Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries off West Coast States; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan; Amendment 36; Limited Entry Fixed Gear Follow-On Actions
Key claim: NMFS finalizes Amendment 36 regulations that add gear-endorsement flexibility, remove LEFG base-permit designation and primary sablefish season hour limits, and establish a cost-recovery program for the limited entry fixed gear primary sablefish fishery.
Abstract
(Rule · Commerce Department, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) This final rule implements regulations for amendment 36 to the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (Groundfish FMP). The regulations include management measures that apply to vessels registered to limited entry fixed gear (LEFG) endorsed permits and LEFG permit owners in the Pacific Coast groundfish fishery. Specifically, NMFS will: add flexibility to the LEFG permits’ gear endorsements; remove the base permit designation of LEFG permits; remove the start and end times (i.e., hours of the day) for the open dates of the primary sablefish season; and develop a cost recovery program for the LEFG primary sablefish fishery. The purpose of this action is to provide increased flexibility to LEFG participants while reducing administrative burdens, and to develop a cost recovery program to meet the requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act).
Why this matters
Amendment 36 follow-on rules reshape how West Coast fixed-gear sablefish permit holders operate their businesses by loosening gear and season-timing restrictions while imposing a new cost-recovery fee to fund federal management of the fishery. For fishermen this means more operational flexibility but a new recurring cost; for consumers the effect on sablefish supply and price is expected to be marginal, though the cost-recovery precedent matters for how limited entry fisheries are financed going forward.