Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries Off West Coast States; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan; Amendment 31, 57400-57405 [2023-18089]
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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 162 / Wednesday, August 23, 2023 / Proposed Rules
References Cited
A list of the references cited in each
petition finding is available in the
relevant species assessment form, which
is available on the internet at https://
www.regulations.gov in the appropriate
docket (see ADDRESSES, above) and upon
request from the appropriate person (see
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT,
above).
Authors
The primary authors of this document
are the staff members of the Species
Assessment Team, Ecological Services
Program.
Authority
The authority for this action is section
4 of the Endangered Species Act of
1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et
seq.).
Wendi Weber,
Acting Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service.
[FR Doc. 2023–18260 Filed 8–22–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333–15–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 660
[RTID 0648–XC971]
Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions;
Fisheries Off West Coast States;
Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery
Management Plan; Amendment 31
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability of
proposed fishery management plan
amendment; request for comments.
AGENCY:
NMFS announces that the
Pacific Fishery Management Council
has submitted Amendment 31 to the
Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery
Management Plan to the Secretary of
Commerce for review. If approved,
Amendment 31 would define stocks that
are in need of conservation and
management, consistent with the
provisions and guidelines of the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act.
Amendment 31 would define stocks for
14 species within the fishery
management unit. These species were
prioritized because they had stock
assessments in 2021 or will have
assessments in 2023. Amendment 31 is
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SUMMARY:
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necessary for NMFS to make stock
status determinations, which in turn
will help prevent overfishing, rebuild
overfished stocks, and achieve optimum
yield. Amendment 31 is administrative
in nature and does not change harvest
levels or timing and location of fishing,
nor does it revise the goals and
objectives or the management
frameworks of the Pacific Coast
Groundfish Fishery Management Plan.
DATES: Comments on Amendment 31
must be received no later than October
22, 2023.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
on this document, identified by NOAA–
NMFS–2023–0066, by the following
method:
• Electronic Submission: Submit all
electronic public comments via the
Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to
https://www.regulations.gov and enter
NOAA–NMFS–2023–0066 in the Search
box. Click the ‘‘Comment’’ icon,
complete the required fields, and enter
or attach your comments.
Instructions: Comments must be
submitted by the above method to
ensure that the comments are received,
documented, and considered by NMFS.
Comments sent by any other method, to
any other address or individual, or
received after the end of the comment
period, may not be considered. All
comments received are a part of the
public record and NMFS will post for
public viewing on https://
www.regulations.gov without change.
All personal identifying information
(e.g., name, address, etc.), confidential
business information, or otherwise
sensitive information submitted
voluntarily by the sender is publicly
accessible. NMFS will accept
anonymous comments (enter ‘‘N/A’’ in
the required fields if you wish to remain
anonymous).
Electronic Access
This rule is accessible via the internet
at the Office of the Federal Register
website at https://
www.federalregister.gov. Background
information and documents including
an analysis for this action (Analysis),
which addresses the statutory
requirements of the Magnuson Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management
Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) are
available from the Pacific Fishery
Management Council’s website at
https://www.pcouncil.org.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Gretchen Hanshew, Fishery
Management Specialist, at 206–526–
6147 or gretchen.hanshew@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS
manages the groundfish fisheries in the
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exclusive economic zone (EEZ) seaward
of Washington, Oregon, and California
under the Pacific Coast Groundfish
fishery management plan (PCGFMP).
The Council prepared and NMFS
implemented the PCGFMP under the
authority of the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management
Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), 16 U.S.C.
1801 et seq. and by regulations at 50
CFR parts 600 and 660. The MagnusonStevens Act requires that each regional
fishery management council submit any
fishery management plan (FMP) or plan
amendment it prepares to NMFS for
review and approval, disapproval, or
partial approval by the Secretary of
Commerce. The Magnuson-Stevens Act
also requires that NMFS, upon receiving
an FMP or amendment, immediately
publish a notification that the FMP or
amendment is available for public
review and comment. This notice of
availability announces that the
proposed Amendment 31 to the FMP is
available for public review and
comment. NMFS will consider the
public comments received during the
comment period described above in
determining whether to approve,
partially approve, or disapprove
Amendment 31 to the FMP.
Background
Amendment 31 would define stocks
that are in need of conservation and
management. Amendment 31 would
define stocks for 14 species within the
fishery management unit (FMU; the
jurisdiction of the FMP from 3–200
nautical miles offshore between the U.S.
border with Canada and the U.S. border
with Mexico, which may also be
referred to as ‘‘coastwide’’).
At its June 20–27, 2023 meeting in
Vancouver, Washington, the Council
recommended stock definitions for 14
species of Pacific Coast groundfish after
NMFS was unable to make stock status
determinations in 2021. NMFS was
unable to make stock status
determinations because the ‘‘stocks’’ for
which the Council was expecting status
determinations did not exist in the FMP.
Currently, the FMP has a list of 80+
species to which it pertains, and does
not describe whether each species is a
single stock within the fishery
management unit or if it is multiple
(e.g., regional) stocks.
NMFS requested that the Council
undertake Amendment 31 to define
stocks at its March 8–14, 2022 meeting
in San Jose, California. NMFS advised
the Council that it should define the
stocks for which stock status
determinations were changing in 2021
and 2023, and to add those definitions
to the FMP. In particular, NMFS was
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seeking clarifications on whether
species should have overfished (or not
overfished) and subject to overfishing
(or not subject to overfishing) status
determinations on a scale that is less
than coastwide.
The Council prioritized a sub-set of
species, because there are 80+ species
managed by the FMP, be considered for
stock identification in Amendment 31.
These species are black, canary, copper,
quillback, squarespot, vermilion, and
vermilion/sunset rockfishes; Dover,
petrale, and rex soles; lingcod, Pacific
spiny dogfish, sablefish, and shortspine
thornyhead. These species were
prioritized because they were subject to
stock assessments in 2021 or are subject
to stock assessments in 2023, and were
therefore the most likely candidates to
be the subject of NMFS’ forthcoming
status determinations, which are often
based on new assessments.
Early in the development of
Amendment 31, the Council was
advised by the Scientific and Statistical
Committee (SSC) that indications of
population structure within a species
should be an indicator of whether stock
status should be determined at a finer
scale than coastwide. The Council
evaluated a literature review of the best
scientific and biological information
available for each species, which is
appended to the main analytical
document (Analysis) developed for
Amendment 31, available on the
Council website (see Electronic Access).
The Analysis considered alternative
stock definitions for each species where
applicable, as some species only had
one stock definition alternative, as
explained below. Generally, species
with no known population structure,
based on the literature review, or with
known population structure based on
genetic information, were considered
under a single stock definition
alternative. The rest of the species had
known indicators of population
structure but were lacking or had
conflicting genetic indicators of
latitudinal variation and were therefore
considered under multiple stock
definition alternatives. For species with
multiple alternatives, the Analysis
assumed each alternative stock
definition was adopted, then applied
the FMP’s harvest specifications
framework to each stock to assess some
of the biological, socioeconomic, and
fishery management trade-offs that
might be expected from implementation
of future management actions based on
the alternative stock definitions.
Impacts of these stock definitions are
expected to flow from future,
subsequent action(s) to set harvest
specifications and management
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measures for the stock(s) but the
Analysis provided information for the
Council to consider in making its
decision. The Council considered these
tradeoffs when making its final stock
definition recommendations at its June
20–27, 2023 meeting. The following
narrative provides species-specific
information, in alphabetical order by
common name, and rationale for the
stock definition for each species that
would be implemented by Amendment
31.
Black Rockfish (Sebastes Melanops)
Black rockfish range from Southern
California to the Aleutian Islands in
Alaska and occur most commonly north
of San Francisco, California. Black
rockfish are an important target species
in Pacific Coast tribal fisheries off the
coast of Washington State and in nontribal commercial and recreational
fisheries predominantly north of San
Francisco, California. While overall
population structure remains poorly
understood, there are some indications
that the species may have distinct
geospatial population structure. Genetic
work has indicated three, or perhaps
more, populations within the species’
range, and larval dispersal and adult
movement are limited, to varying
degrees, along the coast. All black
rockfish assessments (1999 through
2023) have been assessed with multiple,
area-specific, models within the FMU
due to management considerations and
differences in exploitation history. The
Council has calculated harvest
specifications and managed black
rockfish as three state-specific
populations since 2017 and defining
three stocks of black rockfish is not
expected to trigger future allocative
actions, increase management burden
during the next biennial cycle compared
to 2023, or result in short-term or longterm biological impacts if status is
determined at a coastwide scale. This
geographic delineation clearly aligned
well with past and recent fishery
management and policy decisions for
the species as well as best scientific
information available. Therefore, the
Council recommended and NMFS is
proposing to approve three stocks of
black rockfish in the FMP.
Canary Rockfish (Sebastes Pinniger)
Canary rockfish are distributed along
the northeastern Pacific coast, and the
species is most abundant from British
Columbia to central California. Canary
rockfish are mostly harvested in sectors
of the commercial and recreational nontribal fisheries within the FMU. While
population structure remains poorly
understood, there are no known
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indications that the species has distinct
geospatial population structure. The
species has been assessed as a single
geographic unit within the FMU since
its first assessment in 1994, including
throughout the period where it was
managed under a rebuilding plan (2001–
2014). The harvest specifications that
are compared to mortality estimates to
assess whether the species is subject to
overfishing (currently overfishing limits
[OFLs] and before 2005 called
acceptable biological catches, or ABCs),
have been set at a coastwide level
throughout the period the species was
managed under a rebuilding plan and in
its current rebuilt status (2015–present).
The Council cooperatively manages this
species at a coastwide scale, with
allocative sharing agreements between
states and fishery sectors decided every
2 years through the harvest
specifications and management
measures biennial process. Defining
canary rockfish as a stock at a coastwide
scale is not expected to trigger future
allocative actions, increase management
burden during the next biennial cycle
compared to 2023, or result in shortterm or long-term biological impacts if
status is determined at a coastwide
scale. The only alternative the Council
considered was a coastwide stock
definition, as only a single geographic
delineation clearly aligned well with
past and recent fishery management and
policy decisions for the species as well
as best scientific information available.
Therefore, the Council recommended
and NMFS is proposing to approve a
single stock of canary rockfish in the
FMP.
Copper Rockfish (Sebastes Caurinus)
Copper rockfish are distributed from
Mexico to Alaska. Within the FMU,
copper rockfish are predominantly
harvested in recreational fisheries, but
are also harvested in nearshore
commercial fisheries to varying degrees
along the coast. While population
structure remains poorly understood,
there are some indications that the
species may have distinct geospatial
population structure. Multiple studies
have found genetic differentiation
within the species’ distribution, likely
due to some level of isolation. Isolation
could be a result of lack of larval
dispersal or adult movement, patchiness
of their preferred rocky habitat along
parts of the coast, or other factors.
Copper rockfish have been managed for
years at a less than coastwide scale, and
was assessed in 2021 and 2023 using
models at a less than coastwide scale.
The geographic stratification of the
assessment areas is primarily driven by
differences in current and historical
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harvest intensity. There is no known
scientific evidence that there is distinct
population structure for copper rockfish
between the two assessed areas of the
coasts off of Washington and Oregon, or
between the two assessed areas off the
coast of California. A two stock
delineation aligned with the Council’s
desire to keep the sub-division of
management of a species to a minimum,
while retaining a geographic delineation
aligned with best scientific information
available and consistent with past
management decisions to manage the
species as multiple units. Therefore, the
Council recommended and NMFS is
proposing to approve two stocks of
copper rockfish in the FMP, north and
south of 42°00′ N lat.
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Dover Sole (Microstomus Pacificus)
Dover sole are distributed from the
Bering Sea in Alaska to Baja California
and are harvested in the groundfish
fishery throughout the FMU, though
mostly by the non-tribal bottom trawl
fishery off Oregon and Washington. The
population structure of Dover sole is
largely unknown, though the limited
information available does not indicate
distinct geospatial population structure.
The harvest specifications that are
compared to mortality estimates to
assess whether the species is subject to
overfishing have been set at a coastwide
scale, for over 30 years. Dover sole’s
single, coastwide annual catch limit
(ACL) is formally allocated in the FMP
between trawl and non-trawl fisheries.
Defining Dover sole as a stock at a
coastwide scale is not expected to
trigger future allocative actions, increase
management burden during the next
biennial cycle compared to 2023–24, or
result in short-term or long-term
biological impacts if status is
determined at a coastwide scale. The
only alternative the Council considered
was a coastwide stock definition, as
only a single geographic delineation
clearly aligned well with past and
recent fishery management and policy
decisions for the species as well as best
scientific information available.
Therefore, the Council recommended
and NMFS is proposing to approve a
single stock of Dover sole in the FMP.
Lingcod (Ophiodon Elongatus)
Lingcod are distributed along the
eastern Pacific coast from Baja
California to the Gulf of Alaska. Lingcod
are harvested in tribal fisheries and all
sectors of non-tribal commercial and
recreational fisheries. There are known
indications that the species has distinct
geospatial population structure,
including genetic studies and life
history characteristics such as
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differences in growth, longevity, and
size at maturity. Lingcod have been
assessed and managed as northern and
southern geographic units since 2005.
The Council manages this species at a
less than coastwide scale, with
allocative sharing agreements between
states and fishery sectors decided every
2 years through the harvest
specifications and management
measures biennial process. Defining
lingcod as a northern stock and a
southern stock within the FMU is not
expected to trigger future allocative
actions, increase management burden
during the next biennial cycle compared
to 2023–24, or result in short-term or
long-term biological impacts if status is
determined at that scale. The only
alternative the Council considered was
a two-stock definition (lingcod north
and lingcod south), as only this
geographic delineation clearly aligned
well with past and recent fishery
management and policy decisions for
the species as well as best scientific
information available. Therefore, the
Council recommended and NMFS is
proposing two lingcod stocks in the
FMP.
Pacific Spiny Dogfish (Squalus
Suckleyi)
Pacific spiny dogfish live from the
Gulf of Alaska to Baja California, with
the highest abundance off the coast of
British Columbia and Washington State.
There are known indications that the
portions of the stock within the FMU
has interaction with and overlaps with
spiny dogfish observed off British
Colombia. There are no known
indications of geospatial population
structure within the FMU. Pacific spiny
dogfish have been assessed and
managed as a coastwide population
since it was first assessed in 2011. The
OFLs have been set at a coastwide level
since the species was removed from the
Other Fish complex in 2015; prior to
2015, the species’ OFLs contributed to
the coastwide OFL for the Other Fish
complex. Allocative sharing agreements
between states and fishery sectors for
spiny dogfish have not been necessary
to date. Defining spiny dogfish as a
stock at a coastwide scale is not
expected to trigger future allocative
actions, increase management burden
during the next biennial cycle compared
to 2023–24, or result in short-term or
long-term biological impacts if status is
determined at a coastwide scale. The
only alternative the Council considered
was a coastwide stock definition, as
only a single geographic delineation
clearly aligned well with past and
recent fishery management and policy
decisions for the species as well as best
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scientific information available.
Therefore, the Council recommended
and NMFS is proposing a single stock of
spiny dogfish in the FMP.
Petrale Sole (Eopsetta Jordani)
Petrale sole are distributed along the
northeastern Pacific coast from the Gulf
of Alaska to northern Baja California
and their abundance is predominantly
distributed by depth rather than
latitude, with known seasonal depth
migration patterns. Most petrale sole
harvest in the FMU come from
commercial bottom trawl gear, and
fisheries harvesting petrale sole exhibit
spatial and seasonal patterns.
Population structure along this species’
range is poorly understood, but there are
no known indications that the species
has distinct geospatial population
structure. At the recommendation of the
stock assessment review panel of 2006,
the species has been assessed as a single
geographic unit within the fishery
management unit since 2009, including
throughout the period where it was
managed under a rebuilding plan (2009–
2014). Similar to canary rockfish, the
harvest specifications to assess whether
the species is subject to overfishing have
been set at a coastwide level for over 30
years, including throughout the period
the species was managed under a
rebuilding plan. A large majority of the
coastwide harvestable surplus is
allocated to trawl fisheries, with the
allocation being decided every 2 years
through the biennial harvest
specifications and management
measures process. Defining petrale sole
as a stock at a coastwide scale is not
expected to trigger future allocative
actions, increase management burden
during the next biennial cycle compared
to 2023–24, or result in short-term or
long-term biological impacts if status is
determined at a coastwide scale. The
only alternative the Council considered
was a coastwide stock definition, as
only a single geographic delineation
clearly aligned well with past and
recent fishery management and policy
decisions for the species as well as best
scientific information available.
Therefore, the Council recommended
and NMFS is proposing to approve a
single stock of petrale sole in the FMP.
Quillback Rockfish (Sebastes Maliger)
Quillback rockfish are distributed in
the northeastern Pacific Ocean from
Southern California to the Gulf of
Alaska. Within the FMU, Quillback
rockfish are predominantly harvested in
recreational fisheries, but are also
harvested in nearshore commercial
fisheries to varying degrees along the
coast. While population structure
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remains poorly understood, there are
some indications that the species may
have distinct geospatial population
structure within the FMU. While there
has been limited genetic work on this
species, adults in multiple sites within
the species range show high site fidelity
with limited adult movement. There are
known, albeit limited, differences in
growth along the coast, and abundance
trends are also estimated to differ
regionally. Quillback rockfish have been
managed for many years at a less than
coastwide scale, and was assessed in
2021 using models at a less than
coastwide scale. The geographic
stratification of the assessment areas on
a state-specific scale is primarily driven
by differences in current and historical
harvest intensity, but also aligns with
the state-specific approaches to fishery
management of nearshore species and is
consistent with the best scientific
information available. Therefore, the
Council recommended and NMFS is
proposing to approve three state-specific
stocks of quillback rockfish in the FMP
(i.e., Quillback Rockfish—Washington,
Quillback Rockfish—Oregon, and
Quillback Rockfish—California).
Rex Sole (Glyptocephalus Zachirus)
Rex sole are distributed along the
northeastern Pacific coast from Alaska
to southern California. Rex sole are
commonly caught in trawl fisheries
within the FMU. While population
structure remains poorly understood,
there are no known indications that the
species has distinct geospatial
population structure. The species has
been assessed as a single geographic
unit within the FMU since its first
assessment in 2013. The OFLs for rex
sole contribute to the Other Flatfish
stock complex OFLs, which are
compared to mortality estimates of all
the species in the complex to assess
whether the stock complex is subject to
overfishing. Other Flatfish OFLs have
been set at a coastwide level since at
least 2005. The Other Flatfish complex,
including rex sole, is managed by the
Council at a coastwide scale and formal
or informal sharing agreements between
states or fishery sectors have been
unnecessary to date. Defining rex sole as
a stock at a coastwide scale is not
expected to trigger future allocative
actions, increase management burden
during the next biennial cycle compared
to 2023–24, or result in short-term or
long-term biological impacts if status is
determined at a coastwide scale. The
only alternative the Council considered
was a coastwide stock definition, as
only a single geographic delineation
clearly aligned well with past and
recent fishery management and policy
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decisions for the species as well as best
scientific information available.
Therefore, the Council recommended
and NMFS is proposing to approve a
single stock of rex sole in the FMP.
Sablefish (Anoplopoma Fimbria)
Sablefish are distributed along the
northern Pacific coast from the coast of
Japan, through the Bering Sea in Alaska,
and south to the southern tip of Baja
California. Sablefish is a highly attained
and important commercial fishery
component of both tribal and non-tribal
West Coast groundfish fisheries. While
population structure remains poorly
understood, there are few known
indications that the species has distinct
geospatial population structure within
the FMU. Research has indicated
geospatially distinctive growth rates and
different maximum sizes for this species
within the FMU, however recruitment
trends do not show the same geospatial
differentiation. Sablefish within the
FMU has been assessed as a single
geographic unit and for over 30 years
the harvest specifications to assess
whether sablefish is subject to
overfishing have been set at a coastwide
level. Sablefish are formally allocated in
the FMP and the Council manages
sablefish harvest at a less than
coastwide scale, reflective of the
geospatial differences in maximum size
and regional fishery characteristics. The
formal allocation is both geographic,
north and south of 36° N lat., and also
establishes sharing among user groups,
including two different individual
fishing quota fisheries and tribal
fisheries. Defining sablefish as a stock at
a coastwide scale is not expected to
trigger future allocative actions, increase
management burden during the next
biennial cycle compared to 2023–24, or
result in short-term or long-term
biological impacts if status is
determined at a coastwide scale. The
only alternative the Council considered
was a coastwide stock definition, as
only a single geographic delineation
clearly aligned well with past and
recent harvest specifications and policy
decisions for the species as well as best
scientific information available.
Therefore, the Council recommended
and NMFS is proposing to approve a
single stock of sablefish in the FMP.
This action does not change the
Council’s ability to set multiple ACLs
for sablefish and makes no changes to
the formal sablefish allocation structure
described in the FMP.
Shortspine Thornyhead (Sebastolobus
Alascanus)
Shortspine thornyhead are distributed
in the waters of the northeastern Pacific
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coast from the Bering Sea to Baja
California. Historically, shortspine
thornyhead were mostly harvested in
non-tribal fisheries with trawl gear, but
since the mid-1990s, harvest of
shortspine thornyhead with non-trawl
gears like longlines have steadily
increased. While population structure
remains poorly understood, there are no
known indications that the species has
distinct geospatial population structure
within the FMU. The species has been
assessed as a single, coastwide stock
throughout the FMU since 2005. For
over 20 years the overfishing limits,
which are compared to mortality
estimates to assess whether shortspine
thornyhead is subject to overfishing,
have been set for a single geographic
unit within the FMU. Shortspine
thornyhead are formally allocated in the
FMP and the Council manages
shortspine thornyhead at a less than
coastwide scale, reflective of the
differences in regional fishery
characteristics. The formal allocation is
both geographic, north and south of
34°27′ N lat., and also establishes
sharing among user groups, including
allocations to the trawl individual
fishing quota fishery. Defining
shortspine thornyhead as a single stock
at a coastwide scale is not expected to
trigger future allocative actions, increase
management burden during the next
biennial cycle compared to 2023–24, or
result in short-term or long-term
biological impacts if status is
determined at a coastwide scale. The
only alternative the Council considered
was a coastwide stock definition, as
only a single geographic delineation
clearly aligned well with past and
recent fishery management and policy
decisions for the species as well as best
scientific information available.
Therefore, the Council recommended
and NMFS is proposing to approve a
single stock of shortspine thornyhead in
the FMP. This action does not change
the Council’s ability to set multiple
ACLs for shortspine thornyhead and
makes no changes to the formal
shortspine thornyhead allocation
structure described in the FMP.
Squarespot Rockfish (Sebastes
Hopkinsi)
Squarespot rockfish are distributed
from southern Oregon to Mexico with
their highest densities in southern
California. Squarespot rockfish are not
typically targeted due to their small
size, but are caught in both commercial
and recreational fisheries off the coast of
California. While population structure
remains poorly understood, there are no
known indications that the species has
distinct geospatial population structure
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(e.g., that it is multiple stocks). The
species was assessed for the first time in
2021 as a single stock, using all
available data within the FMU. The
resulting 2021 assessment was only
informative of the portion of the
population off the coast of California.
The OFLs for squarespot rockfish
contribute to the Shelf Rockfish stock
complex OFLs, which are compared to
mortality estimates of all the species in
the complex combined to assess
whether the stock complex is subject to
overfishing. Shelf Rockfish overfishing
status has been assessed north and
south of 40°10′ N lat. (Cape Mendocino,
in northern California) for over 30 years.
However, squarespot rockfish
contributes extremely small biomass to
the complex harvest specifications north
of 40°10′ N lat. due to its relatively
sparse distribution and historically
minimal harvest in that region. The
Shelf Rockfish complex both north and
south of 40°10′ N lat. is managed by the
Council with allocative sharing
agreements between fishery sectors
decided every 2 years through the
harvest specifications and management
measures biennial process. Defining
squarespot rockfish as a single stock
within the FMU is not expected to
trigger future allocative actions, increase
management burden during the next
biennial cycle compared to 2023–24, or
result in short-term or long-term
negative biological impacts if status is
determined at a coastwide scale. A
single geographic delineation clearly
aligned well with past and recent
fishery management and policy
decisions for the species as well as best
scientific information available.
Therefore, the Council recommended
and NMFS is proposing to approve a
single stock of squarespot rockfish in
the FMP.
Vermilion Rockfish (Sebastes Miniatus)
Vermilion rockfish are distributed in
the waters of the northeastern Pacific
from Alaska to Baja California, with
highest abundance from central Oregon
south into Mexico. Vermilion rockfish
are harvested in all sectors of the
commercial and recreational fisheries
within the FMU. There are known
indications that the species has distinct
geospatial population structure,
including low-average larval dispersal
and high site fidelity in adults, which
has led to genetic differentiation within
the FMU. Vermilion rockfish throughout
the FMU were originally considered a
single species; however, in southern
California it is found as part of a pair of
cryptic species, vermilion rockfish and
sunset rockfish. For this reason, this
cryptic species pair are considered
together in the areas of the coast where
sunset rockfish is known to be more
prevalent.
In the areas of the coast where sunset
rockfish are not known to be present,
the Council recommended and NMFS is
proposing a single stock of vermilion
rockfish in the area of the FMU north of
42° N lat. due to a lack of scientific
evidence of distinct population
structure off the coasts of Washington
and Oregon. This geographic
delineation for vermilion rockfish
clearly aligned well with past and
recent fishery management and policy
decisions for the species as well as best
scientific information available.
Vermilion/Sunset Rockfish (Sebastes
Miniatus and Sebastes Crocotulus)
The primary biomass of sunset
rockfish appears to be in the Southern
California Bight, though their range does
extend somewhat north of Point
Conception, California to an unknown
extent. The two species lack
morphological distinctions and can only
be differentiated with genetic testing.
Therefore, they are treated in
assessments and fishery management as
a single cryptic species pair in the areas
of the coast with known sunset rockfish
presence. In the areas of the coast where
sunset rockfish are present and
contributing biomass to a vermilion/
sunset rockfish cryptic species pair in
the assessments and fisheries, the
Council recommended and NMFS is
proposing a single stock of vermilion/
sunset rockfish in the area of the FMU
south of 42° N lat. due to a lack of
scientific evidence of distinct
population structure off the coast of
California and the uncertainty in the
northern extent of the range of sunset
rockfish. A single geographic
delineation for vermilion/sunset
rockfish clearly aligned well with past
and recent fishery management and
policy decisions for the cryptic species
pair as well as best scientific
information available.
Summary
The Council recommended defining
20 stocks for 14 species within the over
80 managed groundfish species within
the FMU, as described in Table 1. The
Council also recognized the need for,
and is scheduled to begin in 2023, a
comprehensive effort to define all
remaining groundfish species in the
FMP.
TABLE 1—GROUNDFISH STOCKS WITHIN THE FISHERY MANAGEMENT UNIT (FMU) OF THE PACIFIC COAST GROUNDFISH
FMP AND THEIR BOUNDARIES, AS PROPOSED TO BE AMENDED THROUGH AMENDMENT 31
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Stock
Species scientific name
Elasmobranchs:
Pacific Spiny Dogfish ..............................................
Roundfish:
Lingcod North ..........................................................
Lingcod South .........................................................
Sablefish .................................................................
Rockfish:
Black Rockfish—Washington ..................................
Black Rockfish—Oregon .........................................
Black Rockfish—California ......................................
Canary Rockfish ......................................................
Copper Rockfish North ...........................................
Copper Rockfish South ...........................................
Quillback Rockfish–Washington .............................
Quillback Rockfish—Oregon ...................................
Quillback Rockfish—California ................................
Squarespot Rockfish ...............................................
Vermilion Rockfish ..................................................
Vermilion/Sunset Rockfish ......................................
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Squalus suckleyi ............................................................
Pacific West Coast FMU.
Ophiodon elongatus ......................................................
Ophiodon elongatus ......................................................
Anoplopoma fimbria ......................................................
North of 40°10′ N lat.
South of 40°10′ N lat.
Pacific West Coast FMU.
Sebastes melanops .......................................................
S. melanops ..................................................................
S. melanops ..................................................................
S. pinniger .....................................................................
S. caurinus ....................................................................
S. caurinus ....................................................................
S. maliger ......................................................................
S. maliger ......................................................................
S. maliger ......................................................................
S. hopkinsi .....................................................................
S. miniatus .....................................................................
S. miniatus/S. crocotulus ...............................................
North of 46°16′ N lat.
46°16′ N lat. to 42° N lat.
South of 42° N lat.
Pacific West Coast FMU.
North of 42° N lat.
South 42° N lat.
North of 46°16′ N lat.
46°16’ N lat. to 42° N lat.
South of 42° N lat.
Pacific West Coast FMU.
North of 42° N lat.
South 42° N lat.
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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 162 / Wednesday, August 23, 2023 / Proposed Rules
57405
TABLE 1—GROUNDFISH STOCKS WITHIN THE FISHERY MANAGEMENT UNIT (FMU) OF THE PACIFIC COAST GROUNDFISH
FMP AND THEIR BOUNDARIES, AS PROPOSED TO BE AMENDED THROUGH AMENDMENT 31—Continued
Stock
Species scientific name
Shortspine Thornyhead ...........................................
Flatfish:
Dover Sole ..............................................................
Petrale Sole ............................................................
Rex Sole .................................................................
Sebastolobus alascanus ...............................................
Pacific West Coast FMU.
Microstomus pacificus ...................................................
Eopsetta jordani ............................................................
Glyptocephalus zachirus ...............................................
Pacific West Coast FMU.
Pacific West Coast FMU.
Pacific West Coast FMU.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Stock boundaries
Dated: August 17, 2023.
Kelly Denit,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023–18089 Filed 8–22–23; 8:45 am]
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 162 (Wednesday, August 23, 2023)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 57400-57405]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-18089]
=======================================================================
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 660
[RTID 0648-XC971]
Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries Off West Coast States;
Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan; Amendment 31
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability of proposed fishery management plan
amendment; request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the Pacific Fishery Management Council has
submitted Amendment 31 to the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery
Management Plan to the Secretary of Commerce for review. If approved,
Amendment 31 would define stocks that are in need of conservation and
management, consistent with the provisions and guidelines of the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Amendment 31
would define stocks for 14 species within the fishery management unit.
These species were prioritized because they had stock assessments in
2021 or will have assessments in 2023. Amendment 31 is necessary for
NMFS to make stock status determinations, which in turn will help
prevent overfishing, rebuild overfished stocks, and achieve optimum
yield. Amendment 31 is administrative in nature and does not change
harvest levels or timing and location of fishing, nor does it revise
the goals and objectives or the management frameworks of the Pacific
Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan.
DATES: Comments on Amendment 31 must be received no later than October
22, 2023.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document, identified by
NOAA-NMFS-2023-0066, by the following method:
Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to https://www.regulations.gov and enter NOAA-NMFS-2023-0066 in the Search box.
Click the ``Comment'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or
attach your comments.
Instructions: Comments must be submitted by the above method to
ensure that the comments are received, documented, and considered by
NMFS. Comments sent by any other method, to any other address or
individual, or received after the end of the comment period, may not be
considered. All comments received are a part of the public record and
NMFS will post for public viewing on https://www.regulations.gov
without change. All personal identifying information (e.g., name,
address, etc.), confidential business information, or otherwise
sensitive information submitted voluntarily by the sender is publicly
accessible. NMFS will accept anonymous comments (enter ``N/A'' in the
required fields if you wish to remain anonymous).
Electronic Access
This rule is accessible via the internet at the Office of the
Federal Register website at https://www.federalregister.gov. Background
information and documents including an analysis for this action
(Analysis), which addresses the statutory requirements of the Magnuson
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act)
are available from the Pacific Fishery Management Council's website at
https://www.pcouncil.org.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gretchen Hanshew, Fishery Management
Specialist, at 206-526-6147 or [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS manages the groundfish fisheries in the
exclusive economic zone (EEZ) seaward of Washington, Oregon, and
California under the Pacific Coast Groundfish fishery management plan
(PCGFMP). The Council prepared and NMFS implemented the PCGFMP under
the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. and by
regulations at 50 CFR parts 600 and 660. The Magnuson-Stevens Act
requires that each regional fishery management council submit any
fishery management plan (FMP) or plan amendment it prepares to NMFS for
review and approval, disapproval, or partial approval by the Secretary
of Commerce. The Magnuson-Stevens Act also requires that NMFS, upon
receiving an FMP or amendment, immediately publish a notification that
the FMP or amendment is available for public review and comment. This
notice of availability announces that the proposed Amendment 31 to the
FMP is available for public review and comment. NMFS will consider the
public comments received during the comment period described above in
determining whether to approve, partially approve, or disapprove
Amendment 31 to the FMP.
Background
Amendment 31 would define stocks that are in need of conservation
and management. Amendment 31 would define stocks for 14 species within
the fishery management unit (FMU; the jurisdiction of the FMP from 3-
200 nautical miles offshore between the U.S. border with Canada and the
U.S. border with Mexico, which may also be referred to as
``coastwide'').
At its June 20-27, 2023 meeting in Vancouver, Washington, the
Council recommended stock definitions for 14 species of Pacific Coast
groundfish after NMFS was unable to make stock status determinations in
2021. NMFS was unable to make stock status determinations because the
``stocks'' for which the Council was expecting status determinations
did not exist in the FMP. Currently, the FMP has a list of 80+ species
to which it pertains, and does not describe whether each species is a
single stock within the fishery management unit or if it is multiple
(e.g., regional) stocks.
NMFS requested that the Council undertake Amendment 31 to define
stocks at its March 8-14, 2022 meeting in San Jose, California. NMFS
advised the Council that it should define the stocks for which stock
status determinations were changing in 2021 and 2023, and to add those
definitions to the FMP. In particular, NMFS was
[[Page 57401]]
seeking clarifications on whether species should have overfished (or
not overfished) and subject to overfishing (or not subject to
overfishing) status determinations on a scale that is less than
coastwide.
The Council prioritized a sub-set of species, because there are 80+
species managed by the FMP, be considered for stock identification in
Amendment 31. These species are black, canary, copper, quillback,
squarespot, vermilion, and vermilion/sunset rockfishes; Dover, petrale,
and rex soles; lingcod, Pacific spiny dogfish, sablefish, and
shortspine thornyhead. These species were prioritized because they were
subject to stock assessments in 2021 or are subject to stock
assessments in 2023, and were therefore the most likely candidates to
be the subject of NMFS' forthcoming status determinations, which are
often based on new assessments.
Early in the development of Amendment 31, the Council was advised
by the Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) that indications of
population structure within a species should be an indicator of whether
stock status should be determined at a finer scale than coastwide. The
Council evaluated a literature review of the best scientific and
biological information available for each species, which is appended to
the main analytical document (Analysis) developed for Amendment 31,
available on the Council website (see Electronic Access).
The Analysis considered alternative stock definitions for each
species where applicable, as some species only had one stock definition
alternative, as explained below. Generally, species with no known
population structure, based on the literature review, or with known
population structure based on genetic information, were considered
under a single stock definition alternative. The rest of the species
had known indicators of population structure but were lacking or had
conflicting genetic indicators of latitudinal variation and were
therefore considered under multiple stock definition alternatives. For
species with multiple alternatives, the Analysis assumed each
alternative stock definition was adopted, then applied the FMP's
harvest specifications framework to each stock to assess some of the
biological, socioeconomic, and fishery management trade-offs that might
be expected from implementation of future management actions based on
the alternative stock definitions. Impacts of these stock definitions
are expected to flow from future, subsequent action(s) to set harvest
specifications and management measures for the stock(s) but the
Analysis provided information for the Council to consider in making its
decision. The Council considered these tradeoffs when making its final
stock definition recommendations at its June 20-27, 2023 meeting. The
following narrative provides species-specific information, in
alphabetical order by common name, and rationale for the stock
definition for each species that would be implemented by Amendment 31.
Black Rockfish (Sebastes Melanops)
Black rockfish range from Southern California to the Aleutian
Islands in Alaska and occur most commonly north of San Francisco,
California. Black rockfish are an important target species in Pacific
Coast tribal fisheries off the coast of Washington State and in non-
tribal commercial and recreational fisheries predominantly north of San
Francisco, California. While overall population structure remains
poorly understood, there are some indications that the species may have
distinct geospatial population structure. Genetic work has indicated
three, or perhaps more, populations within the species' range, and
larval dispersal and adult movement are limited, to varying degrees,
along the coast. All black rockfish assessments (1999 through 2023)
have been assessed with multiple, area-specific, models within the FMU
due to management considerations and differences in exploitation
history. The Council has calculated harvest specifications and managed
black rockfish as three state-specific populations since 2017 and
defining three stocks of black rockfish is not expected to trigger
future allocative actions, increase management burden during the next
biennial cycle compared to 2023, or result in short-term or long-term
biological impacts if status is determined at a coastwide scale. This
geographic delineation clearly aligned well with past and recent
fishery management and policy decisions for the species as well as best
scientific information available. Therefore, the Council recommended
and NMFS is proposing to approve three stocks of black rockfish in the
FMP.
Canary Rockfish (Sebastes Pinniger)
Canary rockfish are distributed along the northeastern Pacific
coast, and the species is most abundant from British Columbia to
central California. Canary rockfish are mostly harvested in sectors of
the commercial and recreational non-tribal fisheries within the FMU.
While population structure remains poorly understood, there are no
known indications that the species has distinct geospatial population
structure. The species has been assessed as a single geographic unit
within the FMU since its first assessment in 1994, including throughout
the period where it was managed under a rebuilding plan (2001-2014).
The harvest specifications that are compared to mortality estimates to
assess whether the species is subject to overfishing (currently
overfishing limits [OFLs] and before 2005 called acceptable biological
catches, or ABCs), have been set at a coastwide level throughout the
period the species was managed under a rebuilding plan and in its
current rebuilt status (2015-present). The Council cooperatively
manages this species at a coastwide scale, with allocative sharing
agreements between states and fishery sectors decided every 2 years
through the harvest specifications and management measures biennial
process. Defining canary rockfish as a stock at a coastwide scale is
not expected to trigger future allocative actions, increase management
burden during the next biennial cycle compared to 2023, or result in
short-term or long-term biological impacts if status is determined at a
coastwide scale. The only alternative the Council considered was a
coastwide stock definition, as only a single geographic delineation
clearly aligned well with past and recent fishery management and policy
decisions for the species as well as best scientific information
available. Therefore, the Council recommended and NMFS is proposing to
approve a single stock of canary rockfish in the FMP.
Copper Rockfish (Sebastes Caurinus)
Copper rockfish are distributed from Mexico to Alaska. Within the
FMU, copper rockfish are predominantly harvested in recreational
fisheries, but are also harvested in nearshore commercial fisheries to
varying degrees along the coast. While population structure remains
poorly understood, there are some indications that the species may have
distinct geospatial population structure. Multiple studies have found
genetic differentiation within the species' distribution, likely due to
some level of isolation. Isolation could be a result of lack of larval
dispersal or adult movement, patchiness of their preferred rocky
habitat along parts of the coast, or other factors. Copper rockfish
have been managed for years at a less than coastwide scale, and was
assessed in 2021 and 2023 using models at a less than coastwide scale.
The geographic stratification of the assessment areas is primarily
driven by differences in current and historical
[[Page 57402]]
harvest intensity. There is no known scientific evidence that there is
distinct population structure for copper rockfish between the two
assessed areas of the coasts off of Washington and Oregon, or between
the two assessed areas off the coast of California. A two stock
delineation aligned with the Council's desire to keep the sub-division
of management of a species to a minimum, while retaining a geographic
delineation aligned with best scientific information available and
consistent with past management decisions to manage the species as
multiple units. Therefore, the Council recommended and NMFS is
proposing to approve two stocks of copper rockfish in the FMP, north
and south of 42[deg]00' N lat.
Dover Sole (Microstomus Pacificus)
Dover sole are distributed from the Bering Sea in Alaska to Baja
California and are harvested in the groundfish fishery throughout the
FMU, though mostly by the non-tribal bottom trawl fishery off Oregon
and Washington. The population structure of Dover sole is largely
unknown, though the limited information available does not indicate
distinct geospatial population structure. The harvest specifications
that are compared to mortality estimates to assess whether the species
is subject to overfishing have been set at a coastwide scale, for over
30 years. Dover sole's single, coastwide annual catch limit (ACL) is
formally allocated in the FMP between trawl and non-trawl fisheries.
Defining Dover sole as a stock at a coastwide scale is not expected to
trigger future allocative actions, increase management burden during
the next biennial cycle compared to 2023-24, or result in short-term or
long-term biological impacts if status is determined at a coastwide
scale. The only alternative the Council considered was a coastwide
stock definition, as only a single geographic delineation clearly
aligned well with past and recent fishery management and policy
decisions for the species as well as best scientific information
available. Therefore, the Council recommended and NMFS is proposing to
approve a single stock of Dover sole in the FMP.
Lingcod (Ophiodon Elongatus)
Lingcod are distributed along the eastern Pacific coast from Baja
California to the Gulf of Alaska. Lingcod are harvested in tribal
fisheries and all sectors of non-tribal commercial and recreational
fisheries. There are known indications that the species has distinct
geospatial population structure, including genetic studies and life
history characteristics such as differences in growth, longevity, and
size at maturity. Lingcod have been assessed and managed as northern
and southern geographic units since 2005. The Council manages this
species at a less than coastwide scale, with allocative sharing
agreements between states and fishery sectors decided every 2 years
through the harvest specifications and management measures biennial
process. Defining lingcod as a northern stock and a southern stock
within the FMU is not expected to trigger future allocative actions,
increase management burden during the next biennial cycle compared to
2023-24, or result in short-term or long-term biological impacts if
status is determined at that scale. The only alternative the Council
considered was a two-stock definition (lingcod north and lingcod
south), as only this geographic delineation clearly aligned well with
past and recent fishery management and policy decisions for the species
as well as best scientific information available. Therefore, the
Council recommended and NMFS is proposing two lingcod stocks in the
FMP.
Pacific Spiny Dogfish (Squalus Suckleyi)
Pacific spiny dogfish live from the Gulf of Alaska to Baja
California, with the highest abundance off the coast of British
Columbia and Washington State. There are known indications that the
portions of the stock within the FMU has interaction with and overlaps
with spiny dogfish observed off British Colombia. There are no known
indications of geospatial population structure within the FMU. Pacific
spiny dogfish have been assessed and managed as a coastwide population
since it was first assessed in 2011. The OFLs have been set at a
coastwide level since the species was removed from the Other Fish
complex in 2015; prior to 2015, the species' OFLs contributed to the
coastwide OFL for the Other Fish complex. Allocative sharing agreements
between states and fishery sectors for spiny dogfish have not been
necessary to date. Defining spiny dogfish as a stock at a coastwide
scale is not expected to trigger future allocative actions, increase
management burden during the next biennial cycle compared to 2023-24,
or result in short-term or long-term biological impacts if status is
determined at a coastwide scale. The only alternative the Council
considered was a coastwide stock definition, as only a single
geographic delineation clearly aligned well with past and recent
fishery management and policy decisions for the species as well as best
scientific information available. Therefore, the Council recommended
and NMFS is proposing a single stock of spiny dogfish in the FMP.
Petrale Sole (Eopsetta Jordani)
Petrale sole are distributed along the northeastern Pacific coast
from the Gulf of Alaska to northern Baja California and their abundance
is predominantly distributed by depth rather than latitude, with known
seasonal depth migration patterns. Most petrale sole harvest in the FMU
come from commercial bottom trawl gear, and fisheries harvesting
petrale sole exhibit spatial and seasonal patterns. Population
structure along this species' range is poorly understood, but there are
no known indications that the species has distinct geospatial
population structure. At the recommendation of the stock assessment
review panel of 2006, the species has been assessed as a single
geographic unit within the fishery management unit since 2009,
including throughout the period where it was managed under a rebuilding
plan (2009-2014). Similar to canary rockfish, the harvest
specifications to assess whether the species is subject to overfishing
have been set at a coastwide level for over 30 years, including
throughout the period the species was managed under a rebuilding plan.
A large majority of the coastwide harvestable surplus is allocated to
trawl fisheries, with the allocation being decided every 2 years
through the biennial harvest specifications and management measures
process. Defining petrale sole as a stock at a coastwide scale is not
expected to trigger future allocative actions, increase management
burden during the next biennial cycle compared to 2023-24, or result in
short-term or long-term biological impacts if status is determined at a
coastwide scale. The only alternative the Council considered was a
coastwide stock definition, as only a single geographic delineation
clearly aligned well with past and recent fishery management and policy
decisions for the species as well as best scientific information
available. Therefore, the Council recommended and NMFS is proposing to
approve a single stock of petrale sole in the FMP.
Quillback Rockfish (Sebastes Maliger)
Quillback rockfish are distributed in the northeastern Pacific
Ocean from Southern California to the Gulf of Alaska. Within the FMU,
Quillback rockfish are predominantly harvested in recreational
fisheries, but are also harvested in nearshore commercial fisheries to
varying degrees along the coast. While population structure
[[Page 57403]]
remains poorly understood, there are some indications that the species
may have distinct geospatial population structure within the FMU. While
there has been limited genetic work on this species, adults in multiple
sites within the species range show high site fidelity with limited
adult movement. There are known, albeit limited, differences in growth
along the coast, and abundance trends are also estimated to differ
regionally. Quillback rockfish have been managed for many years at a
less than coastwide scale, and was assessed in 2021 using models at a
less than coastwide scale. The geographic stratification of the
assessment areas on a state-specific scale is primarily driven by
differences in current and historical harvest intensity, but also
aligns with the state-specific approaches to fishery management of
nearshore species and is consistent with the best scientific
information available. Therefore, the Council recommended and NMFS is
proposing to approve three state-specific stocks of quillback rockfish
in the FMP (i.e., Quillback Rockfish--Washington, Quillback Rockfish--
Oregon, and Quillback Rockfish--California).
Rex Sole (Glyptocephalus Zachirus)
Rex sole are distributed along the northeastern Pacific coast from
Alaska to southern California. Rex sole are commonly caught in trawl
fisheries within the FMU. While population structure remains poorly
understood, there are no known indications that the species has
distinct geospatial population structure. The species has been assessed
as a single geographic unit within the FMU since its first assessment
in 2013. The OFLs for rex sole contribute to the Other Flatfish stock
complex OFLs, which are compared to mortality estimates of all the
species in the complex to assess whether the stock complex is subject
to overfishing. Other Flatfish OFLs have been set at a coastwide level
since at least 2005. The Other Flatfish complex, including rex sole, is
managed by the Council at a coastwide scale and formal or informal
sharing agreements between states or fishery sectors have been
unnecessary to date. Defining rex sole as a stock at a coastwide scale
is not expected to trigger future allocative actions, increase
management burden during the next biennial cycle compared to 2023-24,
or result in short-term or long-term biological impacts if status is
determined at a coastwide scale. The only alternative the Council
considered was a coastwide stock definition, as only a single
geographic delineation clearly aligned well with past and recent
fishery management and policy decisions for the species as well as best
scientific information available. Therefore, the Council recommended
and NMFS is proposing to approve a single stock of rex sole in the FMP.
Sablefish (Anoplopoma Fimbria)
Sablefish are distributed along the northern Pacific coast from the
coast of Japan, through the Bering Sea in Alaska, and south to the
southern tip of Baja California. Sablefish is a highly attained and
important commercial fishery component of both tribal and non-tribal
West Coast groundfish fisheries. While population structure remains
poorly understood, there are few known indications that the species has
distinct geospatial population structure within the FMU. Research has
indicated geospatially distinctive growth rates and different maximum
sizes for this species within the FMU, however recruitment trends do
not show the same geospatial differentiation. Sablefish within the FMU
has been assessed as a single geographic unit and for over 30 years the
harvest specifications to assess whether sablefish is subject to
overfishing have been set at a coastwide level. Sablefish are formally
allocated in the FMP and the Council manages sablefish harvest at a
less than coastwide scale, reflective of the geospatial differences in
maximum size and regional fishery characteristics. The formal
allocation is both geographic, north and south of 36[deg] N lat., and
also establishes sharing among user groups, including two different
individual fishing quota fisheries and tribal fisheries. Defining
sablefish as a stock at a coastwide scale is not expected to trigger
future allocative actions, increase management burden during the next
biennial cycle compared to 2023-24, or result in short-term or long-
term biological impacts if status is determined at a coastwide scale.
The only alternative the Council considered was a coastwide stock
definition, as only a single geographic delineation clearly aligned
well with past and recent harvest specifications and policy decisions
for the species as well as best scientific information available.
Therefore, the Council recommended and NMFS is proposing to approve a
single stock of sablefish in the FMP. This action does not change the
Council's ability to set multiple ACLs for sablefish and makes no
changes to the formal sablefish allocation structure described in the
FMP.
Shortspine Thornyhead (Sebastolobus Alascanus)
Shortspine thornyhead are distributed in the waters of the
northeastern Pacific coast from the Bering Sea to Baja California.
Historically, shortspine thornyhead were mostly harvested in non-tribal
fisheries with trawl gear, but since the mid-1990s, harvest of
shortspine thornyhead with non-trawl gears like longlines have steadily
increased. While population structure remains poorly understood, there
are no known indications that the species has distinct geospatial
population structure within the FMU. The species has been assessed as a
single, coastwide stock throughout the FMU since 2005. For over 20
years the overfishing limits, which are compared to mortality estimates
to assess whether shortspine thornyhead is subject to overfishing, have
been set for a single geographic unit within the FMU. Shortspine
thornyhead are formally allocated in the FMP and the Council manages
shortspine thornyhead at a less than coastwide scale, reflective of the
differences in regional fishery characteristics. The formal allocation
is both geographic, north and south of 34[deg]27' N lat., and also
establishes sharing among user groups, including allocations to the
trawl individual fishing quota fishery. Defining shortspine thornyhead
as a single stock at a coastwide scale is not expected to trigger
future allocative actions, increase management burden during the next
biennial cycle compared to 2023-24, or result in short-term or long-
term biological impacts if status is determined at a coastwide scale.
The only alternative the Council considered was a coastwide stock
definition, as only a single geographic delineation clearly aligned
well with past and recent fishery management and policy decisions for
the species as well as best scientific information available.
Therefore, the Council recommended and NMFS is proposing to approve a
single stock of shortspine thornyhead in the FMP. This action does not
change the Council's ability to set multiple ACLs for shortspine
thornyhead and makes no changes to the formal shortspine thornyhead
allocation structure described in the FMP.
Squarespot Rockfish (Sebastes Hopkinsi)
Squarespot rockfish are distributed from southern Oregon to Mexico
with their highest densities in southern California. Squarespot
rockfish are not typically targeted due to their small size, but are
caught in both commercial and recreational fisheries off the coast of
California. While population structure remains poorly understood, there
are no known indications that the species has distinct geospatial
population structure
[[Page 57404]]
(e.g., that it is multiple stocks). The species was assessed for the
first time in 2021 as a single stock, using all available data within
the FMU. The resulting 2021 assessment was only informative of the
portion of the population off the coast of California. The OFLs for
squarespot rockfish contribute to the Shelf Rockfish stock complex
OFLs, which are compared to mortality estimates of all the species in
the complex combined to assess whether the stock complex is subject to
overfishing. Shelf Rockfish overfishing status has been assessed north
and south of 40[deg]10' N lat. (Cape Mendocino, in northern California)
for over 30 years. However, squarespot rockfish contributes extremely
small biomass to the complex harvest specifications north of 40[deg]10'
N lat. due to its relatively sparse distribution and historically
minimal harvest in that region. The Shelf Rockfish complex both north
and south of 40[deg]10' N lat. is managed by the Council with
allocative sharing agreements between fishery sectors decided every 2
years through the harvest specifications and management measures
biennial process. Defining squarespot rockfish as a single stock within
the FMU is not expected to trigger future allocative actions, increase
management burden during the next biennial cycle compared to 2023-24,
or result in short-term or long-term negative biological impacts if
status is determined at a coastwide scale. A single geographic
delineation clearly aligned well with past and recent fishery
management and policy decisions for the species as well as best
scientific information available. Therefore, the Council recommended
and NMFS is proposing to approve a single stock of squarespot rockfish
in the FMP.
Vermilion Rockfish (Sebastes Miniatus)
Vermilion rockfish are distributed in the waters of the
northeastern Pacific from Alaska to Baja California, with highest
abundance from central Oregon south into Mexico. Vermilion rockfish are
harvested in all sectors of the commercial and recreational fisheries
within the FMU. There are known indications that the species has
distinct geospatial population structure, including low-average larval
dispersal and high site fidelity in adults, which has led to genetic
differentiation within the FMU. Vermilion rockfish throughout the FMU
were originally considered a single species; however, in southern
California it is found as part of a pair of cryptic species, vermilion
rockfish and sunset rockfish. For this reason, this cryptic species
pair are considered together in the areas of the coast where sunset
rockfish is known to be more prevalent.
In the areas of the coast where sunset rockfish are not known to be
present, the Council recommended and NMFS is proposing a single stock
of vermilion rockfish in the area of the FMU north of 42[deg] N lat.
due to a lack of scientific evidence of distinct population structure
off the coasts of Washington and Oregon. This geographic delineation
for vermilion rockfish clearly aligned well with past and recent
fishery management and policy decisions for the species as well as best
scientific information available.
Vermilion/Sunset Rockfish (Sebastes Miniatus and Sebastes Crocotulus)
The primary biomass of sunset rockfish appears to be in the
Southern California Bight, though their range does extend somewhat
north of Point Conception, California to an unknown extent. The two
species lack morphological distinctions and can only be differentiated
with genetic testing. Therefore, they are treated in assessments and
fishery management as a single cryptic species pair in the areas of the
coast with known sunset rockfish presence. In the areas of the coast
where sunset rockfish are present and contributing biomass to a
vermilion/sunset rockfish cryptic species pair in the assessments and
fisheries, the Council recommended and NMFS is proposing a single stock
of vermilion/sunset rockfish in the area of the FMU south of 42[deg] N
lat. due to a lack of scientific evidence of distinct population
structure off the coast of California and the uncertainty in the
northern extent of the range of sunset rockfish. A single geographic
delineation for vermilion/sunset rockfish clearly aligned well with
past and recent fishery management and policy decisions for the cryptic
species pair as well as best scientific information available.
Summary
The Council recommended defining 20 stocks for 14 species within
the over 80 managed groundfish species within the FMU, as described in
Table 1. The Council also recognized the need for, and is scheduled to
begin in 2023, a comprehensive effort to define all remaining
groundfish species in the FMP.
Table 1--Groundfish Stocks Within the Fishery Management Unit (FMU) of the Pacific Coast Groundfish FMP and
Their Boundaries, as Proposed To Be Amended Through Amendment 31
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stock Species scientific name Stock boundaries
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elasmobranchs:
Pacific Spiny Dogfish........... Squalus suckleyi............ Pacific West Coast FMU.
Roundfish:
Lingcod North................... Ophiodon elongatus.......... North of 40[deg]10' N lat.
Lingcod South................... Ophiodon elongatus.......... South of 40[deg]10' N lat.
Sablefish....................... Anoplopoma fimbria.......... Pacific West Coast FMU.
Rockfish:
Black Rockfish--Washington...... Sebastes melanops........... North of 46[deg]16' N lat.
Black Rockfish--Oregon.......... S. melanops................. 46[deg]16' N lat. to 42[deg] N lat.
Black Rockfish--California...... S. melanops................. South of 42[deg] N lat.
Canary Rockfish................. S. pinniger................. Pacific West Coast FMU.
Copper Rockfish North........... S. caurinus................. North of 42[deg] N lat.
Copper Rockfish South........... S. caurinus................. South 42[deg] N lat.
Quillback Rockfish-Washington... S. maliger.................. North of 46[deg]16' N lat.
Quillback Rockfish--Oregon...... S. maliger.................. 46[deg]16' N lat. to 42[deg] N lat.
Quillback Rockfish--California.. S. maliger.................. South of 42[deg] N lat.
Squarespot Rockfish............. S. hopkinsi................. Pacific West Coast FMU.
Vermilion Rockfish.............. S. miniatus................. North of 42[deg] N lat.
Vermilion/Sunset Rockfish....... S. miniatus/S. crocotulus... South 42[deg] N lat.
[[Page 57405]]
Shortspine Thornyhead........... Sebastolobus alascanus...... Pacific West Coast FMU.
Flatfish:
Dover Sole...................... Microstomus pacificus....... Pacific West Coast FMU.
Petrale Sole.................... Eopsetta jordani............ Pacific West Coast FMU.
Rex Sole........................ Glyptocephalus zachirus..... Pacific West Coast FMU.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: August 17, 2023.
Kelly Denit,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-18089 Filed 8-22-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
