NOAA Fisheries announces a correcting amendment published today in the Federal Register. This rule makes minor corrections and clarifications to the final rule for the 2023–2024 harvest specifications and management measures for the Pacific Coast groundfish fishery which published on December 16. 2022.

This correcting amendment is effective March 1, 2023.

Please visit our website for more information.

What is included in the rule?

This correcting amendment:

1. clarifies that declaration codes 36 and 37 may be used inside and outside of the Non-trawl Rockfish Conservation Area,
2. corrects coordinates defining depth contours,
3. corrects formatting issues in tables describing allocations for sablefish north of 36° N lat.,
4. corrects the list of Individual Fishing Quota species allocated through the biennial specifications and management measures process to include lingcod south of 40°10′ N lat.,
5. clarifies that directed open access fishery vessels may fish inside and outside of the non-trawl RCA on the same trip but may only carry one type of legal non-bottom contact hook-and-line gear on-board the vessel when fishing occurs in the Non-trawl Rockfish Conservation Area,
6. clarifies that legal non-bottom contact hook-and-line gear does not need to be attached to the vessel, and
7. reinstates recreational fishery regulations seaward of California for the Rockfish, Cabezon, and Greenling complex.

Original source can be found here.