announces a control date of September 13, 2006, which is intended to discourage new entrants into this fishery while the Council determines whether and how access should be controlled. If catch history is used as a basis for future participation or allocation, it is likely that par ticipation in the fishery after September 13, 2006 , would not count toward future allocations or participation in a limited access scheme.

Amendment 6 and its implementing regulations established a license limitation program and divided the Pacific Coast commercial groundfish fishery into limited entry and open access segments. The limited entry fishery is comprised of permitted vessels using trawl, longline and/or trap (pot) gear. The open access fishery is comprised of unpermitted vessels that use all other gear, as well as vessels that do not have limited entry permits endorsed for use with longline or trap gear but make small landings with longline or trap gear.

This action does not commit the Council to develop any particular management regime or to use any specific criteria for determining entry to the fishery. Fishermen are not guaranteed future participation in the groundfish fishery, regardless of their date of entry or level of participation in the fishery. However, because potential eligibility criteria for future management measures may be based on historical participation, fishery participants should preserve any records that substantiate and verify their participation in the groundfish fishery in Federal waters.

Comments may be sent to pfmc.comments@noaa.gov; include "Open Access Limitation'' in the subject line of the message.

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