Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Gulf of Alaska; Final 2024 and 2025 Harvest Specifications for Groundfish, 15484-15516 [2024-04516]
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 43 / Monday, March 4, 2024 / Rules and Regulations
Areas 1B and 2 open on January 1 and
Area 1A opens on June 1. The
adjustments in this action reduce catch
in Areas 1A and 1B and increase catch
in Area 2. Putting in place the adjusted
specifications as soon as possible will
provide the fleet with an opportunity to
develop their business plans in
sufficient time to avoid an overharvest
in Areas 1A and 1B and facilitate the
harvest of additional catch in Area 2.
This action is required by 50 CFR part
648, subpart K and is exempt from
review under Executive Order 12866.
This final rule does not contain a
collection-of-information requirement
for purposes of the Paperwork
Reduction Act.
Because prior notice and opportunity
for public comment are not required for
this rule by 5 U.S.C. 553, or any other
law, the analytical requirements of the
Regulatory Flexibility Act, 5 U.S.C. 601
et seq., are inapplicable.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: February 28, 2024.
Samuel D. Rauch III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for
Regulatory Programs, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024–04521 Filed 3–1–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 648
[Docket No. 231215–0305; RTID 0648–
XD770]
Fisheries of the Northeastern United
States; Summer Flounder Fishery;
Quota Transfer From Virginia to
Massachusetts
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Temporary rule; quota transfer.
AGENCY:
NMFS announces that the
Commonwealth of Virginia is
transferring a portion of its 2024
commercial summer flounder quota to
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
This adjustment to the 2024 fishing year
quota is necessary to comply with the
Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea
Bass Fishery Management Plan (FMP)
quota transfer provisions. This
announcement informs the public of the
revised 2024 commercial quotas for
Virginia and Massachusetts.
DATES: Effective March 1, 2024, through
December 31, 2024.
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SUMMARY:
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Laura Deighan, Fishery Management
Specialist, (978) 281–9184.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Regulations governing the summer
flounder fishery are found in 50 CFR
648.100 through 648.111. These
regulations require annual specification
of a commercial quota that is
apportioned among the coastal states
from Maine through North Carolina. The
process to set the annual commercial
quota and the percent allocated to each
state is described in § 648.102 and final
2024 allocations were published on
December 21, 2023 (88 FR 88266).
The final rule implementing
amendment 5 to the Summer Flounder
FMP, as published in the Federal
Register on December 17, 1993 (58 FR
65936), provided a mechanism for
transferring summer flounder
commercial quota from one state to
another. Two or more states, under
mutual agreement and with the
concurrence of the NMFS Greater
Atlantic Regional Administrator, can
transfer or combine summer flounder
commercial quota under § 648.102(c)(2).
The Regional Administrator is required
to consider three criteria in the
evaluation of requests for quota transfers
or combinations: (1) the transfers or
combinations would not preclude the
overall annual quota from being fully
harvested; (2) the transfers address an
unforeseen variation or contingency in
the fishery; and (3) the transfers are
consistent with the objectives of the
FMP and the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act
(Magnuson-Stevens Act). The Regional
Administrator has determined these
three criteria have been met for the
transfer approved in this notification.
Virginia is transferring 8,186 pounds
(lb; 3,713 kilograms (kg)) to
Massachusetts through a mutual
agreement between the States. This
transfer was requested to repay landings
made by an out-of-state permitted vessel
under a safe harbor agreement. The
revised summer flounder quotas for
2024 are: Virginia, 1,879,801 lb (852,663
kg); and Massachusetts, 607,693 lb
(275,645 kg).
Classification
NMFS issues this action pursuant to
section 305(d) of the Magnuson-Stevens
Act. This action is required by 50 CFR
648.102(c)(2)(i) through (iv), which was
issued pursuant to section 304(b), and is
exempted from review under Executive
Order 12866.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
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Dated: February 28, 2024.
Everett Wayne Baxter,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024–04524 Filed 3–1–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 679
[Docket No. 240227–0061; RTID 0648–
XD436]
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic
Zone Off Alaska; Gulf of Alaska; Final
2024 and 2025 Harvest Specifications
for Groundfish
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Final rule; harvest specifications
and closures.
AGENCY:
NMFS announces final 2024
and 2025 harvest specifications,
apportionments, and Pacific halibut
prohibited species catch limits for the
groundfish fishery of the Gulf of Alaska
(GOA). This action is necessary to
establish harvest limits for groundfish
during the remainder of the 2024 and
the start of the 2025 fishing years and
to accomplish the goals and objectives
of the Fishery Management Plan for
Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (FMP).
The 2024 harvest specifications
supersede those previously set in the
final 2023 and 2024 harvest
specifications, and the 2025 harvest
specifications will be superseded in
early 2025 when the final 2025 and
2026 harvest specifications are
published. The intended effect of this
action is to conserve and manage the
groundfish resources in the GOA in
accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management
Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act).
DATES: Harvest specifications and
closures are effective at 1200 hours,
Alaska local time (A.l.t.), March 4, 2024,
through 2400 hours, A.l.t., December 31,
2025.
ADDRESSES: Electronic copies of the
Final Alaska Groundfish Harvest
Specifications Environmental Impact
Statement (Final EIS), Record of
Decision (ROD), and the annual
Supplementary Information Reports
(SIRs) to the EIS prepared for this action
are available from https://
www.regulations.gov. The 2023 Stock
Assessment and Fishery Evaluation
SUMMARY:
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 43 / Monday, March 4, 2024 / Rules and Regulations
(SAFE) report for the groundfish
resources of the GOA, dated November
2023, and SAFE reports for previous
years are available from the North
Pacific Fishery Management Council
(Council) at 1007 West Third Avenue,
Suite 400, Anchorage, AK 99501, phone
907–271–2809, or from the North Pacific
Groundfish SAFE Report web page at
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/alaska/
population-assessments/north-pacificgroundfish-stock-assessments-andfishery-evaluation.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Abby Jahn, 907–586–7416.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS
manages the GOA groundfish fisheries
in the exclusive economic zone of the
GOA under the FMP. The Council
prepared the FMP under the authority of
the Magnuson-Stevens Act (16 U.S.C.
1801 et seq.). Regulations governing
U.S. fisheries and implementing the
FMP appear at 50 CFR parts 600, 679,
and 680.
The FMP and its implementing
regulations require that NMFS, after
consultation with the Council, specify
the total allowable catch (TAC) for each
target species, the sum of which must be
within the optimum yield (OY) range of
116,000 to 800,000 metric tons (mt)
(§ 679.20(a)(1)(i)(B) and § 679.20(a)(2)).
Section 679.20(c)(1) further requires that
NMFS publish and solicit public
comment on proposed annual TACs and
apportionments thereof, Pacific halibut
prohibited species catch (PSC) limits,
and seasonal allowances of pollock and
Pacific cod. Upon consideration of those
public comments, NMFS must publish a
notification of final harvest
specifications for up to 2 fishing years
as annual TACs and apportionments,
Pacific halibut PSC limits, and seasonal
allowances of pollock and Pacific cod,
per § 679.20(c)(3)(ii). The final harvest
specifications set forth in tables 1
through 27 of this rule reflect the
outcome of this process, as required at
§ 679.20(c).
The proposed 2024 and 2025 harvest
specifications for groundfish of the GOA
and Pacific halibut PSC limits were
published in the Federal Register on
December 7, 2023 (88 FR 85184).
Comments were invited and accepted
through January 8, 2024. NMFS received
2 letters raising 7 distinct comments
during the public comment period for
the proposed GOA groundfish harvest
specifications. In December 2023, NMFS
consulted with the Council regarding
the 2024 and 2025 harvest
specifications. After considering public
comment at public meetings and
submitted for the proposed rule (88 FR
85184), as well as current biological,
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ecosystem, and socioeconomic data,
NMFS is implementing the final 2024
and 2025 harvest specifications, as
recommended by the Council. For 2024,
the sum of the TAC amounts is 520,020
mt. For 2025, the sum of the TAC
amounts is 483,700 mt.
Other Actions Affecting the 2024 and
2025 Harvest Specifications
Amendment 122 to the Bering Sea and
Aleutian Islands FMP: Pacific Cod
Trawl Cooperative Program
NMFS published a final rule
implementing Amendment 122 to the
Fishery Management Plan for
Groundfish of the Bering Sea and
Aleutian Islands (BSAI) Management
Area (BSAI FMP) (88 FR 53704, August
8, 2023), establishing the Pacific Cod
Trawl Cooperative Program (PCTC
Program) to allocate BSAI Pacific cod
quota share to qualifying groundfish
License Limitation Program (LLP)
license holders and qualifying
processors. The PCTC Program is a
limited access privilege program for the
harvest of Pacific cod in the BSAI trawl
catcher vessel (CV) sector.
The PCTC Program modifies existing
GOA sideboard limits and associated
GOA halibut PSC limits for non-exempt
American Fisheries Act (AFA) CVs and
LLP license holders and closes directed
fishing where the revised sideboard
limits are too small to support a directed
fishery. All GOA non-exempt AFA CVs
and associated AFA LLP licenses are
sideboarded in aggregate for all GOA
groundfish fishing activity and for GOA
halibut PSC based on their GOA catch
history during the qualifying years 2009
through 2019, except when participating
in the Central Gulf of Alaska (Central
GOA) Rockfish Program. In addition, the
ratio used to apportion GOA halibut
PSC limits is modified, and the five
seasonal apportionments based on that
sideboard ratio is reduced to a single
aggregate annual amount. Amendment
122 also closes directed fishing to all
GOA non-exempt AFA CVs and LLP
licenses for the following species
categories: Southeast Outside (SEO)
District of the Eastern GOA pollock,
Western GOA shallow-water flatfish,
Central and Eastern GOA deep-water
flatfish, Central GOA dusky rockfish,
and Eastern GOA and Central GOA
Pacific ocean perch. NMFS will no
longer publish AFA Program sideboard
limits for these specific species or
species groups in the Federal Register
as part of the annual groundfish harvest
specifications, and instead table 56 to 50
CFR part 679 lists that directed fishing
for these species is prohibited to nonexempt AFA CVs. Amendment 122 and
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its implementing regulations affect the
calculation and establishment of the
groundfish sideboard limits and halibut
PSC limits discussed below under the
sections ‘‘American Fisheries Act (AFA)
Catcher/Processor and Catcher Vessel
Groundfish Harvest Limits’’ and ‘‘NonExempt AFA Catcher Vessel Halibut
PSC Limits.’’
Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) and
TAC Specifications
In December 2023, the Council’s
Scientific and Statistical Committee
(SSC), its Advisory Panel (AP), and the
Council reviewed the most recent
biological, ecosystem, socioeconomic,
and harvest information about the
condition of the GOA groundfish stocks.
The Council’s GOA Groundfish Plan
Team (Plan Team) compiled and
presented this information in the 2023
SAFE report for the GOA groundfish
fisheries, dated November 2023 (see
ADDRESSES). The SAFE report contains a
review of the latest scientific analyses
and estimates of each species’ biomass
and other biological parameters, as well
as summaries of the available
information on the GOA ecosystem by
including risk tables and information
from the GOA Ecosystem Status Report
(ESR).
The ESRs compile and summarize
information about the status of the
Alaska marine ecosystems for the Plan
Team, SSC, AP, Council, NMFS, and the
public, and they are updated annually.
These ESRs include ecosystem report
cards, ecosystem assessments, and
ecosystem status indicators (i.e., climate
indices, sea surface temperature), which
together provide context for ecosystembased fisheries management in Alaska.
The ESRs inform stock assessments and
are integrated in the annual harvest
recommendations through inclusion in
stock assessment-specific risk tables.
The ESRs provide context for the SSC’s
recommendations for OFLs and ABCs,
as well as for the Council’s TAC
recommendations. The SAFE reports
and the ESRs are presented to the Plan
Team and at the October and December
Council meetings before the SSC, AP,
and Council make groundfish harvest
recommendations and aid NMFS in
implementing these annual groundfish
harvest specifications.
The SAFE report also includes
information on the economic condition
of the groundfish fisheries off Alaska
through the Economic Status Report.
The SAFE report provides information
to the Council and NMFS for
recommending and setting, respectively,
annual harvest levels for each stock,
documenting significant trends or
changes in the resource, marine
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ecosystems, and fisheries over time, and
assessing the relative success of existing
Federal fishery management programs.
From these data and analyses, the Plan
Team recommends, and the SSC sets, an
overfishing level (OFL) and ABC for
each species and species group. The
2023 SAFE report was made available
for public review during the public
comment period for the proposed
harvest specifications.
In previous years, the greatest changes
from the proposed to the final harvest
specifications were based on recent
NMFS stock surveys, which provide
updated estimates of stock biomass and
spatial distribution, and changes to the
models used for producing stock
assessments. At the November 2023
Plan Team meeting, NMFS scientists
presented updated and new survey
results, changes to stock assessment
models, and accompanying stock
assessment estimates for groundfish
species and species groups that are
included in the 2023 SAFE report per
the stock assessment schedule found in
the 2023 SAFE report introduction. The
SSC reviewed this information at the
December 2023 Council meeting.
Changes from the proposed to the final
2024 and 2025 harvest specifications are
discussed below.
The final 2024 and 2025 OFLs and
ABCs are based on the best scientific
information available, including
projected biomass trends, information
on assumed distribution of stock
biomass, and revised methods used to
calculate stock biomass, and the final
2024 and 2025 TACs are based on the
best scientific and socioeconomic
information available. The FMP
specifies the formulas, or tiers, to be
used to compute OFLs and ABCs. The
formulas applicable to a particular stock
or stock complex are determined by the
level of reliable information available to
fisheries scientists. This information is
categorized into a successive series of
six tiers to define OFL and ABC
amounts, with Tier 1 representing the
highest level of information quality
available and Tier 6 representing the
lowest level of information quality
available. The Plan Team used the FMP
tier structure to calculate OFL and ABC
amounts for each groundfish species.
The SSC adopted the final 2024 and
2025 OFLs and ABCs recommended by
the Plan Team, with the exception of the
ABC for pollock in the combined
Western and Central Regulatory Areas
and the West Yakutat District of the
Eastern Regulatory Area (the W/C/
WYK), and the ABC apportionments by
area for shortraker rockfish and other
rockfish.
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For pollock, the SSC did not accept
the GOA Plan Team’s recommended
ABC because of concerns about
discrepancies between model predicted
and survey trends. Instead, the SSC
recommended a reduction from max
ABC for 2024.
For shortraker rockfish sub-area
apportionments of ABC, the Plan Team
deliberated on the author’s
recommended model change because
the new apportionment method of using
both trawl and longline indices may
constrain fisheries within the Central
GOA. The Plan Team recommended
accepting the new apportionment
method but applying a stair-step
between the methods to alleviate
concerns highlighted by the public
during the meeting. The SSC received
public testimony that also highlighted
allocation limitations. Public testimony
asserted that there is a high probability
that the reduction in a Central GOA subarea apportionment of ABC could result
in fishery closure. Sub-area
apportionments of ABCs may be a
constraint when species are allocated to
catch share programs or sectors through
regulation. As there is no current
conservation concern for shortraker
rockfish, the SSC recommended the
status quo apportionment method. The
SSC acknowledges that this differs from
the author and Plan Team
recommendation for this stock as well
as the SSC recommendation for GOA
rougheye and blackspotted rockfish,
which uses both trawl and longline
indices for apportionment.
For other rockfish sub-area
apportionments of ABC, the Plan Team
recommended that the W/C and WYK
sub-area ABCs be combined for 2025.
The Plan Team rationale for this
recommendation is that these non-target
species are poorly sampled by the trawl
survey, there are no major changes in
fishing behavior, good species-specific
catch data is available, and most of the
biomass is in the Southeast Outside
(SEO) District of the Eastern Regulatory
Area where trawling is prohibited.
Further, recent analyses suggest there is
little to no genetic structure in rockfish
in general, and evidence of local
depletion has not been observed. The
Plan Team recommended that the
Council engage in the Spatial
Management Policy for this stock. After
discussing this recommendation and
considering related public testimony,
the SSC agreed with the Plan Team
recommendation for 2024. This change
will align with the ABC apportionment
for GOA Demersal Shelf Rockfish (DSR)
when they are moved to a separate
assessment for the 2025 fishery.
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For Pacific ocean perch, the Plan
Team recommended specifying a GOAwide OFL for consistency with stock
definition and stock status
determination criteria. The SSC agreed
with the Plan Team’s recommendation.
The Council adopted the SSC’s OFLs
and ABCs and the AP’s TAC
recommendations. The final TAC
recommendations are based on the
ABCs and are adjusted for other
biological and socioeconomic
considerations, including maintaining
the sum of all TACs within the required
OY range of 116,000 to 800,000 mt.
The Council recommended 2024 and
2025 TACs that are equal to ABCs for
pollock in the SEO District, sablefish,
shallow-water flatfish in the Central
GOA and WYK and SEO Districts, deepwater flatfish, rex sole, arrowtooth
flounder in the Central GOA and WYK
District, flathead sole in the Central
GOA and WYK and SEO Districts,
Pacific ocean perch; northern rockfish,
shortraker rockfish, dusky rockfish,
rougheye and blackspotted rockfish,
demersal shelf rockfish, thornyhead
rockfish, other rockfish in the W/C/
WYK, Atka mackerel, big skate,
longnose skate, other skates, sharks, and
octopuses in the GOA. The Council
recommended TACs for 2024 and 2025
that are less than the ABCs for pollock,
Pacific cod, shallow-water flatfish in the
Western Regulatory Area (Western
GOA), arrowtooth flounder in the
Western GOA and SEO District, flathead
sole in the Western GOA, and other
rockfish in the SEO District. For subarea apportionments of ABCs, refer to
tables 1 and 2.
The combined W/C/WYK pollock
TAC and the GOA Pacific cod TACs are
set to accommodate the State of Alaska’s
(State’s) guideline harvest levels (GHLs)
so that the ABCs for pollock and Pacific
cod are not exceeded. The Western GOA
shallow-water flatfish, Western GOA
arrowtooth flounder, and Western GOA
flathead sole TACs are set to allow for
increased harvest opportunities for
these target species while conserving
the halibut PSC limit for use in other,
more fully utilized fisheries. Similarly,
the SEO District arrowtooth flounder
TAC is set lower than ABC to conserve
halibut PSC limit for use in other
fisheries or because there is limited
commercial interest and participation in
this fishery. The other rockfish TAC in
the SEO District is set to reduce the
amount of discards of the species in that
complex.
The final 2024 and 2025 harvest
specifications approved by the Secretary
of Commerce are unchanged from those
recommended by the Council and are
consistent with the preferred harvest
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strategy alternative outlined in the FMP,
as well as the Final EIS and ROD,
because they were set through the
harvest specifications process, none of
the TACs exceed the recommended
ABCs, and the sum of all TACs is within
the OY range (see ADDRESSES).
NMFS finds that the Council’s
recommended OFLs, ABCs, and TACs
are consistent with the biological
condition of the groundfish stocks as
described in the final 2023 SAFE report,
while also accounting for ecosystem and
socioeconomic information presented in
the 2023 SAFE report (which includes
the GOA ESR). NMFS also finds that the
Council’s recommendations for TACs
are consistent with the biological
condition of groundfish stocks as
adjusted for other biological and
socioeconomic considerations,
including maintaining the sum of all
TACs within the OY range. NMFS
reviewed the Council’s recommended
TACs and apportionments, and NMFS
approves these harvest specifications
under § 679.20(c)(3)(ii). The
apportionment of TAC amounts among
gear types and sectors, processing
sectors, and seasons is discussed below.
Tables 1 and 2 list the final 2024 and
2025 OFLs, ABCs, TACs, and area
apportionments of groundfish in the
GOA. The 2024 harvest specifications
set in this final action supersede the
2024 harvest specifications previously
set in the final 2023 and 2024 harvest
specifications (88 FR 13238, March 2,
2023). The 2025 harvest specifications
will be superseded in early 2025 when
the final 2025 and 2026 harvest
specifications are published. Pursuant
to this final action, the 2024 harvest
specifications therefore will apply for
the remainder of the current year (2024),
while the 2025 harvest specifications
are projected only for the following year
and will be superseded in early 2025 by
the final 2025 and 2026 harvest
specifications. Because this final action
will be superseded in early 2025 by the
publication of the final 2025 and 2026
harvest specifications, it is projected
that this final action will implement the
harvest specifications for the GOA for
approximately 1 year.
Specification and Apportionment of
TAC Amounts
NMFS’s apportionment of groundfish
species are based on the distribution of
biomass among the regulatory areas over
which NMFS manages the species.
Additional regulations that govern the
apportionment of pollock, Pacific cod,
and sablefish and are described below.
The ABC for the pollock stock in the
combined W/C/WYK includes the
amount for the GHL established by the
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State for the Prince William Sound
(PWS) pollock fishery. The Plan Team,
SSC, AP, and Council have
recommended that the sum of all State
waters and Federal waters pollock
removals from the GOA not exceed ABC
recommendations. For 2024 and 2025,
the SSC recommended and the Council
approved the W/C/WYK pollock ABC,
including the amount to account for the
State’s PWS GHL. At the November
2023 Plan Team meeting, State fisheries
managers recommended setting the
PWS pollock GHL at 2.5 percent of the
annual W/C/WYK pollock ABC. For
2024, this yields a PWS pollock GHL of
4,769 mt, an increase of 18 percent from
the 2023 PWS pollock GHL of 4,027 mt.
For 2025, the PWS pollock GHL is 3,942
mt, a decrease of 17 percent from the
2024 PWS pollock GHL of 4,769 mt.
After the GHL reductions, the 2024 and
2025 pollock ABCs for the combined W/
C/WYK areas are then apportioned
between four statistical areas (Areas
610, 620, 630, and 640) as both ABCs
and TACs, as described below and
detailed in tables 1 and 2. The ABCs
and TACs for the four statistical areas,
plus the State PWS GHL, do not exceed
the combined W/C/WYK ABC.
Apportionments of pollock to the W/
C/WYK areas are considered to be
‘‘apportionments of annual catch limits
(ACLs)’’ rather than ‘‘ABCs.’’ This more
accurately reflects that such
apportionments address management,
rather than biological or conservation,
concerns. In addition, apportionments
of the ACL in this manner allow NMFS
to balance any transfer of TAC among
Areas 610, 620, and 630 pursuant to
§ 679.20(a)(5)(iv)(B) to ensure that the
combined apportionments of ACL and
ABC for the W/C/WYK, as well as the
W/C/WYK TAC, are not exceeded.
NMFS establishes pollock TACs in
the Western (Area 610) and Central
(Areas 620 and 630) Regulatory Areas
and the West Yakutat (Area 640) and the
SEO (Area 650) Districts of the GOA (see
tables 1 and 2). NMFS also establishes
seasonal apportionments of the annual
pollock TACs in the Western and
Central Regulatory Areas of the GOA
among Statistical Areas 610, 620, and
630. Additional detail on area
apportionments and seasonal
allowances is provided in the
Apportionments of Pollock TAC Among
Seasons and Regulatory Areas, and
Allocations for Processing by Inshore
and Offshore Components section of
this rule; tables 3 and 4 list these
amounts.
The 2024 and 2025 Pacific cod TACs
are set to accommodate the State’s GHLs
for Pacific cod in State waters in the
Western and Central Regulatory Areas,
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15487
as well as in PWS (in the Eastern
Regulatory Area). The Plan Team, SSC,
AP, and Council recommended that the
sum of all State waters and Federal
waters Pacific cod removals from the
GOA not exceed ABC recommendations.
The Council recommended setting the
2024 and 2025 Pacific cod TACs in the
Western, Central, and Eastern
Regulatory Areas to account for State
GHLs. Therefore, the 2024 Pacific cod
TACs are less than the ABCs by the
following amounts: (1) Western GOA,
2,624 mt; (2) Central GOA, 5,148 mt;
and (3) Eastern GOA, 734 mt. The 2025
Pacific cod TACs are less than the ABCs
by the following amounts: (1) Western
GOA, 2,291 mt; (2) Central GOA, 4,495
mt; and (3) Eastern GOA, 641 mt. These
amounts reflect the State’s 2024 and
2025 GHLs in these areas, which are 30
percent of the Western GOA ABC and
25 percent of the Eastern and Central
GOA ABCs.
The Western and Central GOA Pacific
cod TACs are allocated among various
gear and operational sectors. NMFS also
establishes seasonal apportionments of
the annual Pacific cod TACs in the
Western and Central Regulatory Areas.
The Pacific cod sector and seasonal
apportionments are discussed in detail
in the Annual and Seasonal
Apportionments of Pacific Cod TAC
section and in tables 5 and 6 of this rule.
The Council’s recommendation for
sablefish area apportionments takes into
account the prohibition on the use of
trawl gear in the SEO District of the
Eastern Regulatory Area (§ 679.7(b)(1))
and makes available 5 percent of the
combined Eastern Regulatory Area
TACs to vessels using trawl gear for use
as incidental catch in other trawl
groundfish fisheries in the WYK District
(§ 679.20(a)(4)(i)). Tables 7 and 8 list the
final 2024 and 2025 allocations of
sablefish TAC to fixed gear and trawl
gear in the GOA.
Changes From the Proposed 2024 and
2025 Harvest Specifications in the GOA
In October 2023, the Council’s
recommendations for the proposed 2024
and 2025 harvest specifications (88 FR
85184, December 7, 2023) were based
largely on information contained in the
final 2022 SAFE report for the GOA
groundfish fisheries, dated November
2022. The final 2022 SAFE report for the
GOA is available from the Council (see
ADDRESSES). The Council proposed that
the final OFLs, ABCs, and TACs
established for the 2024 groundfish
fisheries (88 FR 13238, March 2, 2023)
be used for the proposed 2024 and 2025
harvest specifications (88 FR 85184,
December 7, 2023) pending completion
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and review of the 2023 SAFE report at
the Council’s December 2023 meeting.
As described previously, the SSC
recommended the final 2024 and 2025
OFLs and ABCs as recommended by the
Plan Team, with the exception of the
2024 pollock ABC and the shortraker
rockfish and other rockfish ABC
apportionments by subareas. The
Council adopted as its
recommendations the SSC’s OFL and
ABC recommendations and the AP’s
TAC recommendations for 2024 and
2025.
The final 2024 TACs are higher than
the proposed 2024 TACs published in
the proposed 2024 and 2025 harvest
specifications (88 FR 85184, December
7, 2023) for pollock, Pacific cod,
sablefish, shallow-water flatfish, deepwater flatfish, rex sole, arrowtooth
flounder, flathead sole, Pacific ocean
perch, northern rockfish, dusky
rockfish, rougheye and blackspotted
rockfish, other rockfish, and Atka
mackerel. The final 2024 TACs are
lower than the proposed 2024 TACs for
shortraker rockfish, big skate, longnose
skate, and other skates.
The final 2025 TACs are higher than
the proposed 2025 GOA TACs for
Pacific cod, sablefish, shallow-water
flatfish, deep-water flatfish, rex sole,
arrowtooth flounder, flathead sole,
Pacific ocean perch, rougheye and
blackspotted rockfish, other rockfish,
and Atka mackerel. The final 2025 TACs
are lower than the proposed 2025 TACs
for pollock, northern rockfish,
shortraker rockfish, dusky rockfish, big
skates, longnose skates, and other
skates. For the remaining target species
(i.e., demersal shelf rockfish,
thornyhead rockfish, sharks, and
octopus), the Council recommended the
final 2024 and 2025 TACs that are the
same as the proposed 2024 and 2025
TACs.
Additional information explaining the
changes between the proposed and final
ABCs is included in the final 2023
SAFE report, which was not completed
and available when the Council made
its proposed ABC and TAC
recommendations in October 2023. At
that time, the most recent stock
assessment information was contained
in the final 2022 SAFE report. For the
final specifications, the final 2023 SAFE
report contains the best and most recent
scientific information on the condition
of the groundfish stocks, harvest
information, and ecosystem and
socioeconomic information, as
previously discussed in this preamble,
and is available for review (see
ADDRESSES). The Council considered the
2023 SAFE report in December 2023
when it made recommendations for the
final 2024 and 2025 harvest
specifications. In the GOA, the total
final 2024 TAC amount is 520,020 mt,
an increase of 9.1 percent from the total
proposed 2024 TAC amount of 476,537
mt. The total final 2025 TAC amount is
483,700 mt, an increase of 1.5 percent
from the total proposed 2025 TAC
amount of 476,537 mt. Table 1a
summarizes the difference between the
proposed and final TACs.
Annual stock assessments incorporate
a variety of new or revised inputs, such
as survey data or catch information, as
well as changes to the statistical models
used to estimate a species’ biomass and
population trend. Changes to biomass
and ABC estimates are primarily based
on fishery catch updates to species’
assessment models.
The changes for individual species or
species groups from the proposed 2024
TACs to the final 2024 TACs are within
a range of plus 57 percent or minus 32
percent, and the changes from the
proposed 2025 TACs to the final 2025
TACs are within a range of plus 57
percent or minus 32 percent. Differences
in TACs are based on changes in the
estimates of overall biomass in the stock
assessment for 2024 and 2025, as
compared to the estimates previously
made for 2023 and 2024. For 2024, the
species or species group with TAC
increases greater than 10 percent are
pollock, Pacific cod, deep-water flatfish,
rougheye and blackspotted rockfish, and
Atka mackerel. For 2025, the species or
species group with TAC increases
greater than ten percent are Pacific cod,
deep-water flatfish, rougheye and
blackspotted rockfish, and Atka
mackerel. Based on changes in the
estimates of biomass, the species group
with TAC percentage decreases greater
than ten percent are other skates for
2024 and 2025. For all other species and
species groups, changes from the
proposed 2024 and 2025 TACs to the
final 2024 and 2025 TACs are a 10
percent or less change (either increase
or decrease). These TAC changes
correspond to associated changes in the
OFLs and ABCs, as recommended by
the SSC, AP, and Council.
Detailed information providing the
basis for the changes described above
are contained in the final 2023 SAFE
report. The final TACs are based on the
best scientific information available,
including biological and socioeconomic
information. These TACs are specified
in compliance with the harvest strategy
from the FMP and Final EIS and as
described in the proposed and final
rules for the 2024 and 2025 harvest
specifications.
TABLE 1a—COMPARISON OF PROPOSED AND FINAL 2024 AND 2025 GOA TOTAL ALLOWABLE CATCH LIMITS
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton and percentage]
2024 and 2025
proposed TAC
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with RULES
Species
Pollock ................................................
Pacific cod ..........................................
Sablefish ............................................
Shallow-water flatfish .........................
Deep-water flatfish .............................
Rex sole .............................................
Arrowtooth flounder ............................
Flathead sole .....................................
Pacific ocean perch ...........................
Northern rockfish ................................
Shortraker rockfish .............................
Dusky rockfish ....................................
Rougheye/blackspotted rockfish ........
Demersal shelf rockfish .....................
Thornyhead rockfish ..........................
Other rockfish .....................................
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2024
Final TAC
168,416
16,668
21,095
45,425
5,719
21,097
93,389
35,839
36,196
4,741
705
7,520
772
283
1,628
1,610
PO 00000
Frm 00058
195,720
23,766
22,596
45,478
7,062
21,364
94,141
35,880
39,719
4,815
647
7,624
1,037
283
1,628
1,653
Fmt 4700
2024 Final
minus 2024
proposed
TAC
Percentage
difference
27,304
7,098
1,501
53
1,343
267
752
41
3,523
74
¥58
104
265
0
0
43
16
43
7
0
23
1
1
0
10
2
¥8
1
34
0
0
3
Sfmt 4700
2025
Final TAC
E:\FR\FM\04MRR1.SGM
168,416
16,668
21,095
45,425
5,719
21,097
93,389
35,839
36,196
4,741
705
7,520
772
283
1,628
1,610
04MRR1
2025 Final
minus 2025
proposed
TAC
Percentage
difference
¥4,922
4,089
1,600
666
1,234
206
547
548
2,158
¥95
¥58
¥295
269
0
0
43
¥3
25
8
1
22
1
1
2
6
¥2
¥8
¥4
35
0
0
3
15489
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TABLE 1a—COMPARISON OF PROPOSED AND FINAL 2024 AND 2025 GOA TOTAL ALLOWABLE CATCH LIMITS—Continued
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton and percentage]
2024 and 2025
proposed TAC
Species
2024
Final TAC
2024 Final
minus 2024
proposed
TAC
Percentage
difference
2025
Final TAC
2025 Final
minus 2025
proposed
TAC
Percentage
difference
Atka mackerel ....................................
Big skate ............................................
Longnose skate ..................................
Other skates .......................................
Sharks ................................................
Octopuses ..........................................
3,000
2,867
2,712
984
4,891
980
4,700
2,835
2,536
665
4,891
980
1,700
¥32
¥176
¥319
0
0
57
¥1
¥6
¥32
0
0
3,000
2,867
2,712
984
4,891
980
1,700
¥32
¥176
¥319
0
0
57
¥1
¥6
¥32
0
0
Total ............................................
476,537
520,020
43,483
9.1
483,700
7,163
1.5
The final 2024 and 2025 TAC
amounts for the GOA are within the OY
range established for the GOA and do
not exceed the ABC for any species or
species group. The ABC does not exceed
the OFL for any species or species
group. Tables 1 and 2 list the final OFL,
ABC, and TAC amounts for GOA
groundfish for 2024 and 2025,
respectively.
TABLE 1—FINAL 2024 OFLS, ABCS, AND TACS OF GROUNDFISH FOR THE WESTERN/CENTRAL/WEST YAKUTAT, WESTERN, CENTRAL, EASTERN REGULATORY AREAS, THE WEST YAKUTAT AND SOUTHEAST OUTSIDE DISTRICTS OF THE
EASTERN REGULATORY AREA, AND GULFWIDE DISTRICTS OF THE GULF OF ALASKA
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
Species
Area 1
Pollock 2 ....................................................................................
Shumagin (610) ......................................
Chirikof (620) ..........................................
Kodiak (630) ............................................
WYK (640) ..............................................
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
38,882
90,937
50,587
5,565
38,882
90,937
50,587
5,565
W/C/WYK (subtotal) 2 ......................
SEO (650) ...............................................
269,916
12,998
190,740
9,749
185,971
9,749
Total .................................................
282,914
200,489
195,720
W .............................................................
C ..............................................................
E ..............................................................
n/a
n/a
n/a
8,745
20,590
2,937
6,121
15,442
2,203
Total .................................................
38,712
32,272
23,766
W .............................................................
C ..............................................................
WYK ........................................................
SEO .........................................................
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
4,699
9,651
2,926
5,320
4,699
9,651
2,926
5,320
Subtotal TAC ...................................
n/a
n/a
22,596
Total .................................................
55,084
47,146
n/a
W .............................................................
C ..............................................................
WYK ........................................................
SEO .........................................................
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
23,337
27,783
2,778
1,667
13,250
27,783
2,778
1,667
Total .................................................
68,121
55,565
45,478
W .............................................................
C ..............................................................
WYK ........................................................
SEO .........................................................
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
237
2,655
1,856
2,314
237
2,655
1,856
2,314
Total .................................................
8,387
7,062
7,062
W .............................................................
C ..............................................................
WYK ........................................................
SEO .........................................................
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
3,367
13,639
1,453
2,905
3,367
13,639
1,453
2,905
Pacific cod 3 ..............................................................................
Sablefish 4 ................................................................................
Shallow-water flatfish 5 .............................................................
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with RULES
Deep-water flatfish 6 .................................................................
Rex sole ...................................................................................
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TABLE 1—FINAL 2024 OFLS, ABCS, AND TACS OF GROUNDFISH FOR THE WESTERN/CENTRAL/WEST YAKUTAT, WESTERN, CENTRAL, EASTERN REGULATORY AREAS, THE WEST YAKUTAT AND SOUTHEAST OUTSIDE DISTRICTS OF THE
EASTERN REGULATORY AREA, AND GULFWIDE DISTRICTS OF THE GULF OF ALASKA—Continued
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
Area 1
Species
ABC
TAC
Total .................................................
25,978
21,364
21,364
W .............................................................
C ..............................................................
WYK ........................................................
SEO .........................................................
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
30,409
64,871
7,870
16,099
14,500
64,871
7,870
6,900
Total .................................................
142,485
119,249
94,141
W .............................................................
C ..............................................................
WYK ........................................................
SEO .........................................................
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
13,273
21,307
3,876
2,047
8,650
21,307
3,876
2,047
Total .................................................
49,414
40,503
35,880
W .............................................................
C ..............................................................
WYK ........................................................
SEO .........................................................
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
1,787
28,757
2,110
7,065
1,787
28,757
2,110
7,065
Total .................................................
47,466
39,719
39,719
W .............................................................
C ..............................................................
E ..............................................................
n/a
n/a
n/a
2,535
2,280
0
2,535
2,280
0
Total .................................................
5,750
4,815
4,815
W .............................................................
C ..............................................................
E ..............................................................
n/a
n/a
n/a
34
189
424
34
189
424
Total .................................................
863
647
647
W .............................................................
C ..............................................................
WYK ........................................................
SEO .........................................................
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
145
7,365
84
30
145
7,365
84
30
Total .................................................
9,281
7,624
7,624
W .............................................................
C ..............................................................
E ..............................................................
n/a
n/a
n/a
197
315
525
197
315
525
Total .................................................
1,555
1,037
1,037
Demersal shelf rockfish 12 ........................................................
SEO .........................................................
376
283
283
Thornyhead rockfish13 ..............................................................
W .............................................................
C ..............................................................
E ..............................................................
n/a
n/a
n/a
314
693
621
314
693
621
Total .................................................
2,170
1,628
1,628
W/C/WYK ................................................
SEO .........................................................
n/a
n/a
1,353
2,421
1,353
300
Total .................................................
4,977
3,774
1,653
Atka mackerel ..........................................................................
GW ..........................................................
6,200
4,700
4,700
Big skate 16 ...............................................................................
W .............................................................
C ..............................................................
E ..............................................................
n/a
n/a
n/a
745
1,749
341
745
1,749
341
Total .................................................
3,780
2,835
2,835
W .............................................................
n/a
104
104
Arrowtooth flounder ..................................................................
Flathead sole ............................................................................
Pacific ocean perch 7 ...............................................................
Northern rockfish 8 ....................................................................
Shortraker rockfish 9 .................................................................
Dusky rockfish 10 ......................................................................
Rougheye and Blackspotted
rockfish 11
...................................
Other rockfish 14 15 ...................................................................
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with RULES
OFL
Longnose skate 17 ....................................................................
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15491
TABLE 1—FINAL 2024 OFLS, ABCS, AND TACS OF GROUNDFISH FOR THE WESTERN/CENTRAL/WEST YAKUTAT, WESTERN, CENTRAL, EASTERN REGULATORY AREAS, THE WEST YAKUTAT AND SOUTHEAST OUTSIDE DISTRICTS OF THE
EASTERN REGULATORY AREA, AND GULFWIDE DISTRICTS OF THE GULF OF ALASKA—Continued
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
Area 1
Species
OFL
ABC
TAC
C ..............................................................
E ..............................................................
n/a
n/a
1,894
538
1,894
538
Total .................................................
3,380
2,536
2,536
Other skates 18 .........................................................................
GW ..........................................................
GW ..........................................................
GW ..........................................................
887
6,521
1,307
665
4,891
980
665
4,891
980
Total ..................................................................................
.................................................................
765,608
599,784
520,020
1 Regulatory areas and districts are defined at § 679.2. (W = Western Gulf of Alaska; C = Central Gulf of Alaska; E = Eastern Gulf of Alaska;
WYK = West Yakutat District; SEO = Southeast Outside District; GW = Gulf-wide).
2 The total for the W/C/WYK Regulatory Areas pollock ABC is 190,740 mt. After deducting 2.5 percent (4,769 mt) of that ABC for the State’s
pollock GHL fishery, the remaining pollock ABC of 185,971 mt (for the W/C/WYK Regulatory Areas) is apportioned among four statistical areas
(Areas 610, 620, 630, and 640). These apportionments are considered subarea ACLs, rather than ABCs, for specification and reapportionment
purposes. The ACLs in Areas 610, 620, and 630 are further divided by season, as detailed in table 3 (final 2024 seasonal biomass distribution of
pollock in the Western and Central Regulatory Areas, area apportionments, and seasonal allowances). In the West Yakutat (Area 640) and
Southeast Outside (Area 650) Districts of the Eastern Regulatory Area, pollock are not divided into seasonal allowances.
3 The annual Pacific cod TAC is apportioned, after seasonal apportionment to the jig sector, as follows: (1) 63.84 percent to the A season and
36.16 percent to the B season and (2) 64.16 percent to the A season and 35.84 percent to the B season in the Western and Central Regulatory
Areas of the GOA, respectively. Pacific cod TAC in the Eastern Regulatory Area of the GOA is allocated 90 percent to vessels harvesting Pacific
cod for processing by the inshore component and 10 percent to vessels harvesting Pacific cod for processing by the offshore component. Table
5 lists the final 2024 Pacific cod seasonal apportionments and sector allocations.
4 The sablefish OFL and ABC are set Alaska-wide (55,084 mt and 47,146 mt, respectively), and the Alaska-wide totals are included in the total
OFL and ABC in table 1. Additionally, sablefish TAC is allocated to trawl and fixed gear in 2024 and trawl gear in 2025. Table 7 lists the final
2024 allocations of sablefish TACs.
5 ‘‘Shallow-water flatfish’’ means flatfish not including ‘‘deep-water flatfish,’’ flathead sole, rex sole, or arrowtooth flounder.
6 ‘‘Deep-water flatfish’’ means Dover sole, Greenland turbot, Kamchatka flounder, and deepsea sole.
7 ‘‘Pacific ocean perch’’ means Sebastes alutus.
8 ‘‘Northern rockfish’’ means Sebastes polyspinis. For management purposes, the 1 mt apportionment of ABC to the WYK District of the Eastern Gulf of Alaska has been included in the other rockfish species group.
9 ‘‘Shortraker rockfish’’ means Sebastes borealis.
10 ‘‘Dusky rockfish’’ means Sebastes variabilis.
11 ‘‘Rougheye and blackspotted rockfish’’ mean Sebastes aleutianus (rougheye) and S. melanostictus (blackspotted).
12 ‘‘Demersal shelf rockfish’’ means Sebastes pinniger (canary), S. nebulosus (china), S. caurinus (copper), S. maliger (quillback), S.
helvomaculatus (rosethorn), S. nigrocinctus (tiger), and S. ruberrimus (yelloweye).
13 ‘‘Thornyhead rockfish’’ means Sebastolobus species.
14 ‘‘Other rockfish’’ means Sebastes aurora (aurora), S. melanostomus (blackgill), S. paucispinis (bocaccio), S. goodei (chilipepper), S. crameri
(darkblotch), S. elongatus (greenstriped), S. variegatus (harlequin), S. wilsoni (pygmy), S. babcocki (redbanded), S. proriger (redstripe), S.
zacentrus (sharpchin), S. jordani (shortbelly), S. brevispinis (silvergrey), S. diploproa (splitnose), S. saxicola (stripetail), S. miniatus (vermilion), S.
reedi (yellowmouth), S. entomelas (widow), and S. flavidus (yellowtail). In the Eastern GOA only, ‘‘other rockfish’’ also includes northern rockfish,
S. polyspinis.
15 ‘‘Other rockfish’’ in the Western and Central Regulatory Areas and in the West Yakutat District means other rockfish and demersal shelf
rockfish. The ‘‘other rockfish’’ species group in the SEO District only includes ‘‘other rockfish.’’
16 ‘‘Big skate’’ means Beringraja binoculata.
17 ‘‘Longnose skate’’ means Raja rhina.
18 ‘‘Other skates’’ mean Bathyraja spp.
TABLE 2—FINAL 2025 OFLS, ABCS, AND TACS OF GROUNDFISH FOR THE WESTERN/CENTRAL/WEST YAKUTAT, WESTERN, CENTRAL, EASTERN REGULATORY AREAS, THE WEST YAKUTAT AND SOUTHEAST OUTSIDE DISTRICTS OF THE
EASTERN REGULATORY AREA, AND GULFWIDE DISTRICTS OF THE GULF OF ALASKA
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with RULES
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
Species
Area 1
Pollock 2 ....................................................................................
Shumagin (610) ......................................
Chirikof (620) ..........................................
Kodiak (630) ............................................
WYK (640) ..............................................
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
32,144
75,179
41,821
4,601
32,144
75,179
41,821
4,601
W/C/WYK (subtotal) 2 ......................
SEO (650) ...............................................
182,891
12,998
157,687
9,749
153,745
9,749
Total .................................................
195,889
167,436
163,494
W .............................................................
C ..............................................................
E ..............................................................
n/a
n/a
n/a
7,638
17,981
2,565
5,347
13,486
1,924
Total .................................................
33,970
28,184
20,757
Pacific
cod 3
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TABLE 2—FINAL 2025 OFLS, ABCS, AND TACS OF GROUNDFISH FOR THE WESTERN/CENTRAL/WEST YAKUTAT, WESTERN, CENTRAL, EASTERN REGULATORY AREAS, THE WEST YAKUTAT AND SOUTHEAST OUTSIDE DISTRICTS OF THE
EASTERN REGULATORY AREA, AND GULFWIDE DISTRICTS OF THE GULF OF ALASKA—Continued
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
Area 1
Species
Sablefish 4
................................................................................
Shallow-water flatfish 5 .............................................................
Deep-water flatfish 6 .................................................................
Rex sole ...................................................................................
Arrowtooth flounder ..................................................................
Flathead sole ............................................................................
Pacific ocean perch 7 ...............................................................
Northern rockfish 8 ....................................................................
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with RULES
Shortraker rockfish 9 .................................................................
Dusky rockfish 10 ......................................................................
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OFL
ABC
TAC
W .............................................................
C ..............................................................
WYK ........................................................
SEO .........................................................
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
4,719
9,693
2,940
5,343
4,719
9,693
2,940
5,343
Subtotal TAC ...................................
n/a
n/a
22,695
Total .................................................
55,317
47,350
n/a
W .............................................................
C ..............................................................
WYK ........................................................
SEO .........................................................
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
23,782
28,311
2,831
1,699
13,250
28,311
2,831
1,699
Total .................................................
69,354
56,623
46,091
W .............................................................
C ..............................................................
WYK ........................................................
SEO .........................................................
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
234
2,614
1,827
2,278
234
2,614
1,827
2,278
Total .................................................
8,257
6,953
6,953
W .............................................................
C ..............................................................
WYK ........................................................
SEO .........................................................
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
3,363
13,624
1,439
2,877
3,363
13,624
1,439
2,877
Total .................................................
25,900
21,303
21,303
W .............................................................
C ..............................................................
WYK ........................................................
SEO .........................................................
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
30,323
64,688
7,848
16,053
14,500
64,688
7,848
6,900
Total .................................................
142,074
118,912
93,936
W .............................................................
C ..............................................................
WYK ........................................................
SEO .........................................................
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
13,521
21,702
3,949
2,086
8,650
21,702
3,949
2,086
Total .................................................
50,322
41,258
36,387
W .............................................................
C ..............................................................
WYK ........................................................
SEO .........................................................
n/a
n/a
n/a
..................
1,726
27,768
2,038
6,822
1,726
27,768
2,038
6,822
Total .................................................
45,835
38,354
38,354
W .............................................................
C ..............................................................
E ..............................................................
n/a
n/a
n/a
2,446
2,200
..................
2,446
2,200
..................
Total .................................................
5,548
4,646
4,646
W .............................................................
C ..............................................................
E ..............................................................
n/a
n/a
n/a
34
189
424
34
189
424
Total .................................................
863
647
647
W .............................................................
C ..............................................................
WYK ........................................................
SEO .........................................................
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
137
6,979
81
28
137
6,979
81
28
Total .................................................
8,796
7,225
7,225
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15493
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 43 / Monday, March 4, 2024 / Rules and Regulations
TABLE 2—FINAL 2025 OFLS, ABCS, AND TACS OF GROUNDFISH FOR THE WESTERN/CENTRAL/WEST YAKUTAT, WESTERN, CENTRAL, EASTERN REGULATORY AREAS, THE WEST YAKUTAT AND SOUTHEAST OUTSIDE DISTRICTS OF THE
EASTERN REGULATORY AREA, AND GULFWIDE DISTRICTS OF THE GULF OF ALASKA—Continued
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
Species
Area 1
Rougheye and Blackspotted rockfish 11 ...................................
W .............................................................
C ..............................................................
E ..............................................................
n/a
n/a
n/a
198
317
526
198
317
526
Total .................................................
1,566
1,041
1,041
Demersal shelf rockfish 12 ........................................................
SEO .........................................................
376
283
283
Thornyhead rockfish 13 .............................................................
W .............................................................
C ..............................................................
E ..............................................................
n/a
n/a
n/a
314
693
621
314
693
621
Total .................................................
2,170
1,628
1,628
W/C/WYK ................................................
SEO .........................................................
n/a
n/a
1,353
2,421
1,353
300
Total .................................................
4,977
3,774
1,653
Atka mackerel ..........................................................................
GW ..........................................................
6,200
4,700
4,700
Big skate 16 ...............................................................................
W .............................................................
C ..............................................................
E ..............................................................
n/a
n/a
n/a
745
1,749
341
745
1,749
341
Total .................................................
3,780
2,835
2,835
W .............................................................
C ..............................................................
E ..............................................................
n/a
n/a
n/a
104
1,894
538
104
1,894
538
Total .................................................
3,380
2,536
2,536
Other
.........................................................................
Sharks ......................................................................................
Octopus ....................................................................................
GW ..........................................................
GW ..........................................................
GW ..........................................................
887
6,521
1,307
665
4,891
980
665
4,891
980
Total ..................................................................................
.................................................................
673,289
562,224
483,700
Other rockfish 14 15 ...................................................................
Longnose skate 17 ....................................................................
skates 18
OFL
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with RULES
1 Regulatory
ABC
TAC
areas and districts are defined at § 679.2. (W = Western Gulf of Alaska; C = Central Gulf of Alaska; E = Eastern Gulf of Alaska;
WYK = West Yakutat District; SEO = Southeast Outside District; GW = Gulf-wide).
2 The total for the W/C/WYK Regulatory Areas pollock ABC is 157,687 mt. After deducting 2.5 percent (3,942 mt) of that ABC for the State’s
pollock GHL fishery, the remaining pollock ABC of 153,745 mt (for the W/C/WYK Regulatory Areas) is apportioned among four statistical areas
(Areas 610, 620, 630, and 640). These apportionments are considered subarea ACLs, rather than ABCs, for specification and reapportionment
purposes. The ACLs in Areas 610, 620, and 630 are further divided by season, as detailed in table 4 (final 2025 seasonal biomass distribution of
pollock in the Western and Central Regulatory Areas, area apportionments, and seasonal allowances). In the West Yakutat (Area 640) and
Southeast Outside (Area 650) Districts of the Eastern Regulatory Area, pollock is not divided into seasonal allowances.
3 The annual Pacific cod TAC is apportioned, after seasonal apportionment to the jig sector, as follows: (1) 63.84 percent to the A season and
36.16 percent to the B season and (2) 64.16 percent to the A season and 35.84 percent to the B season in the Western and Central Regulatory
Areas of the GOA, respectively. Pacific cod TAC in the Eastern Regulatory Area of the GOA is allocated 90 percent to vessels harvesting Pacific
cod for processing by the inshore component and 10 percent to vessels harvesting Pacific cod for processing by the offshore component. Table
6 lists the final 2025 Pacific cod seasonal apportionments and sector allocations.
4 The sablefish OFL and ABC are set Alaska-wide (55,317 mt and 47,350 mt, respectively), and the Alaska-wide totals are included in the total
OFL and ABC in table 2. Additionally, sablefish TAC is allocated only to trawl gear for 2025. Table 8 lists the final 2025 allocation of sablefish
TACs to trawl gear.
5 ‘‘Shallow-water flatfish’’ means flatfish not including ‘‘deep-water flatfish,’’ flathead sole, rex sole, or arrowtooth flounder.
6 ‘‘Deep-water flatfish’’ means Dover sole, Greenland turbot, Kamchatka flounder, and deepsea sole.
7 ‘‘Pacific ocean perch’’ means Sebastes alutus.
8 ‘‘Northern rockfish’’ means Sebastes polyspinis. For management purposes, the 1 mt apportionment of ABC to the WYK District of the Eastern Gulf of Alaska has been included in the ‘‘other rockfish’’ species group.
9 ‘‘Shortraker rockfish’’ means Sebastes borealis.
10 ‘‘Dusky rockfish’’ means Sebastes variabilis.
11 ‘‘Rougheye and blackspotted rockfish’’ mean Sebastes aleutianus (rougheye) and S. melanostictus (blackspotted).
12 ‘‘Demersal shelf rockfish’’ means Sebastes pinniger (canary), S. nebulosus (china), S. caurinus (copper), S. maliger (quillback), S.
helvomaculatus (rosethorn), S. nigrocinctus (tiger), and S. ruberrimus (yelloweye).
13 ‘‘Thornyhead rockfish’’ means Sebastolobus species.
14 ‘‘Other rockfish’’ means Sebastes aurora (aurora), S. melanostomus (blackgill), S. paucispinis (bocaccio), S. goodei (chilipepper), S. crameri
(darkblotch), S. elongatus (greenstriped), S. variegatus (harlequin), S. wilsoni (pygmy), S. babcocki (redbanded), S. proriger (redstripe), S.
zacentrus (sharpchin), S. jordani (shortbelly), S. brevispinis (silvergrey), S. diploproa (splitnose), S. saxicola (stripetail), S. miniatus (vermilion), S.
reedi (yellowmouth), S. entomelas (widow), and S. flavidus (yellowtail). In the Eastern GOA only, ‘‘other rockfish’’ also includes northern rockfish,
S. polyspinis.
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 43 / Monday, March 4, 2024 / Rules and Regulations
15 In 2024 and prior years, ‘‘other rockfish’’ in the Western and Central Regulatory Areas and in the West Yakutat District meant other rockfish
and demersal shelf rockfish, and the ‘‘other rockfish’’ species group in the SEO District only included ‘‘other rockfish.’’ Starting with the 2024
stock assessment for the 2025 harvest specifications, the ‘‘other rockfish’’ species group will be specified GOA-wide (as one GOA-wide species
group), and the demersal shelf rockfish species group will be specified for the Western and Central Regulatory Areas/West Yakutat District and
for the SEO District (as two separate species groups).
16 ‘‘Big skate’’ means Beringraja binoculata.
17 ‘‘Longnose skate’’ means Raja rhina.
18 ‘‘Other skates’’ mean Bathyraja spp.
Apportionment of Reserves
Section 679.20(b)(2) requires NMFS to
set aside 20 percent of each TAC for
pollock, Pacific cod, flatfish, sharks, and
octopuses in reserve for possible
apportionment at a later date during the
fishing year. For 2024 and 2025, NMFS
proposed reapportionment of all the
reserves in the proposed 2024 and 2025
harvest specifications published in the
Federal Register on December 7, 2023
(88 FR 85184). NMFS did not receive
any public comments on the proposed
reapportionments. For the final 2024
and 2025 harvest specifications, NMFS
reapportions, as proposed, all the
reserves for pollock, Pacific cod, flatfish,
sharks, and octopuses back to the
original TAC limit from which the
reserve was derived (§ 679.20(b)(3)).
This is being done because NMFS
expects, based on recent harvest
patterns, that such reserves are not
necessary or that the entire TAC for
each of these species will be caught. The
TACs listed in tables 1 and 2 reflect
reapportionments of reserve amounts to
the original TAC limit for these species
and species groups, i.e., each final TAC
for the above-mentioned species or
species groups contains the full TAC
recommended by the Council.
Apportionments of Pollock TAC Among
Seasons and Regulatory Areas, and
Allocations for Processing by Inshore
and Offshore Components
In the GOA, pollock is apportioned by
season and area and is further allocated
for processing by inshore and offshore
components. The pollock TACs in the
Western and Central Regulatory Areas of
the GOA are apportioned among
Statistical Areas 610, 620, and 630.
These apportionments are divided into
two equal seasonal allowances of 50
percent to the A season (January 20
through May 31) and 50 percent to the
B season (September 1 through
November 1) (§§ 679.20(a)(5)(iv)(B) and
679.23(d)(2)).
Effective in 2021, regulatory changes
revised the number of GOA pollock
seasons to two seasons from four
seasons (85 FR 38093, June 25, 2020).
The GOA pollock stock assessment
continues to use a four-season
methodology to determine pollock
distribution in the Western and Central
Regulatory Areas of the GOA to
maintain continuity in the historical
pollock apportionment time-series.
Pollock TACs in the Western and
Central Regulatory Areas of the GOA are
apportioned among Statistical Areas
610, 620, and 630 in proportion to the
distribution of pollock biomass
determined by the most recent NMFS
surveys, pursuant to
§ 679.20(a)(5)(iv)(A). The pollock
chapter of the 2023 SAFE report (see
ADDRESSES) contains a comprehensive
description of the apportionment and
reasons for the minor changes from past
apportionments. For purposes of
specifying pollock TAC between two
seasons for the Western and Central
Regulatory Areas of the GOA, NMFS has
summed the A and B season
apportionments and the C and D season
apportionments, using the four-season
methodology, as calculated in the 2023
GOA pollock assessment. This yields
the seasonal amounts specified for the A
season and the B season, respectively.
Within any fishing year, the amount
by which a pollock seasonal allowance
is underharvested or overharvested may
be added to, or subtracted from, the
subsequent seasonal allowance for the
Western and Central Regulatory Areas
in a manner to be determined by the
Regional Administrator
(§ 679.20(a)(5)(iv)(B)). The rollover
amount is limited to 20 percent of the
subsequent seasonal TAC
apportionment for the statistical area.
Any unharvested pollock above the 20percent limit could be further
distributed to the other statistical areas,
in proportion to the estimated biomass
in the subsequent season in those
statistical areas and in an amount no
more than 20 percent of the seasonal
TAC apportionment in those statistical
areas (§ 679.20(a)(5)(iv)(B)). The pollock
TACs in the WYK and the SEO Districts
of 5,565 mt and 9,749 mt, respectively,
in 2024, and 4,601 mt and 9,749 mt,
respectively, in 2025, are not allocated
by season.
Tables 3 and 4 list the final 2024 and
2025 seasonal biomass distribution of
pollock in the Western and Central
Regulatory Areas, area apportionments,
and seasonal allowances. The amounts
of pollock for processing by the inshore
and offshore components are not shown.
Section 679.20(a)(6)(i) requires the
allocation of 100 percent of the pollock
TAC in all GOA regulatory areas and all
seasonal allowances to vessels catching
pollock for processing by the inshore
component after subtraction of pollock
amounts projected by the Regional
Administrator to be caught by, or
delivered to, the offshore component
incidental to directed fishing for other
groundfish species. Thus, the amount of
pollock available for harvest by vessels
harvesting pollock for processing by the
offshore component is that amount that
will be taken as incidental catch during
directed fishing for groundfish species
other than pollock, up to the maximum
retainable amounts allowed by
§ 679.20(e) and (f). At this time, these
incidental catch amounts of pollock are
unknown and will be determined
during the fishing year during the
course of fishing activities by the
offshore component.
TABLE 3—FINAL 2024 DISTRIBUTION OF POLLOCK IN THE WESTERN AND CENTRAL REGULATORY AREAS OF THE GULF OF
ALASKA; AREA APPORTIONMENTS; AND SEASONAL ALLOWANCES OF ANNUAL TAC
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with RULES
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton 1]
Shumigan
(Area 610)
Season 2
A (January 20–May 31) ...................................................................................
B (September 1–November 1) ........................................................................
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5,422
33,460
Chirikof
(Area 620)
70,918
20,019
E:\FR\FM\04MRR1.SGM
04MRR1
Kodiak
(Area 630)
13,863
36,724
Total 3
90,203
90,203
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 43 / Monday, March 4, 2024 / Rules and Regulations
15495
TABLE 3—FINAL 2024 DISTRIBUTION OF POLLOCK IN THE WESTERN AND CENTRAL REGULATORY AREAS OF THE GULF OF
ALASKA; AREA APPORTIONMENTS; AND SEASONAL ALLOWANCES OF ANNUAL TAC—Continued
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton 1]
Shumigan
(Area 610)
Season 2
Annual Total .............................................................................................
38,882
Chirikof
(Area 620)
90,937
Kodiak
(Area 630)
50,587
Total 3
180,406
1 Area
apportionments and seasonal allowances may not total precisely due to rounding.
established by § 679.23(d)(2), directed fishing for pollock in the Western and Central Regulatory Areas is authorized only during the following two seasons: January 20 through May 31 and September 1 through November 1, respectively. The amounts of pollock for processing by
the inshore and offshore components are not shown in this table.
3 The West Yakutat and Southeast Outside District pollock TACs are not allocated by season and are not included in the total pollock TACs
shown in this table.
2 As
TABLE 4—FINAL 2025 DISTRIBUTION OF POLLOCK IN THE WESTERN AND CENTRAL REGULATORY AREAS OF THE GULF OF
ALASKA; AREA APPORTIONMENTS; AND SEASONAL ALLOWANCES OF ANNUAL TAC
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton 1]
Shumigan
(Area 610)
Season 2
Chirikof
(Area 620)
Kodiak
(Area 630)
Total 3
A (January 20–May 31) ...................................................................................
B (September 1–November 1) ........................................................................
4,483
27,661
58,629
16,550
11,460
30,361
74,572
74,572
Annual Total .............................................................................................
32,144
75,179
41,821
149,144
1 Area
apportionments and seasonal allowances may not total precisely due to rounding.
established by § 679.23(d)(2), directed fishing for pollock in the Western and Central Regulatory Areas is authorized only during the following two seasons: January 20 through May 31 and September 1 through November 1, respectively. The amounts of pollock for processing by
the inshore and offshore components are not shown in this table.
3 The West Yakutat and Southeast Outside District pollock TACs are not allocated by season and are not included in the total pollock TACs
shown in this table.
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with RULES
2 As
Annual and Seasonal Apportionments
of Pacific Cod TAC
Pursuant to § 679.20(a)(12)(i), NMFS
seasonally allocates the 2024 and 2025
Pacific cod TACs in the Western and
Central Regulatory Areas of the GOA
among gear and operational sectors. In
the Western and Central Regulatory
Areas, a portion of the annual TAC is
apportioned to the A season for hookand-line, pot, and jig gear from January
1 through June 10, and for trawl gear
from January 20 through June 10, and a
portion of the annual TAC is
apportioned to the B season for jig gear
from June 10 through December 31, for
hook-and-line and pot gear from
September 1 through December 31, and
for trawl gear from September 1 through
November 1 (§§ 679.20(a)(12) and
679.23(d)(3)). NMFS also allocates the
Pacific cod TACs annually between the
inshore (90 percent) and offshore (10
percent) components in the Eastern
Regulatory Area of the GOA
(§ 679.20(a)(6)(ii)).
In the Central GOA, the Pacific cod
TAC is apportioned seasonally first to
vessels using jig gear, then among CVs
less than 50 feet (15.2 meters (m)) in
length overall using hook-and-line gear,
then among CVs equal to or greater than
50 feet (15.2 m) in length overall using
hook-and-line gear, then among catcher/
processors (CPs) using hook-and-line
gear, then among CVs using trawl gear,
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then among CPs using trawl gear, and
then among vessels using pot gear
(§ 679.20(a)(12)(i)(B)). In the Western
GOA, the Pacific cod TAC is
apportioned seasonally first to vessels
using jig gear, then among CVs using
hook-and-line gear, then among CPs
using hook-and-line gear, then among
CVs using trawl gear, then among CPs
using trawl gear, and then among
vessels using pot gear
(§ 679.20(a)(12)(i)(A)). Excluding
seasonal apportionments to the jig
sector, NMFS seasonally apportions the
remainder of the annual Pacific cod
TACs in the Western GOA as 63.84
percent to the A season and 36.16
percent to the B season, and in the
Central GOA as 64.16 percent to the A
season and 35.84 percent to the B
season.
Under § 679.20(a)(12)(ii), any overage
or underage of the Pacific cod season
allowance from the A season may be
subtracted from, or added to, the
subsequent B season allowance. In
addition, any portion of the hook-andline, trawl, pot, or jig sector allocations
that is determined by NMFS as likely to
go unharvested by a sector may be
reallocated to other sectors for harvest
during the remainder of the fishing year
consistent with the reallocation
priorities prescribed in regulation and
the capability of a sector to harvest the
remaining TAC.
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Pursuant to § 679.20(a)(12)(i)(A) and
(B), a portion of the annual Pacific cod
TACs in the Western and Central GOA
will be allocated to vessels with a
Federal fisheries permit that use jig gear
before the TACs are apportioned among
other non-jig sectors. In accordance with
the FMP, the annual jig sector
allocations may increase to up to 6
percent of the annual Western and
Central GOA Pacific cod TACs,
depending on the annual performance
of the jig sector (see table 1 in the final
rule implementing Amendment 83 to
the FMP for a detailed discussion of the
jig sector allocation process (76 FR
74670, December 1, 2011)). Jig sector
allocation increases are established for a
minimum of 2 years. Jig sector
allocation decreases are established for
1 year.
NMFS has evaluated the historical
harvest performance of the jig sector in
the Western and Central GOA and is
establishing the 2024 and 2025 Pacific
cod apportionments to this sector based
on its historical harvest performance
through 2023. NMFS did not evaluate
the 2020 performance of the jig sectors
in the Western and Central GOA
because directed fishing was prohibited
for all Pacific cod sectors in 2020 (84 FR
70438, December 23, 2019). Because of
the closure, catch for the jig sectors
could not reach 90 percent of the annual
allocation that is required for a
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 43 / Monday, March 4, 2024 / Rules and Regulations
performance increase in the following
year’s allocation (87 FR 74102,
December 2, 2022). For 2024 and 2025,
NMFS allocates the jig sector 3.5
percent of the annual Pacific cod TAC
in the Western GOA. The 2024 and 2025
allocations consist of a base allocation
of 1.5 percent of the Western GOA
Pacific cod TAC and performance
increases of 2.0 percent. For 2024 and
2025, NMFS allocates the jig sector 2.0
percent of the annual Pacific cod TAC
in the Central GOA. The 2024 and 2025
allocations consist of a base allocation
of 1.0 percent of the Central GOA
Pacific cod TAC and a performance
increase of 1.0 percent. The 2025
allocations of the annual Pacific cod
TACs in the Western and Central GOA
to jig gear may change based on the
harvest performance of the sector in
2024, which NMFS will evaluate in the
2025 and 2026 harvest specifications.
For 2024 and 2025, NMFS is
apportioning the jig sector allocations
for the Western and Central GOA
between the A season (60 percent) and
the B season (40 percent), pursuant to
§ 679.20(a)(12)(i). This is the same jig
sector seasonal apportionment
implemented in prior groundfish
harvest specifications for the GOA and
is consistent with Amendment 83 to the
FMP (76 FR 44700, July 26, 2011).
Tables 5 and 6 list the seasonal
apportionments and allocations of the
2024 and 2025 Pacific cod TACs.
TABLE 5—FINAL 2024 SEASONAL APPORTIONMENTS AND ALLOCATION OF PACIFIC COD TOTAL ALLOWABLE CATCH (TAC)
AMOUNTS IN THE GOA; ALLOCATIONS IN THE WESTERN GOA AND CENTRAL GOA SECTORS, AND THE EASTERN
GOA INSHORE AND OFFSHORE PROCESSING COMPONENTS
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
A Season
Annual
allocation
(mt)
Regulatory area and sector
Sector
percentage of
annual
non-jig TAC
B Season
Seasonal
allowances
(mt)
Sector
percentage of
annual
non-jig TAC
Seasonal
allowances
(mt)
Western GOA:
Jig (3.5% of TAC) .........................................................
Hook-and-line CV .........................................................
Hook-and-line CP .........................................................
Trawl CV .......................................................................
Trawl CP .......................................................................
All Pot CV and Pot CP .................................................
214
83
1,170
2,268
142
2,245
n/a
0.70
10.9
31.54
0.90
19.80
129
41
644
1,863
53
1,170
n/a
0.70
8.90
6.86
1.50
18.20
86
41
526
405
89
1,075
Total .......................................................................
6,121
63.84
3,899
36.16
2,222
Central GOA:
Jig (2.0% of TAC) .........................................................
Hook-and-line <50 CV ..................................................
Hook-and-line ≥50 CV ..................................................
Hook-and-line CP .........................................................
Trawl CV 1 .....................................................................
Trawl CP .......................................................................
All Pot CV and Pot CP .................................................
309
2,210
1,015
772
6,293
635
4,208
n/a
9.32
5.61
4.11
25.29
2.00
17.83
185
1,410
849
622
3,828
303
2,698
n/a
5.29
1.10
1.00
16.29
2.19
9.98
124
800
166
151
2,465
332
1,510
Total .......................................................................
15,442
64.16
9,894
35.84
5,548
Eastern GOA ........................................................................
........................
Inshore (90% of Annual TAC)
Offshore (10% of Annual TAC)
1,983
220
2,203
1 Trawl
catcher vessels participating in Rockfish Program cooperatives receive 3.81 percent, or 588 mt, of the annual Central GOA TAC (see
table 28c to 50 CFR part 679). This apportionment is deducted from the Trawl CV B season allowance (see table 12: Final 2024 Apportionments
of Rockfish Secondary Species in the Central GOA to Catcher Vessel and Catcher/Processor Cooperatives).
TABLE 6—FINAL 2025 SEASONAL APPORTIONMENTS AND ALLOCATION OF PACIFIC COD TOTAL ALLOWABLE CATCH (TAC)
AMOUNTS IN THE GOA; ALLOCATIONS IN THE WESTERN GOA AND CENTRAL GOA SECTORS, AND THE EASTERN
GOA INSHORE AND OFFSHORE PROCESSING COMPONENTS
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
A Season
Annual
allocation
(mt)
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with RULES
Regulatory area and sector
Western GOA:
Jig (3.5% of TAC) .........................................................
Hook-and-line CV .........................................................
Hook-and-line CP .........................................................
Trawl CV .......................................................................
Trawl CP .......................................................................
All Pot CV and Pot CP .................................................
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Sector
percentage of
annual
non-jig TAC
187
72
1,022
1,981
124
1,961
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
B Season
Seasonal
allowances
(mt)
N/A
0.70
10.9
31.54
0.90
19.80
E:\FR\FM\04MRR1.SGM
112
36
562
1,627
46
1,022
04MRR1
Sector
percentage of
annual
non-jig TAC
N/A
0.70
8.90
6.86
1.50
18.20
Seasonal
allowances
(mt)
75
36
459
354
77
939
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 43 / Monday, March 4, 2024 / Rules and Regulations
TABLE 6—FINAL 2025 SEASONAL APPORTIONMENTS AND ALLOCATION OF PACIFIC COD TOTAL ALLOWABLE CATCH (TAC)
AMOUNTS IN THE GOA; ALLOCATIONS IN THE WESTERN GOA AND CENTRAL GOA SECTORS, AND THE EASTERN
GOA INSHORE AND OFFSHORE PROCESSING COMPONENTS—Continued
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
A Season
Annual
allocation
(mt)
Regulatory area and sector
Sector
percentage of
annual
non-jig TAC
B Season
Seasonal
allowances
(mt)
Sector
percentage of
annual
non-jig TAC
Seasonal
allowances
(mt)
Total .......................................................................
5,347
63.84
3,406
36.16
1,941
Central GOA:
Jig (2.0% of TAC) .........................................................
Hook-and-line <50 CV ..................................................
Hook-and-line ≥50 CV ..................................................
Hook-and-line CP .........................................................
Trawl CV 1 .....................................................................
Trawl CP .......................................................................
All Pot CV and Pot CP .................................................
270
1,930
886
675
5,496
555
3,675
N/A
9.32
5.61
4.11
25.29
2.00
17.83
162
1,231
741
543
3,343
265
2,356
N/A
5.29
1.10
1.00
16.29
2.19
9.98
108
699
145
132
2,153
290
1,318
Total .......................................................................
13,486
64.16
8,641
35.84
4,845
Eastern GOA
........................
Inshore (90% of Annual TAC)
Offshore (10% of Annual TAC)
1,731
192
1,924
1 Trawl catcher vessels participating in Rockfish Program cooperatives receive 3.81 percent, or 514 mt, of the annual Central GOA TAC (see
table 28c to 50 CFR part 679). This apportionment is deducted from the Trawl CV B season allowance (see table 13: Final 2025 Apportionments
of Rockfish Secondary Species in the Central GOA to Catcher Vessel and Catcher/Processor Cooperatives).
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with RULES
Allocations of the Sablefish TAC
Amounts to Vessels Using Fixed and
Trawl Gear
Section 679.20(a)(4)(i) and (ii) require
allocations of sablefish TACs for each of
the regulatory areas and districts to
fixed and trawl gear. In the Western and
Central Regulatory Areas, 80 percent of
each TAC is allocated to fixed gear, and
20 percent of each TAC is allocated to
trawl gear. In the Eastern Regulatory
Area, 95 percent of the TAC is allocated
to fixed gear, and 5 percent is allocated
to trawl gear. The trawl gear allocation
in the Eastern Regulatory Area may only
be used to support incidental catch of
sablefish using trawl gear while directed
fishing for other target species
(§ 679.20(a)(4)(i)).
In recognition of the prohibition
against trawl gear in the SEO District of
the Eastern Regulatory Area, the Council
recommended, and NMFS approves,
specifying for incidental catch the
allocation of 5 percent of the combined
Eastern Regulatory Area sablefish TAC
to trawl gear in the WYK District of the
Eastern Regulatory Area. The remainder
of the WYK District sablefish TAC is
allocated to vessels using fixed gear.
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NMFS allocates 100 percent of the
sablefish TAC in the SEO District to
vessels using fixed gear. This results in
2024 allocations of 412 mt to trawl gear
and 2,514 mt to fixed gear in the WYK
District, a 2024 allocation of 5,320 mt to
fixed gear in the SEO District, and a
2025 allocation of 414 mt to trawl gear
in the WYK District. Table 7 lists the
allocations of the 2024 sablefish TACs
to fixed and trawl gear. Table 8 lists the
allocations of the 2025 sablefish TACs
to trawl gear.
The Council recommended that a
trawl sablefish TAC be established for 2
years so that retention of incidental
catch of sablefish by trawl gear could
commence in January in the second year
of the groundfish harvest specifications.
Both the 2024 and 2025 trawl
allocations are specified in these final
harvest specifications in tables 7 and 8,
respectively.
The Council also recommended that
the fixed gear sablefish TAC be
established annually to ensure that this
Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) fishery
is conducted concurrently with the
halibut IFQ fishery and is based on the
most recent survey information. Since
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Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
there is an annual assessment for
sablefish and since the final harvest
specifications are expected to be
published before the IFQ season begins
in March 2024, NMFS specifies the
fixed gear sablefish TAC annually,
rather than for 2 years, to ensure that the
sablefish IFQ fishery is conducted
concurrently with the halibut IFQ
fishery. Concurrent sablefish and
halibut IFQ fisheries reduce the
potential for discards of halibut and
sablefish in those fisheries. Accordingly,
table 7 lists the 2024 fixed gear
allocations, and the 2025 fixed gear
allocations will be specified in the 2025
and 2026 harvest specifications.
With the exception of the trawl gear
allocations that are provided to the
Rockfish Program (see table 28c to 50
CFR part 679), directed fishing for
sablefish with trawl gear in the GOA is
closed during the fishing year. Also,
fishing for groundfish with trawl gear is
prohibited prior to January 20
(§ 679.23(c)). Therefore, it is not likely
that the sablefish allocation to trawl gear
will be reached before the effective date
of these final 2024 and 2025 harvest
specifications.
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 43 / Monday, March 4, 2024 / Rules and Regulations
TABLE 7—FINAL 2024 SABLEFISH TAC AMOUNTS IN THE GULF OF ALASKA AND ALLOCATIONS TO FIXED AND TRAWL
GEAR
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
Area/district
TAC
Fixed gear allocation
Trawl gear
allocation
Western ....................................................................................................................
Central 1 ...................................................................................................................
West Yakutat 2 .........................................................................................................
Southeast Outside ...................................................................................................
4,699
9,651
2,926
5,320
3,759
7,721
2,514
5,320
940
1,930
412
0
Total ..................................................................................................................
22,596
19,313
3,283
1 The trawl allocation of sablefish in the Central Regulatory Area is further apportioned to the Rockfish Program cooperatives (993 mt). See
table 28c to 50 CFR part 679 and table 12: Final 2024 Apportionments of Rockfish Secondary Species in the Central GOA to Catcher Vessel
and Catcher/Processor Cooperatives. This results in 937 mt being available for the non-Rockfish Program trawl fisheries.
2 The trawl allocation is based on allocating 5 percent of the combined Eastern Regulatory Area (West Yakutat and Southeast Outside Districts) sablefish TAC as incidental catch to trawl gear in the West Yakutat District.
TABLE 8—FINAL 2025 SABLEFISH TAC AMOUNTS IN THE GULF OF ALASKA AND ALLOCATIONS TO TRAWL GEAR 1
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
Area/district
TAC
Fixed gear allocation
Trawl gear
allocation
Western ....................................................................................................................
Central 2 ...................................................................................................................
West Yakutat 3 .........................................................................................................
Southeast Outside ...................................................................................................
4,719
9,693
2,940
5,343
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
944
1,939
414
0
Total ..................................................................................................................
22,695
0
3,297
1 The
Council recommended that the final 2025 harvest specifications for the fixed gear sablefish Individual Fishing Quota fisheries not be
specified in the final 2024 and 2025 harvest specifications. The final 2025 harvest specifications for fixed gear will be specified in the 2025 and
2026 harvest specifications.
2 The trawl allocation of sablefish in the Central Regulatory Area is further apportioned to the Rockfish Program cooperatives (997 mt). See
table 28c to 50 CFR part 679 and table 13: Final 2025 Apportionments of Rockfish Secondary Species in the Central GOA to Catcher Vessel
and Catcher/Processor Cooperatives. This results in 942 mt being available for the non-Rockfish Program trawl fisheries.
3 The trawl allocation is based on allocating 5 percent of the combined Eastern Regulatory Area (West Yakutat and Southeast Outside Districts) sablefish TAC as incidental catch to trawl gear in the West Yakutat District.
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with RULES
Allocations, Apportionments, and
Sideboard Limits for the Rockfish
Program
These final 2024 and 2025 harvest
specifications for the GOA include the
fishery cooperative allocations and
sideboard limitations established by the
Rockfish Program. Rockfish Program
participants are primarily trawl CVs and
trawl CPs, with limited participation by
vessels using longline gear. The
Rockfish Program assigns quota share
and cooperative quota to participants for
primary species (Pacific ocean perch,
northern rockfish, and dusky rockfish)
and secondary species (Pacific cod,
rougheye and blackspotted rockfish,
sablefish, shortraker rockfish, and
thornyhead rockfish), allows a
participant holding a LLP license with
rockfish quota share to form a rockfish
cooperative with other persons, and
allows holders of CP LLP licenses to opt
out of the fishery. The Rockfish Program
also has an entry-level fishery for
rockfish primary species for vessels
using longline gear. Longline gear
includes hook-and-line, jig, troll, and
handline gear.
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Under the Rockfish Program, rockfish
primary species in the Central GOA are
allocated to participants after deducting
for incidental catch needs in other
directed groundfish fisheries
(§ 679.81(a)(2)). Participants in the
Rockfish Program also receive a portion
of the Central GOA TAC of specific
secondary species. In addition to
groundfish species, the Rockfish
Program assigns a portion of the halibut
PSC limit (191.4 mt) from the third
season deep-water species fishery
allowance for the GOA trawl fisheries to
Rockfish Program participants
(§ 679.81(d) and table 28d to 50 CFR
part 679). The Rockfish Program also
establishes sideboard limits to restrict
the ability of harvesters operating under
the Rockfish Program to increase their
participation in other, non-Rockfish
Program fisheries. These restrictions
and halibut PSC limits are discussed in
the Rockfish Program Groundfish
Sideboard and Halibut PSC Limitations
section of this rule.
Section 679.81(a)(2)(ii) and table 28e
to 50 CFR part 679 require allocations
of 5 mt of Pacific ocean perch, 5 mt of
northern rockfish, and 50 mt of dusky
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Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
rockfish to the entry-level longline
fishery in 2024 and 2025. The
allocations for the entry-level longline
fishery may increase incrementally each
year if the catch in the previous year
exceeds 90 percent of the allocation of
a species. The incremental increase in
the allocation would continue each year
until it reaches the maximum percent of
the TAC assigned to the Rockfish
Program for that species. In 2023, the
catch of Pacific ocean perch, northern
rockfish, and dusky rockfish did not
attain the 90 percent threshold, and the
final allocations for 2024 therefore
remain the same as the 2023 allocations.
The remainder of the TACs for the
rockfish primary species are allocated to
the CV and CP cooperatives
(§ 679.81(a)(2)(iii)). Table 9 lists the
allocations of the 2024 and 2025 TACs
for each rockfish primary species to the
entry-level longline fishery, the
potential incremental increases for
future years, and the maximum percent
of the TACs assigned to the Rockfish
Program that may be allocated to the
rockfish entry-level longline fishery.
E:\FR\FM\04MRR1.SGM
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 43 / Monday, March 4, 2024 / Rules and Regulations
15499
TABLE 9—FINAL 2024 AND INITIAL 2025 ALLOCATIONS OF ROCKFISH PRIMARY SPECIES TO THE ENTRY LEVEL LONGLINE
FISHERY IN THE CENTRAL GULF OF ALASKA
2024 and 2025
allocations
(metric tons)
Rockfish primary species
Pacific ocean perch .................................................................................................
Northern rockfish .....................................................................................................
Dusky rockfish .........................................................................................................
Section 679.81 requires allocations of
rockfish primary species among various
sectors of the Rockfish Program. Tables
10 and 11 list the final 2024 and 2025
allocations of rockfish primary species
in the Central GOA to the entry-level
longline fishery, and rockfish CV and
CP cooperatives in the Rockfish
Program. NMFS also is setting aside
incidental catch amounts (ICAs) for
other directed fisheries in the Central
GOA of 3,500 mt of Pacific ocean perch,
Incremental increase
in 2025 if >90%
of 2024 allocation
is harvested
(metric tons)
5
5
50
300 mt of northern rockfish, and 250 mt
of dusky rockfish. These amounts are
based on recent average incidental
catches of these species in the Central
GOA by other groundfish fisheries.
Allocations among vessels belonging
to CV or CP cooperatives are not
included in these final harvest
specifications. Rockfish Program
applications for CV cooperatives and CP
cooperatives are not due to NMFS until
March 1 of each calendar year;
Up to maximum
percent of TAC
(%)
5
5
20
1
2
5
therefore, NMFS cannot calculate 2024
and 2025 allocations in conjunction
with these final harvest specifications
(§ 679.81(f)). After receiving the
Rockfish Program applications, NMFS
will calculate the 2024 allocations for
CV and CP cooperatives, as set forth in
§ 679.81(b), (c), and (e). NMFS will
announce the 2024 allocations after
March 1.
TABLE 10—FINAL 2024 ALLOCATIONS OF ROCKFISH PRIMARY SPECIES IN THE CENTRAL GULF OF ALASKA TO THE ENTRY
LEVEL LONGLINE FISHERY AND ROCKFISH COOPERATIVES IN THE ROCKFISH PROGRAM
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
Central GOA
annual TAC
Rockfish primary species
Incidental
catch
allowance
TAC minus
ICA
Allocation to
the entry level
longline 1 fishery
Allocation to
the rockfish
cooperatives 2
Pacific ocean perch ...................................................
Northern rockfish ........................................................
Dusky rockfish ............................................................
28,757
2,280
7,365
3,500
300
250
25,257
1,980
7,115
5
5
50
25,252
1,975
7,065
Total ....................................................................
38,402
4,050
34,352
60
34,292
1 Longline
2 Rockfish
gear includes hook-and-line, jig, troll, and handline gear (§ 679.2).
cooperatives include vessels in CV and CP cooperatives (§ 679.81).
TABLE 11—FINAL 2025 ALLOCATIONS OF ROCKFISH PRIMARY SPECIES IN THE CENTRAL GULF OF ALASKA TO THE ENTRY
LEVEL LONGLINE FISHERY AND ROCKFISH COOPERATIVES IN THE ROCKFISH PROGRAM
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
Central GOA
annual TAC
Rockfish primary species
TAC minus
ICA
Allocation to
the entry level
longline 1 fishery
Allocation to
the rockfish
cooperatives 2
Pacific ocean perch ...................................................
Northern rockfish ........................................................
Dusky rockfish ............................................................
27,768
2,200
6,979
3,500
300
250
24,268
1,900
6,729
5
5
50
24,263
1,895
6,679
Total ....................................................................
36,947
4,050
32,837
60
32,837
1 Longline
2 Rockfish
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with RULES
Incidental
catch
allowance
gear includes hook-and-line, jig, troll, and handline gear (§ 679.2).
cooperatives include vessels in CV and CP cooperatives (§ 679.81).
Section 679.81(c) and table 28c to 50
CFR part 679 require allocations of
rockfish secondary species to CV and CP
cooperatives in the Central GOA. CV
cooperatives receive allocations of
Pacific cod, sablefish from the trawl gear
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allocation, and thornyhead rockfish. CP
cooperatives receive allocations of
sablefish from the trawl gear allocation,
rougheye and blackspotted rockfish,
shortraker rockfish, and thornyhead
rockfish. Tables 12 and 13 list the
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Sfmt 4700
apportionments of the 2024 and 2025
TACs of rockfish secondary species in
the Central GOA to CV and CP
cooperatives.
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TABLE 12—FINAL 2024 APPORTIONMENTS OF ROCKFISH SECONDARY SPECIES IN THE CENTRAL GOA TO CATCHER
VESSEL AND CATCHER/PROCESSOR COOPERATIVES
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
Catcher vessel cooperatives
Central GOA
annual TAC
Rockfish secondary species
Pacific cod ................................................................................
Sablefish ..................................................................................
Shortraker rockfish ...................................................................
Rougheye/blackspotted rockfish ..............................................
Thornyhead rockfish ................................................................
Percentage
of TAC
15,442
9,651
189
315
693
Apportionment
(mt)
3.81
6.78
0.00
0.00
7.84
588
654
0
0
54
Catcher/processor
cooperatives
Percentage
of TAC
Apportionment
(mt)
0.00
3.51
40.00
58.87
26.50
0
339
76
185
184
TABLE 13—FINAL 2025 APPORTIONMENTS OF ROCKFISH SECONDARY SPECIES IN THE CENTRAL GOA TO CATCHER
VESSEL AND CATCHER/PROCESSOR COOPERATIVES
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
Catcher vessel cooperatives
Central GOA
annual TAC
Rockfish secondary species
Pacific cod ................................................................................
Sablefish ..................................................................................
Shortraker rockfish ...................................................................
Rougheye/blackspotted rockfish ..............................................
Thornyhead rockfish ................................................................
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with RULES
Halibut PSC Limits
Section 679.21(d) establishes annual
halibut PSC limit apportionments to
trawl gear and hook-and-line gear and
authorizes the establishment of
apportionments for pot gear. In
December 2023 the Council
recommended and NMFS approves
halibut PSC limits of 1,705 mt for trawl
gear, 256 mt for hook-and-line gear, and
9 mt for the demersal shelf rockfish
(DSR) rockfish fishery in the SEO
District for both 2024 and 2025,
consistent with § 679.21.
The DSR fishery in the SEO District
is defined at § 679.21(d)(2)(ii)(A). This
fishery is apportioned 9 mt of the
halibut PSC limit in recognition of its
small-scale harvests of groundfish
(§ 679.21(d)(2)(i)(A)). The separate
halibut PSC limit for the DSR fishery is
intended to prevent that fishery from
being impacted from the halibut PSC
incurred by other GOA fisheries. NMFS
estimates low halibut bycatch in the
DSR fishery because: (1) the duration of
the DSR fishery and the gear soak times
are short; (2) the DSR fishery occurs in
the winter when there is less overlap in
the distribution of DSR and halibut; and
(3) the directed commercial DSR fishery
has a low DSR TAC. The State of Alaska
sets the commercial GHL for the DSR
fishery after deducting estimates of DSR
incidental catch in all fisheries
(including halibut and subsistence) and
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Percentage
of TAC
13,486
9,693
189
317
693
3.81
6.78
0.00
0.00
7.84
allocation to the sport DSR fishery. In
2023, the commercial GHL fishery for
DSR was closed due to concerns about
declining DSR biomass.
The FMP authorizes the Council and
NMFS to exempt specific gear from the
halibut PSC limits. NMFS, after
consultation with the Council, exempts
pot gear, the sablefish IFQ fixed gear
fishery categories, and jig gear from the
non-trawl halibut PSC limit for 2024
and 2025. The Council recommended,
and NMFS approves, these exemptions
because: (1) the pot gear fisheries have
low annual halibut bycatch mortality;
(2) IFQ program regulations prohibit
discard of halibut if any halibut IFQ
permit holder on board a catcher vessel
holds unused halibut IFQ for that vessel
category and the IFQ regulatory area in
which the vessel is operating
(§ 679.7(f)(11)); (3) some sablefish IFQ
fishermen hold halibut IFQ permits and
are therefore required to retain the
halibut they catch while fishing
sablefish IFQ; and (4) NMFS estimates
negligible halibut mortality for the jig
gear fisheries given the small amount of
groundfish harvested by jig gear, the
selective nature of jig gear, and the high
survival rates of halibut caught and
released with jig gear.
The best information available on
estimated halibut bycatch consists of
data collected by fisheries observers
during 2023. The estimated halibut
bycatch mortality through December 31,
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Apportionment
(mt)
514
657
n/a
n/a
54
Catcher/processor
cooperatives
Percentage
of TAC
0.00
3.51
40.00
58.87
26.50
Apportionment
(mt)
0
340
76
187
184
2023 is 289 mt for trawl gear and 37 mt
for hook-and-line gear for a total halibut
mortality of 326 mt. The estimated
halibut bycatch mortality was calculated
using groundfish and halibut catch data
from the NMFS Alaska Region’s catch
accounting system. This accounting
system contains historical and recent
catch information compiled from each
Alaska groundfish fishery.
Section 679.21(d)(4)(i) and (ii)
authorize NMFS to seasonally apportion
the halibut PSC limits after consultation
with the Council. The FMP and
regulations require that the Council and
NMFS consider the following
information in seasonally apportioning
halibut PSC limits: (1) seasonal
distribution of halibut; (2) seasonal
distribution of target groundfish species
relative to halibut distribution; (3)
expected halibut bycatch needs on a
seasonal basis relative to changes in
halibut biomass and expected catch of
target groundfish species; (4) expected
bycatch rates on a seasonal basis; (5)
expected changes in directed groundfish
fishing seasons; (6) expected actual start
of fishing effort; and (7) economic
effects of establishing seasonal halibut
allocations on segments of the target
groundfish industry. The Council
considered information from the 2023
SAFE report, NMFS catch data, State of
Alaska catch data, International Pacific
Halibut Commission (IPHC) stock
assessment and mortality data, and
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 43 / Monday, March 4, 2024 / Rules and Regulations
public testimony when apportioning the
halibut PSC limits. NMFS concurs with
the Council’s recommendations listed in
table 14, which shows the final 2024
and 2025 Pacific halibut PSC limits,
allowances, and apportionments.
Section 679.21(d)(4)(iii) and (iv)
specify that any unused amounts, or
overages, of a seasonal apportionment of
15501
a halibut PSC limit will be added to, or
deducted from, the next respective
seasonal apportionment within the
fishing year.
TABLE 14—FINAL 2024 AND 2025 PACIFIC HALIBUT PROHIBITED SPECIES CATCH (PSC) LIMITS, ALLOWANCES, AND
APPORTIONMENTS
[Values are in metric tons]
Hook-and-line gear 1
Trawl gear
Other than DSR
Season
Percent
DSR
Amount
Season
Percent
Amount
Season
Amount
January 20–April 1 ..................
April 1–July 1 ..........................
July 1–August 1 ......................
August 1–October 1 ................
October 1–December 31 .........
30.5
20.0
27.0
7.5
15.0
520
341
460
128
256
January 1–June 10 .................
June 10–September 1 ............
September 1–December 31 ...
.................................................
.................................................
86
2
12
..................
..................
220
5
31
..................
..................
January 1–December 31 ........
.................................................
.................................................
.................................................
.................................................
9
..................
..................
..................
..................
Total .................................
..................
1,705
.................................................
..................
256
.................................................
9
1 The
Pacific halibut prohibited species catch (PSC) limit for hook-and-line gear is assigned to the DSR fishery in the SEO District and to the hook-and-line fisheries
other than the DSR fishery. The fixed gear sablefish IFQ fishery is exempt from halibut PSC limits, as are pot and jig gear for all groundfish fisheries.
Section 679.21(d)(3)(ii) authorizes
further apportionment of the trawl
halibut PSC limit to trawl fishery
categories listed in § 679.21(d)(3)(iii).
The annual apportionments are based
on each category’s proportional share of
the anticipated halibut bycatch
mortality during the fishing year and
optimization of the total amount of
groundfish harvest under the halibut
PSC limit. The fishery categories for the
trawl halibut PSC limits are: (1) a deepwater species fishery, composed of
sablefish, rockfish, deep-water flatfish,
rex sole, and arrowtooth flounder; and
(2) a shallow-water species fishery,
composed of pollock, Pacific cod,
shallow-water flatfish, flathead sole,
Atka mackerel, and ‘‘other species’’
(sharks and octopuses)
(§ 679.21(d)(3)(iii)). Halibut mortality
incurred while directed fishing for
skates with trawl gear accrues towards
the shallow-water species fishery
halibut PSC limit (69 FR 26320, May 12,
2004).
NMFS will combine available trawl
halibut PSC limit apportionments
during a portion of the second season
deep-water and shallow-water species
fisheries for use in either fishery from
May 15 through June 30
(§ 679.21(d)(4)(iii)(D)). This is intended
to maintain groundfish harvest while
minimizing halibut bycatch by these
sectors to the extent practicable. This
provides the deep-water and shallowwater species trawl fisheries additional
flexibility and the incentive to
participate in fisheries at times of the
year that may have lower halibut PSC
rates relative to other times of the year.
Table 15 lists the final 2024 and 2025
apportionments of trawl halibut PSC
limits between the trawl gear deepwater and shallow-water species fishery
categories.
Table 28d to 50 CFR part 679 specifies
the amount of the trawl halibut PSC
limit that is assigned to the CV and CP
sectors that are participating in the
Rockfish Program. This includes 117.3
mt of halibut PSC limit to the CV sector
and 74.1 mt of halibut PSC limit to the
CP sector. These amounts are assigned
from the trawl deep-water species
fishery’s halibut PSC third seasonal
apportionment. After the combined CV
and CP halibut PSC limit allocation of
191.4 mt to the Rockfish Program, 148.6
mt remains for the trawl deep-water
species fishery’s halibut PSC third
seasonal apportionment.
Section 679.21(d)(4)(iii)(B) limits the
amount of the halibut PSC limit
assigned to Rockfish Program
participants that could be reapportioned to the last seasonal
apportionment for the general GOA
trawl fisheries during the current fishing
year to no more than 55 percent of the
unused annual halibut PSC limit
apportioned to Rockfish Program
participants. The remainder of the
unused Rockfish Program halibut PSC
limit is unavailable for use by any
person for the remainder of the fishing
year (§ 679.21(d)(4)(iii)(C)).
TABLE 15—FINAL 2024 AND 2025 APPORTIONMENT OF PACIFIC HALIBUT PROHIBITED SPECIES CATCH LIMITS BETWEEN
THE TRAWL GEAR DEEP-WATER SPECIES FISHERY AND THE SHALLOW-WATER SPECIES FISHERY CATEGORIES
[Values are in metric tons]
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Season
Deep-water 1
Shallow-water
Total
January 20–April 1 .....................................................................................................................
April 1–July 1 .............................................................................................................................
July 1–August 1 .........................................................................................................................
August 1–October 1 ...................................................................................................................
385
85
120
53
135
256
340
75
520
341
460
128
Subtotal January 20–October 1 .........................................................................................
643
806
1,449
October 1–December 31 2 .........................................................................................................
..........................
........................
256
Total .............................................................................................................................
..........................
........................
1,705
1 Vessels
participating in cooperatives in the Central GOA Rockfish Program will receive 191.4 mt of the third season (July 1 through August 1)
deep-water species fishery halibut PSC apportionment (see table 28d to 50 CFR part 679.
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 43 / Monday, March 4, 2024 / Rules and Regulations
2 There is no apportionment between trawl shallow-water and deep-water species fishery categories during the fifth season (October 1 through
December 31).
Section 679.21(d)(2)(i)(B) requires that
the ‘‘other hook-and-line fishery’’
halibut PSC limit apportionment to
vessels using hook-and-line gear must
be apportioned between CVs and CPs in
accordance with § 679.21(d)(2)(iii) in
conjunction with these harvest
specifications. The halibut PSC
apportionment is based on the Western
and Central GOA Pacific cod
allocations, which vary annually based
on the proportion of the Pacific cod
biomass between the Western, Central,
and Eastern GOA. Updated information
in the final 2023 SAFE report describes
this distributional calculation, which
apportions ABC among GOA regulatory
areas on the basis of the three most
recent stock surveys. For 2024 and 2025,
the distribution of the total GOA Pacific
cod ABC is 27.1 percent to the Western
GOA, 63.8 percent to the Central GOA,
and 9.1 percent to the Eastern GOA.
Therefore, the calculations made in
accordance with § 679.21(d)(2)(iii)
incorporate the most recent information
on GOA Pacific cod distribution and
allocations with respect to establishing
the annual halibut PSC limits for the CV
and CP hook-and-line sectors of the
‘‘other hook-and-line fishery.’’
Additionally, the annual halibut PSC
limits for both the CV and CP sectors of
the ‘‘other hook-and-line fishery’’ are
divided into three seasonal
apportionments, using seasonal
percentages of 86 percent, 2 percent,
and 12 percent.
For 2024 and 2025, NMFS apportions
halibut PSC limits of 149 mt and 107 mt
to the hook-and-line CV and hook-andline CP sectors, respectively. Table 16
lists the final 2024 and 2025
apportionments of halibut PSC limits
between the hook-and-line CV and the
hook-and-line CP sectors of the ‘‘other
hook-and-line fishery.’’
No later than November 1 of each
year, NMFS will calculate the projected
unused amount of halibut PSC limit by
either of the CV or CP hook-and-line
sectors that comprise the two sectors of
the ‘‘other hook-and-line fishery’’ for the
remainder of the year. The projected
unused amount of halibut PSC limit is
made available to the other sector for
the remainder of that fishing year
(§ 679.21(d)(2)(iii)(C)), if NMFS
determines that an additional amount of
halibut PSC is necessary for that sector
to continue its directed fishing
operations.
TABLE 16—FINAL 2024 AND 2025 APPORTIONMENTS OF THE ‘‘OTHER HOOK-AND-LINE FISHERY’’ ANNUAL HALIBUT PROHIBITED SPECIES CATCH ALLOWANCE BETWEEN THE HOOK-AND-LINE GEAR CATCHER VESSEL AND CATCHER/PROCESSOR SECTORS
[Values are in metric tons]
‘‘Other than
DSR’’
allowance
Hook-and-line
sector
256 ................
Catcher Vessel ....................
149
Catcher/Processor ...............
107
Sector annual
amount
Estimates of Halibut Biomass and Stock
Condition
The IPHC annually assesses the
abundance and potential yield of the
Pacific halibut stock using all available
data from the commercial and sport
fisheries, other removals, and scientific
surveys. Additional information on the
Pacific halibut stock assessment may be
found in the IPHC’s 2023 Pacific halibut
stock assessment (December 2023),
available on the IPHC website at https://
www.iphc.int. The IPHC considered the
2023 Pacific halibut stock assessment at
its January 2024 annual meeting when
it set the 2024 commercial halibut
fishery catch limits.
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Halibut Discard Mortality Rates
To monitor halibut bycatch mortality
allowances and apportionments, the
Regional Administrator uses observed
halibut incidental catch rates, halibut
discard mortality rates (DMRs), and
estimates of groundfish catch to project
when a fishery’s halibut bycatch
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January 1–June 10 ....................................
June 10–September 1 ................................
September 1–December 31 .......................
January 1–June 10 ....................................
June 10–September 1 ................................
September 1–December 31 .......................
mortality allowance or seasonal
apportionment is reached. Halibut
incidental catch rates are based on
observed estimates of halibut incidental
catch in the groundfish fishery. DMRs
are estimates of the proportion of
incidentally caught halibut that do not
survive after being returned to the sea.
The cumulative halibut mortality that
accrues to a particular halibut PSC limit
is the product of a DMR multiplied by
the estimated halibut PSC. DMRs are
estimated using the best scientific
information available in conjunction
with the annual GOA stock assessment
process. The DMR methodology and
findings are included as an appendix to
the annual GOA groundfish SAFE
report.
In 2016, the DMR estimation
methodology underwent revisions per
the Council’s directive. An interagency
halibut working group (IPHC, Council,
and NMFS staff) developed improved
estimation methods that have
undergone review by the GOA Plan
Team, SSC, and the Council. A
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percentage
Season
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86
2
12
86
2
12
Sector seasonal
amount
128
3
18
92
2
13
summary of the revised methodology is
contained in the GOA proposed 2017
and 2018 harvest specifications (81 FR
87881, December 6, 2016), and the
comprehensive discussion of the
working group’s statistical methodology
is available from the Council (see
ADDRESSES). The DMR working group’s
revised methodology is intended to
improve estimation accuracy,
transparency, and transferability in the
methodology used for calculating DMRs.
The working group will continue to
consider improvements to the
methodology used to calculate halibut
mortality, including potential changes
to the reference period (the period of
data used for calculating the DMRs).
The new methodology continues to
ensure that NMFS is using DMRs that
accurately reflect halibut mortality,
which will inform the sectors of their
estimated halibut mortality and allow
sectors to respond with methods that
could reduce mortality and, eventually,
the DMR for that sector.
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At the December 2023 meeting, the
SSC, AP, and Council concurred with
the revised DMR estimation
methodology, and NMFS adopts for
2024 and 2025 the DMRs calculated
under the revised methodology, which
uses an updated 2-year and 4-year
reference period depending on data
availability. The final 2024 and 2025
DMRs in this rule are unchanged from
15503
the DMRs in the proposed 2024 and
2025 harvest specifications (88 FR
85184, December 7, 2023). Table 17 lists
these final 2024 and 2025 DMRs.
TABLE 17—FINAL 2024 AND 2025 HALIBUT DISCARD MORTALITY RATES FOR VESSELS FISHING IN THE GULF OF ALASKA
[Values are percent of halibut assumed to be dead]
Gear
Sector
Groundfish fishery
Pelagic trawl ....................................
Catcher vessel .....................................................
Catcher/processor ................................................
Catcher vessel .....................................................
Catcher vessel .....................................................
Mothership and catcher/processor ......................
Catcher/processor ................................................
Catcher vessel .....................................................
Catcher vessel and catcher/processor ................
All ...................................................
All ...................................................
Rockfish Program ..........................
All others ........................................
All ...................................................
All ...................................................
All ...................................................
All ...................................................
Non-pelagic trawl ............................
Hook-and-line ..................................
Pot ...................................................
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Chinook Salmon Prohibited Species
Catch Limits
There are Chinook salmon PSC limits
for the directed pollock trawl fishery in
the Western and Central GOA. NMFS is
required to close the directed pollock
fishery in the Western and Central
Regulatory Areas of the GOA if the
applicable Chinook salmon PSC limit in
that regulatory area will be reached
(§ 679.21(h)(8)). The annual Chinook
salmon PSC limits in the directed
pollock fishery of 6,684 salmon in the
Western GOA and 18,316 salmon in the
Central GOA are set at § 679.21(h)(2).
There is also an established initial
annual PSC limit of 7,500 Chinook
salmon for the trawl non-pollock
groundfish fisheries in the Western and
Central GOA. This limit is apportioned
among the 3 sectors that conduct
directed fishing for groundfish species
other than pollock: 3,600 Chinook
salmon to trawl CPs; 1,200 Chinook
salmon to trawl CVs participating in the
Rockfish Program; and 2,700 Chinook
salmon to trawl CVs not participating in
the Rockfish Program (§ 679.21(h)(4)).
NMFS will monitor the Chinook salmon
PSC in the trawl non-pollock groundfish
fisheries and close an applicable sector
if it will reach its Chinook salmon PSC
limit.
The Chinook salmon PSC limit for
two sectors, trawl CPs and trawl CVs not
participating in the Rockfish Program,
may be increased in subsequent years
based on the performance of these two
sectors and their ability to minimize
their use of their respective Chinook
salmon PSC limits during a calendar
year. If either or both of these 2 sectors
limited its use of Chinook salmon PSC
to the specified threshold amount (3,120
for trawl CPs and 2,340 for NonRockfish Program trawl CVs), that sector
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will receive an incremental increase to
its Chinook salmon PSC limit
(§ 679.21(h)(4)). In 2023, the trawl CP
sector did not exceed 3,120 Chinook
salmon PSC; therefore, the 2024 trawl
CP sector Chinook salmon PSC limit
will be 4,080 Chinook salmon. In 2023,
the Non-Rockfish Program trawl CV
sector did not exceed 2,340 Chinook
salmon PSC; therefore, the 2024 NonRockfish Program trawl CV sector
Chinook salmon PSC limit will be 3,060
Chinook salmon.
American Fisheries Act (AFA) Catcher/
Processor and Catcher Vessel
Groundfish Harvest Limits
Section 679.64 establishes groundfish
harvesting and processing sideboard
limitations on AFA CPs and CVs in the
GOA. These sideboard limits are
necessary to protect the interests of
fishermen and processors who do not
directly benefit from the AFA as
compared to those fishermen and
processors who receive exclusive
harvesting and processing privileges
under the AFA. Section 679.7(k)(1)(ii)
prohibits listed AFA CPs and CPs
designated on a listed AFA CP permit
from harvesting any species of
groundfish in the GOA. Additionally,
§ 679.7(k)(1)(iv) prohibits listed AFA
CPs and CPs designated on a listed AFA
CP permit from processing any pollock
harvested in a directed pollock fishery
in the GOA and any groundfish
harvested in Statistical Area 630 of the
GOA.
AFA CVs that are less than 125 feet
(38.1 meters) length overall, have
annual landings of pollock in the Bering
Sea and Aleutian Islands of less than
5,100 mt, and have made at least 40
landings of GOA groundfish from 1995
through 1997 are exempt from GOA CV
groundfish sideboard limits
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Halibut discard
mortality rate
(percent)
100
100
56
69
83
11
10
26
(§ 679.64(b)(2)(ii)). Sideboard limits for
non-exempt AFA CVs in the GOA are
based on their traditional harvest levels
of TAC in groundfish fisheries covered
by the FMP. Section 679.64(b)(3)(iv)
establishes the CV groundfish sideboard
limits in the GOA based on the
aggregate retained catch by non-exempt
AFA CVs of each sideboard species from
2009 through 2019 divided by the TAC
for that species available to catcher
vessels from 2009 through 2019. Under
the PCTC Program, NMFS modified the
calculation of the sideboard ratios for
non-exempt AFA CVs, using the
qualifying years of 2009 through 2019
(88 FR 53704, August 8, 2023).
Previously, sideboard limits were based
on the ratio of catch to the TAC during
the years 1995 through 1997.
Non-exempt AFA CVs are prohibited
in regulation from directed fishing for
specific groundfish species or species
groups subject to sideboard limits
(§ 679.20(d)(1)(iv)(D) and Table 56 to 50
CFR part 679) (84 FR 2723, February 8,
2019). Under the PCTC Program, NMFS
also promulgated regulations to prohibit
non-exempt AFA CVs from directed
fishing for additional groundfish species
or species groups subject to sideboard
limits (88 FR 53704, August 8, 2023).
All of these prohibitions are found in
the revised Table 56 to 50 CFR part 679.
Sideboard limits for species or species
groups not listed in Table 56 continue
to be calculated and included in the
GOA annual harvest specifications.
Tables 18 and 19 list the final 2024
and 2025 groundfish sideboard limits
for non-exempt AFA CVs. NMFS will
deduct all targeted or incidental catch of
sideboard species made by non-exempt
AFA CVs from the sideboard limits
listed in tables 18 and 19.
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TABLE 18—FINAL 2024 GOA NON-EXEMPT AMERICAN FISHERIES ACT CATCHER VESSEL (CV) GROUNDFISH SIDEBOARD
LIMITS
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
Species
Apportionments by season/gear
Area/component
Pollock ...............................
A Season: January 20–May 31 .........................
Shumagin (610) ..............
Chirikof (620) ..................
Kodiak (630) ...................
Shumagin (610) ..............
Chirikof (620) ..................
Kodiak (630) ...................
WYK (640) ......................
W ....................................
C .....................................
W ....................................
C .....................................
C .....................................
C .....................................
C .....................................
C .....................................
B Season: September 1–November 1 ...............
Pacific cod .........................
Annual ................................................................
A Season: 1 January 1–June 10 ........................
B Season: 2 September 1–December 31 ...........
Flatfish, shallow-water .......
Rex sole ............................
Arrowtooth flounder ...........
Flathead sole .....................
1 The
2 The
3 The
Annual
Annual
Annual
Annual
................................................................
................................................................
................................................................
................................................................
Ratio of 2009–2019
non-exempt AFA CV
retained catch to
2009–2019 TAC
Final 2024
TACs 3
0.057
0.064
0.091
0.057
0.064
0.091
0.026
0.009
0.011
0.009
0.011
0.011
0.014
0.011
0.007
5,422
70,918
13,862
33,460
20,019
36,725
5,565
3,899
9,894
2,222
5,548
27,783
13,639
64,871
21,307
Final 2024
non-exempt
AFA CV
sideboard limit
309
4,539
1,261
1,907
1,281
3,342
145
35
109
20
61
306
191
714
149
Pacific cod A season for trawl gear does not open until January 20.
Pacific cod B season for trawl gear closes November 1.
Western and Central GOA and WYK District area apportionments of pollock are considered ACLs.
TABLE 19—FINAL 2025 GOA NON-EXEMPT AMERICAN FISHERIES ACT CATCHER VESSEL (CV) GROUNDFISH SIDEBOARD
LIMITS
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
Species
Apportionments by season/gear
Area/component
Pollock ...............................
A Season: January 20–May 31 .........................
Shumagin (610) ..............
Chirikof (620) ..................
Kodiak (630) ...................
Shumagin (610) ..............
Chirikof (620) ..................
Kodiak (630) ...................
WYK (640) ......................
W ....................................
C .....................................
W ....................................
C .....................................
C .....................................
C .....................................
C .....................................
C .....................................
B Season: September 1–November 1 ...............
Pacific cod .........................
Annual ................................................................
A Season: 1 January 1–June 10 ........................
B Season: 2 September 1–December 31 ...........
Flatfish, shallow-water .......
Rex sole ............................
Arrowtooth flounder ...........
Flathead sole .....................
1 The
2 The
3 The
Annual
Annual
Annual
Annual
................................................................
................................................................
................................................................
................................................................
Ratio of 2009–2019
non-exempt AFA CV
retained catch to
2009–2019 TAC
Final 2025
TAC 3
0.057
0.064
0.091
0.057
0.064
0.091
0.026
0.009
0.011
0.009
0.011
0.011
0.014
0.011
0.007
4,483
58,629
11,460
27,661
16,550
30,361
4,601
3,406
8,641
1,941
4,845
28,311
13,624
64,688
21,702
Final 2025
non-exempt
AFA CV
sideboard limit
256
3,752
1,043
1,577
1,059
2,763
120
31
95
17
53
311
191
712
152
Pacific cod A season for trawl gear does not open until January 20.
Pacific cod B season for trawl gear closes November 1.
Western and Central GOA and WYK District area apportionments of pollock are considered ACLs.
Non-Exempt AFA Catcher Vessel
Halibut PSC Limits
The non-exempt AFA catcher vessels
and the associated LLP licenses PSC
limit for halibut in the GOA will be an
annual amount based on a static ratio of
0.072, which was derived from the
aggregate retained groundfish catch by
non-exempt AFA CVs in each PSC target
category from 2009 through 2019
(§ 679.64(b)(4)(ii)). This change was
implemented with the PCTC Program
(88 FR 53704, August 8, 2023). Prior to
the PCTC Program, the halibut PSC
sideboard limits for non-exempt AFA
CVs in the GOA were based on the
aggregate retained groundfish catch by
non-exempt AFA CVs in each PSC target
category from 1995 through 1997
divided by the retained catch of all
vessels in that fishery from 1995
through 1997. Table 20 lists the final
2024 and 2025 non-exempt AFA CV
halibut PSC sideboard limits for vessels
using trawl gear in the GOA.
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TABLE 20—FINAL 2024 AND 2025 NON-EXEMPT AFA CV HALIBUT PROHIBITED SPECIES CATCH (PSC) SIDEBOARD
LIMITS FOR VESSELS USING TRAWL GEAR IN THE GOA
Ratio
(percent)
Annual trawl gear
halibut PSC limit
(mt)
Annual non-exempt
AFA CV halibut PSC limit
(mt)
0.072
1,705
123
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Non-AFA Crab Vessel Groundfish
Harvest Limitations
Section 680.22 establishes groundfish
catch limits for vessels with a history of
participation in the Bering Sea snow
crab fishery to prevent these vessels
from using the increased flexibility
provided by the Crab Rationalization
(CR) Program to expand their level of
participation in the GOA groundfish
fisheries. Sideboard limits restrict these
vessels’ catch to their collective
historical landings in each GOA
groundfish fishery (except the fixed-gear
sablefish fishery). Sideboard limits also
apply to catch made using an LLP
license derived from the history of a
restricted vessel, even if that LLP
license is used on another vessel.
The basis for these sideboard limits is
described in detail in the final rules
implementing the major provisions of
the CR Program, including Amendments
18 and 19 to the Fishery Management
Plan for Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands
King and Tanner Crabs (Crab FMP) (70
FR 10174, March 2, 2005), Amendment
34 to the Crab FMP (76 FR 35772, June
20, 2011), Amendment 83 to the GOA
FMP (76 FR 74670, December 1, 2011),
Amendment 45 to the Crab FMP (80 FR
28539, May 19, 2015), and a rulemaking
15505
to prohibit non-AFA crab vessels from
directed fishing for all groundfish
species or species groups subject to
sideboard limits, except for Pacific cod
apportioned to CVs using pot gear in the
Western and Central Regulatory Areas
(§ 680.22(e)(1)(iii)) (84 FR 2723,
February 8, 2019).
Tables 21 and 22 list the final 2024
and 2025 groundfish sideboard
limitations for non-AFA crab vessels.
All targeted or incidental catch of
sideboard species made by non-AFA
crab vessels or associated LLP licenses
will be deducted from these sideboard
limits.
TABLE 21—FINAL 2024 GOA NON-AMERICAN FISHERIES ACT CRAB VESSEL GROUNDFISH SIDEBOARD LIMITS
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
Ratio of 1996–2000
non-AFA crab vessel
catch to 1996–2000
total harvest
Species
Season
Area/gear
Pacific cod ............
A Season: January 1–June 10 ......................
Western Pot CV ..............................
Central Pot CV ................................
Western Pot CV ..............................
Central Pot CV ................................
B Season: September 1–December 31 ........
0.0997
0.0474
0.0997
0.0474
Final 2024
TACs
Final 2024
non-AFA
crab vessel
sideboard limit
3,899
9,894
2,222
5,548
389
469
221
263
TABLE 22—FINAL 2025 GOA NON-AMERICAN FISHERIES ACT CRAB VESSEL GROUNDFISH SIDEBOARD LIMITS
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
Season
Area/gear
Pacific cod ............
A Season: January 1–June 10 ......................
Western Pot CV ..............................
Central Pot CV ................................
Western Pot CV ..............................
Central Pot CV ................................
B Season: September 1–December 31 ........
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with RULES
Ratio of 1996–2000
non-AFA crab vessel
catch to 1996–2000
total harvest
Species
Rockfish Program Groundfish Sideboard
and Halibut PSC Limitations
The Rockfish Program establishes
three classes of sideboard provisions:
CV groundfish sideboard restrictions,
CP rockfish sideboard restrictions, and
CP opt-out vessel sideboard restrictions
(§ 679.82(c)(1)). These sideboards are
intended to limit the ability of rockfish
harvesters to expand into other GOA
groundfish fisheries.
CVs participating in the Rockfish
Program may not participate in directed
fishing for dusky rockfish, Pacific ocean
perch, and northern rockfish in the West
Yakutat District and Western GOA from
July 1 through July 31. Also, CVs may
not participate in directed fishing for
arrowtooth flounder, deep-water
flatfish, and rex sole in the GOA from
July 1 through July 31 (§ 679.82(d)).
CPs participating in Rockfish Program
cooperatives are restricted by rockfish
and halibut PSC sideboard limits. These
CPs are prohibited from directed fishing
for dusky rockfish, Pacific ocean perch,
and northern rockfish in the West
Yakutat District and Western GOA from
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16:06 Mar 01, 2024
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July 1 through July 31 (§ 679.82(e)(2)).
Prior to 2021, CPs participating in
Rockfish Program cooperatives were
restricted by rockfish sideboard limits in
the Western GOA. A final rule that
implemented Amendment 111 to the
FMP (86 FR 11895, March 1, 2021)
removed from regulation the Western
GOA rockfish sideboard limits for
Rockfish Program CPs. That rule also
revised and clarified the establishment
of the West Yakutat District rockfish
sideboard ratios in regulation. The
rockfish sideboard ratio for each
rockfish fishery in the West Yakutat
District is an established percentage of
the TAC for CPs in the directed fishery
for dusky rockfish and Pacific ocean
perch (§ 679.82(e)(4)). These percentages
are confidential.
Holders of CP-designated LLP licenses
that opt out of participating in a
Rockfish Program cooperative will be
able to access that portion of each
rockfish sideboard limit that is not
assigned to rockfish cooperatives
(§ 679.82(e)(7)).
PO 00000
Frm 00075
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
0.0997
0.0474
0.0997
0.0474
Final 2025
TACs
3,406
8,641
1,941
4,845
Final 2025
non-AFA
crab vessel
sideboard limit
340
410
193
230
Under the Rockfish Program, the CP
sector is subject to halibut PSC
sideboard limits for the trawl deepwater and shallow-water species
fisheries (§ 679.82(e)(3) and (5)). Halibut
PSC sideboard ratios by fishery are set
forth in § 679.82(e)(5). The CP sector
halibut PSC sideboard limits are
effective from July 1 through July 31
(§ 679.82(c)(4), (e)(6)). No halibut PSC
sideboard limits apply to the CV sector,
as CVs participating in cooperatives
receive a portion of the annual halibut
PSC limit. CPs that opt out of the
Rockfish Program are able to access that
portion of the deep-water and shallowwater species fishery halibut PSC
sideboard limit not assigned to CP
rockfish cooperatives. The sideboard
provisions for CPs that elect to opt out
of participating in a rockfish cooperative
are described in § 679.82(c), (e), and (f).
Sideboard limits are linked to the catch
history of specific vessels; however,
some of these vessels may choose to opt
out of the Rockfish Program. After
March 1, NMFS will determine which
CPs have opted-out of the Rockfish
E:\FR\FM\04MRR1.SGM
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 43 / Monday, March 4, 2024 / Rules and Regulations
Program in 2024, and NMFS will know
the ratios and amounts used to calculate
opt-out sideboard ratios. NMFS will
then calculate any applicable opt-out
sideboards for 2024 and announce these
limits after March 1. Table 23 lists the
final 2024 and 2025 Rockfish Program
halibut PSC sideboard limits for the CP
sector.
TABLE 23—FINAL 2024 AND 2025 ROCKFISH PROGRAM HALIBUT PSC SIDEBOARD LIMITS FOR THE CATCHER/PROCESSOR
SECTOR
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
Sector
Shallow-water
species fishery
halibut PSC
sideboard ratio
(percent)
Deep-water
species fishery
halibut PSC
sideboard ratio
(percent)
2024 and 2025
halibut
mortality limit
(mt)
Annual shallowwater species
fishery halibut
PSC sideboard
limit
(mt)
Annual deepwater species
fishery halibut
PSC sideboard
limit
(mt)
Catcher/processor ..................................
0.1
2.5
1,705
2
43
Amendment 80 Program Groundfish
and PSC Sideboard Limits
Amendment 80 to the Fishery
Management Plan for Groundfish of the
Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands
Management Area (Amendment 80
Program) established a limited access
privilege program for the non-AFA trawl
CP sector. The Amendment 80 Program
established groundfish and halibut PSC
catch limits for Amendment 80 Program
participants to limit the ability of
participants eligible for the Amendment
80 Program to expand their harvest
efforts in the GOA.
Section 679.92 establishes groundfish
harvesting sideboard limits on all
Amendment 80 program vessels, other
than the fishing vessel (F/V) ‘‘Golden
Fleece’’, to amounts no greater than the
limits listed in table 37 to 50 CFR part
679. Under § 679.92(d), the F/V ‘‘Golden
Fleece’’ is prohibited from directed
fishing for pollock, Pacific cod, Pacific
ocean perch, dusky rockfish, and
northern rockfish in the GOA.
Groundfish sideboard limits for
Amendment 80 Program vessels
operating in the GOA are based on their
average aggregate harvests from 1998
through 2004 (72 FR 52668, September
14, 2007). Tables 24 and 25 list the final
2024 and 2025 groundfish sideboard
limits for Amendment 80 Program
vessels. NMFS will deduct all targeted
or incidental catch of sideboard species
made by Amendment 80 Program
vessels from the sideboard limits in
tables 24 and 25.
TABLE 24—FINAL 2024 GOA GROUNDFISH SIDEBOARD LIMITS FOR AMENDMENT 80 PROGRAM VESSELS
[Values are rounded to nearest metric ton]
Species
Apportionments and
allocations by
season
Pollock 1 ...............................
A Season: January 20–May 31 ...............................
Area
B Season: September 1–November 1 ....................
Pacific cod ...........................
Annual ......................................................................
A Season 2: January 1–June 10 ..............................
B Season 3: September 1–December 31 ................
Pacific ocean perch .............
Annual ......................................................................
Annual ......................................................................
Northern rockfish .................
Dusky rockfish .....................
Annual ......................................................................
Annual ......................................................................
1 The
2 The
3 The
Ratio of
Amendment 80
sector vessels
1998–2004
catch to TAC
Shumagin (610) ..............
Chirikof (620) ..................
Kodiak (630) ...................
Shumagin (610) ..............
Chirikof (620) ..................
Kodiak (630) ...................
WYK (640) ......................
W ....................................
C .....................................
W ....................................
C .....................................
WYK ...............................
W ....................................
WYK ...............................
W ....................................
W ....................................
WYK ...............................
0.003
0.002
0.002
0.003
0.002
0.002
0.002
0.020
0.044
0.020
0.044
0.034
0.994
0.961
1.000
0.764
0.896
2024 TAC
(mt)
2024 Amendment
80 vessel
sideboard limit
(mt)
5,422
70,918
13,862
33,460
20,019
36,725
5,565
3,899
9,894
2,222
5,548
2,203
1,787
2,110
2,535
145
84
16
142
28
100
40
73
11
78
435
44
244
75
1,776
2,028
2,535
111
75
Western and Central GOA and WYK District area apportionments of pollock are considered ACLs.
Pacific cod A season for trawl gear does not open until January 20.
Pacific cod B season for trawl gear closes November 1.
TABLE 25—FINAL 2025 GOA GROUNDFISH SIDEBOARD LIMITS FOR AMENDMENT 80 PROGRAM VESSELS
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with RULES
[Values are rounded to nearest metric ton]
Species
Apportionments and
allocations by
season
Pollock 1 ...............................
A Season: January 20–May 31 ...............................
Area
B Season: September 1–November 1 ....................
Annual ......................................................................
VerDate Sep<11>2014
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Frm 00076
Fmt 4700
Ratio of
Amendment 80
sector vessels
1998–2004
catch to TAC
Shumagin (610) ..............
Chirikof (620) ..................
Kodiak (630) ...................
Shumagin (610) ..............
Chirikof (620) ..................
Kodiak (630) ...................
WYK (640) ......................
Sfmt 4700
E:\FR\FM\04MRR1.SGM
0.003
0.002
0.002
0.003
0.002
0.002
0.002
04MRR1
2025 TAC
(mt)
4,483
58,629
11,460
27,661
16,550
30,361
4,601
2025 Amendment
80 vessel
sideboard limit
(mt)
83
33
61
96
150
84
9
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 43 / Monday, March 4, 2024 / Rules and Regulations
15507
TABLE 25—FINAL 2025 GOA GROUNDFISH SIDEBOARD LIMITS FOR AMENDMENT 80 PROGRAM VESSELS—Continued
[Values are rounded to nearest metric ton]
Species
Apportionments and
allocations by
season
Pacific cod ...........................
A Season 2: January 1–June 10 ..............................
Area
B Season 3: September 1–December 31 ................
Pacific ocean perch .............
Northern rockfish .................
Dusky rockfish .....................
1 The
2 The
3 The
Annual ......................................................................
Annual ......................................................................
..................................................................................
Annual ......................................................................
Annual ......................................................................
Ratio of
Amendment 80
sector vessels
1998–2004
catch to TAC
W ....................................
C .....................................
W ....................................
C .....................................
WYK ...............................
W ....................................
WYK ...............................
W ....................................
W ....................................
WYK ...............................
0.020
0.044
0.020
0.044
0.034
0.994
0.961
1.000
0.764
0.896
2025 TAC
(mt)
2025 Amendment
80 vessel
sideboard limit
(mt)
3,406
8,641
1,941
4,845
1,924
1,726
2,038
2,446
137
81
68
150
39
213
65
1,716
1,959
2,446
105
73
Western and Central GOA and WYK District area apportionments of pollock are considered ACLs.
Pacific cod A season for trawl gear does not open until January 20.
Pacific cod B season for trawl gear closes November 1.
The halibut PSC sideboard limits for
Amendment 80 Program vessels in the
GOA are based on the historic use of
halibut PSC by Amendment 80 Program
vessels in each PSC target category from
1998 through 2004. These values are
slightly lower than the average historic
use to accommodate two factors:
allocation of halibut PSC cooperative
quota under the Rockfish Program and
the exemption of the F/V Golden Fleece
from this restriction (§ 679.92(b)(2)).
Table 26 lists the final 2024 and 2025
halibut PSC sideboard limits for
Amendment 80 Program vessels. These
tables incorporate the maximum
percentages of the halibut PSC
sideboard limits that may be used by
Amendment 80 Program vessels as
contained in table 38 to 50 CFR part
679. Any residual amount of a seasonal
Amendment 80 halibut PSC sideboard
limit may carry forward to the next
season limit (§ 679.92(b)(2)).
TABLE 26—FINAL 2024 AND 2025 HALIBUT PSC SIDEBOARD LIMITS FOR AMENDMENT 80 PROGRAM VESSELS IN THE
GOA
[Values are rounded to nearest metric ton]
2024 and 2025
annual halibut
PSC limit
(mt)
2024 and 2025
Amendment 80
vessel halibut
PSC limit
Season
Season dates
Target fishery
1 ........................
January 20–April 1 .................................
2 ........................
April 1–July 1 .........................................
3 ........................
July 1–August 1 .....................................
4 ........................
August 1–October 1 ...............................
5 ........................
October 1–December 31 .......................
shallow-water .........
deep-water .............
shallow-water .........
deep-water .............
shallow-water .........
deep-water .............
shallow-water .........
deep-water .............
shallow-water .........
deep-water .............
0.0048
0.0115
0.0189
0.1072
0.0146
0.0521
0.0074
0.0014
0.0227
0.0371
1,705
1,705
1,705
1,705
1,705
1,705
1,705
1,705
1,705
1,705
8
20
32
183
25
89
13
2
39
63
Total ...........
................................................................
................................
..................................
............................
474
Directed Fishing Closures
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with RULES
Historic
Amendment 80
use of the annual
halibut PSC
limit catch
(ratio)
Pursuant to § 679.20(d)(1)(i), if the
Regional Administrator determines (1)
that any allocation or apportionment of
a target species or species group
allocated or apportioned to a fishery
will be reached; or (2) with respect to
pollock and Pacific cod, that an
allocation or apportionment to an
inshore or offshore component or sector
VerDate Sep<11>2014
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allocation will be reached, then the
Regional Administrator may establish a
directed fishing allowance (DFA) for
that species or species group. If the
Regional Administrator establishes a
DFA and that allowance is or will be
reached before the end of the fishing
season or year, NMFS will prohibit
directed fishing for that species or
species group in the specified GOA
PO 00000
Frm 00077
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
subarea, regulatory area, or district
(§ 679.20(d)(1)(iii)).
The Regional Administrator has
determined that the TACs for the
species and species groups listed in
table 27 are necessary to account for the
incidental catch of these species in
other anticipated groundfish fisheries
for the 2024 and 2025 fishing years.
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 43 / Monday, March 4, 2024 / Rules and Regulations
TABLE 27—2024 AND 2025 DIRECTED FISHING CLOSURES IN THE GOA
[Amounts for incidental catch in other directed fisheries are in metric tons]
Incidental catch amount and year
(if amounts differ by year)
Target
Area/component/gear
Pollock ..................................................................
Sablefish 2 .............................................................
all/offshore ...................................................
all/trawl ........................................................
Pacific cod ............................................................
Shortraker rockfish 2 .............................................
Rougheye/blackspotted rockfish.2 ........................
Western, CV, HAL ......................................
Western, CP, trawl ......................................
Central, CP, trawl ........................................
All ................................................................
All ................................................................
Thornyhead rockfish 2 ...........................................
Other rockfish .......................................................
Atka mackerel .......................................................
Big skate ...............................................................
Longnose skate ....................................................
Other skates .........................................................
Sharks ...................................................................
Octopuses .............................................................
All
All
All
All
All
All
All
All
................................................................
................................................................
................................................................
................................................................
................................................................
................................................................
................................................................
................................................................
not applicable.1
3,283 (2024).
3,297 (2025).
83 (2024), 72 (2025).
142 (2024), 124 (2025).
635 (2024), 555 (2025).
647.
1,037 (2024).
1,041 (2025).
1,628.
1,653.
4,700.
2,853.
2,536.
665.
4,891.
980.
1 Pollock
is closed to directed fishing in the GOA by the offshore component under § 679.20(a)(6)(i).
are not applicable to participants in cooperatives conducted under the Central GOA Rockfish Program because cooperatives are
prohibited from exceeding their allocations (§ 679.7(n)(6)(viii)).
2 Closures
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with RULES
Consequently, in accordance with
§ 679.20(d)(1)(i), the Regional
Administrator establishes the DFA for
the species or species groups listed in
table 27 as zero mt. Therefore, in
accordance with § 679.20(d)(1)(iii),
NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for
those species and species groups, areas,
gear types, and components in the GOA
listed in table 27 effective at 1200 hours,
A.l.t., March 4, 2024, through 2400
hours, A.l.t., December 31, 2025.
Closures implemented under the 2023
and 2024 GOA harvest specifications for
groundfish (88 FR 13238, March 2,
2023) remain effective under authority
of these final 2024 and 2025 harvest
specifications and until the date
specified in those closure notifications.
Closures are posted at the following
website under the Alaska filter for
Management Areas: https://www.
fisheries.noaa.gov/rules-andannouncements/bulletins.
While these closures are in effect, the
maximum retainable amounts at
§ 679.20(e) and (f) apply at any time
during a fishing trip. These closures to
directed fishing are in addition to
closures and prohibitions found at 50
CFR part 679. NMFS may implement
other closures during the 2024 and 2025
fishing years as necessary for effective
conservation and management.
Comments and Responses
NMFS received two comment letters
with seven unique comments during the
public comment period for the proposed
GOA groundfish harvest specifications
(88 FR 85184, December 7, 2023). One
comment letter was from an individual
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Jkt 262001
and the other was from a nongovernmental organization. NMFS’s
responses to the seven unique
comments raised in the comment letters
are addressed below.
Comment 1: The GOA harvest
specifications do not consider the
impact of offshore wind on the marine
environment.
Response: This is outside of the scope
of the harvest specifications. The final
rule implementing the harvest
specifications sets the OFL, ABC, and
TAC for target species in the GOA, but
does not regulate or authorize offshore
wind. There is no current or planned
offshore wind project in Alaska State
waters or EEZ waters off of Alaska.
Comment 2: Salmon are important for
the cultural well-being of Alaska native
tribes. Climate change is negatively
affecting salmon and additive pressure
from the pollock fishery is exacerbating
their declines. Maintaining the status
quo TAC for pollock harvest will result
in continued bycatch and impacts to
salmon and halibut as the pollock
industry catches more individual
salmon and halibut as bycatch than
directed and subsistence fishermen of
Alaska are allocated for their survival
and livelihoods.
Response: NMFS recognizes that
salmon are paramount to the cultural
well-being for indigenous peoples of
Alaska. NMFS also recognizes that
climate change is affecting the survival
of western Alaska Chinook and chum
salmon in their freshwater and marine
life stages.
The annual TAC setting process is a
robust, expansive process that involves
significant scientific input and includes
PO 00000
Frm 00078
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
consideration of current environmental
and ecosystem factors (like climate
change) and other marine resources (like
salmon and halibut). Scientists from the
AFSC prepare the assessment using
statistical analyses of fish populations
and draft the written assessment for a
species or species group, which for GOA
pollock is a full assessment updated
annually. The assessments for the GOA
are informed by the most recent survey
and harvest data available, including
multiple surveys conducted annually
and biennially in the GOA. The stock
assessment then undergoes rigorous
review by the scientists and resource
managers on the Plan Team and SSC.
During this annual TAC setting
process, the Plan Team, SSC, AP, and
Council review several sources
comprising the best scientific
information available—the ESR, ESPs,
stock assessments, and Plan Team
reports—and use all these materials as
reference in their OFL and ABC (the
biological reference points), and TAC
(the harvest target/limit),
recommendations to NMFS. NMFS
reviews the same information for its
annual decision to implement the OFL,
ABC, and TAC for GOA groundfish.
Updates on salmon abundance
estimates, commercial salmon catch,
and the physical environment are
included in the ESR and ESP. For an
overview of the ESR and ESP, refer to
the response to Comment 3.
The stock assessment author and Plan
Team make a recommendation for OFL
and ABC for each species and species
group, and the SSC may concur with
this recommendation or make a
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04MRR1
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 43 / Monday, March 4, 2024 / Rules and Regulations
different recommendation. Ultimately,
the SSC recommends the OFL and ABC
that inform the setting of the TAC for
each species and species group since
TAC cannot exceed ABC (Section
3.2.3.4.1 of the FMP; 50 CFR
600.310(g)(4)). This ensures that TAC
for each species and species group does
not exceed the scientific
recommendations for ABC and OFL.
OFL and ABC are calculated using
prescribed methods set forth in the
FMP. The FMP specifies a series of six
tiers to define OFL and ABC amounts
based on the level of reliable
information available to fishery
scientists. Tier 1 represents the highest
level of information quality available,
while Tier 6 represents the lowest. The
methods for calculating OFL and ABC
(including the ABC control rule) become
more precautionary depending on the
tier and stock status. For example, with
less reliable information the larger the
buffer between OFL and ABC. As stock
status declines the OFL and ABC are
reduced.
The specification of ABC is informed
by the ecosystem, environmental, and
socioeconomic factors presented in the
stock assessment and the ESRs,
specifically the stock-specific risk table
prepared for each stock as well as an
additional ecosystem considerations
section prepared for full/operational
assessments. For GOA pollock, the
ecosystem considerations section is
included in the ESP prepared with the
stock assessment, and the GOA pollock
assessment also includes an overview of
bycatch of salmon and halibut in the
GOA pollock fishery. The 2023 ESRs for
the Alaska ecosystems provide
information on the status of salmon in
the GOA ecosystem including updated
information on the abundance of
salmon, fish condition, and run sizes.
The specification of the pollock TAC is
therefore based on the best scientific
information available on the status of
the pollock stock and accounts for
ecosystem, environmental, and
socioeconomic factors, including
bycatch of non-target species like
salmon.
In the groundfish fisheries, salmon
and halibut are a non-target species and
are considered a prohibited species. For
the GOA pollock fisheries, there are
separate Chinook salmon PSC limits for
the Western GOA (6,684 salmon) and
Central GOA (18,316 salmon). There is
also a trawl non-pollock limit for
Chinook salmon in the Western and
Central GOA. The limit is 7,500
Chinook and is further apportioned to
trawl CPs (3,600), trawl CVs
participating in the Central GOA
Rockfish Program (1,200), and trawl CVs
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:06 Mar 01, 2024
Jkt 262001
not participating in the Rockfish
Program (2,700). NMFS monitors
Chinook PSC and will close a sector or
fishery if the PSC limit is reached. For
halibut, the regulations set a halibut
PSC limit for trawl gear of 1,705 mt, and
the estimated halibut bycatch mortality
through December 31, 2023 is 289 mt for
trawl gear. NMFS also posts weekly PSC
reports on the web page at https://www.
fisheries.noaa.gov/alaska/commercialfishing/fisheries-catch-and-landingsreports-alaska.
Additionally, NMFS releases a report
of the genetic stock composition of
Chinook salmon in the GOA trawl
fisheries on an annual basis. The latest
report was presented to the Council in
April 2023 using data from the 2021 and
2022 pollock trawl fisheries. The report
showed that the majority of Chinook
salmon encountered and sampled
originate from South and East of the
Alaska Peninsula. That report is
available at https://meetings.npfmc.org/
CommentReview/DownloadFile?p=
a5e7366b-bb9f-429a-b1b2636ecfd1f442.pdf&fileName=
C2a%20GOA%20Chinook%20
Genetics%202021-2022.pdf.
Ultimately, NMFS manages bycatch in
the GOA pollock fishery through a
variety of tools. These tools include the
PSC limits (which are announced in
these annual harvest specifications), and
a comprehensive monitoring program to
collect data on bycatch, including
salmon bycatch. The information from
this monitoring program is used to
estimate how many Chinook and chum
salmon are caught as bycatch from trawl
vessels, where those fish came from,
and whether a potential violation of law
occurred.
NMFS acknowledges the western
Alaska salmon crisis and the impact it
is having on culture and food security
throughout western Alaska. Science
indicates climate change as the primary
driver of poor salmon returns in western
Alaska. Scientists from NMFS continue
to study the impacts of climate change
on salmon and halibut. For example,
scientists from NMFS and the State of
Alaska found that recent heat wave
events created conditions where energy
allocation and prey quality was affected
and added stress to western Alaska
chum salmon at critical life stages, see
https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/
meps/v726/p149-160/.
The Council and NMFS are
committed to continued improvements
in bycatch management with a goal of
minimizing bycatch at all levels of
abundance for target species (pollock)
and PSC. NMFS and the Council are
currently engaged in a comprehensive
process to evaluate existing measures
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and develop alternatives that may be
necessary to further reduce chum
salmon bycatch in the Bering Sea
pollock fishery. More information on
this process can be found at https://
www.npfmc.org/fisheries-issues/
bycatch/salmon-bycatch/. However, the
Chinook salmon and Pacific halibut PSC
limits and the conditions that affect the
limits are set in regulations, and
changes to those regulations are outside
of the scope of the annual harvest
specification process. NMFS believes
that changes to bycatch management of
all prohibited species, including
Chinook salmon, chum salmon, and
Pacific halibut, are best accomplished
through the Council process to
recommend FMP amendments and
regulations that NMFS would
implement if consistent with the
Magnuson-Stevens Act, the FMP, and
other applicable law.
Comment 3: Management of fisheries,
including TAC setting and PSC limits,
should include ecosystem based fishery
management.
Response: The annual process for
specifying TAC for groundfish in the
GOA is a scientifically-driven process
informed by the best available
information on the status of the marine
ecosystems off Alaska. Each year, an
ESR is prepared for the GOA ecosystem
(as well as for the Bering Sea and
Aleutian Islands ecosystems). The intent
of the ESRs is to provide the Plan Team,
SSC, AP, Council, and NMFS, as well as
the public, with a broad overview of the
current status of the marine ecosystems.
The ESRs are drafted by scientists and
staff from NOAA, other Federal and
state agencies, academic institutions,
tribes, and non-profits, and they
compile and summarize information
about the status of the Alaska marine
ecosystems and represent the best
scientific information available.
The ESRs include information on the
physical environment and
oceanography, climate data, biological
data, marine resources, and socioecological dimensions to provide
context for the specification of OFL,
ABC, and TAC. For example, the 2024
ESR for the GOA includes a synthesis of
ecosystem status indicators in the
physical environment (such as sea
surface temperature, sea level pressure
anomalies, and ocean transport); habitat
(including ocean acidification); analysis
of primary production (such as
phytoplankton) and zooplankton; trends
for non-target species and discards,
including sea jellies, forage fish like
herring and eulachon, and squid;
updated information on salmon;
groundfish condition and distribution;
benthic communities; a seabird
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synthesis and seabird-derived forage
fish indicators; marine mammals,
including humpback whales and Steller
sea lions; ecosystem and community
indicators; and fishing indicators,
including a sustainability index. The
2024 GOA ESR is available at https://
apps-afsc.fisheries.noaa.gov/REFM/
docs/2023/GOAecosys.pdf.
Information from the ESRs are
integrated in stock assessments,
primarily through the risk tables that are
prepared for each stock. The risk table
includes evaluation of four
considerations: assessment-related,
population dynamics, and
environmental/ecosystem, and fishery
performance. The risk table is meant to
inform the specification of ABC by
accounting for additional scientific
uncertainty that is not addressed in the
stock assessment model used to
calculate OFL and ABC based on the
stock’s tier and the corresponding OFL
and ABC control rules in the FMP.
Because TAC cannot exceed ABC,
reductions in ABC based on the risk
table result in additional precaution in
the catch limits for groundfish of the
GOA. The risk table can highlight
changes in ecosystem conditions. For
example, in the 2019 Pacific cod SAFE
report, the risk table assessed three
considerations that were elevated to
level 2. As a result of the elevated risk,
authors recommending setting the ABC
below the maximum. Further, because
the 2019 GOA Pacific cod stock was
estimated to be below 20 percent of the
projected unfished spawning biomass
(B20%), directed fishing was prohibited
during the 2020 fishing year for the
conservation of western Distinct
Population Segment Steller sea lions (84
FR 70438, December 23, 2019). This
prohibition is set in regulations
(§ 679.20(d)(4)).
Some stock assessments, GOA
pollock, GOA Pacific cod, and AK
Sablefish, also include an ESP. The ESP
was developed as a framework for
organizing and evaluating ecosystem
and socioeconomic information about
an individual stock. The ESP informs
environmental and ecosystem
considerations, population dynamics,
and fisheries performance in the risk
table on pollock. For example, the ESP
for GOA pollock is cited in the pollock
SAFE for both temperature and catch
per unit effort (CPUE). Temperature is
within the optimal range for pollock life
history stages in 2023 and CPUE is
consistent with the abundance trend of
exploitable biomass. The GOA pollock
ESP is available at https://apps-afsc.
fisheries.noaa.gov/Plan_Team/2023/
GOApollock_appA.pdf.
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The information from the ESRs, stock
assessments, and ESPs allows the Plan
Team, SSC, AP, Council, and NMFS to
respond to ecosystem changes and stock
changes in the GOA and to adjust the
harvest specifications as necessary. This
is consistent with the FMP and the
preferred harvest strategy analyzed in
the Final EIS and implemented each
year for the specification of TAC. The
Final EIS contemplated that ABCs could
be reduced based on ecosystem
considerations (Chapter 11 of Final EIS).
The harvest strategy is designed such
that the most recent information would
be used each year in setting the annual
harvest specification. The process is
flexible to incorporate current
information on stock abundance and
environmental, ecosystem, and
socioeconomic factors (like physical and
ecosystem changes associated with
climate change). Similarly, the FMP
contemplates ongoing consideration of
relevant factors, like ecosystem
considerations and climate change,
through the development of SAFE
reports (Section 3.2 of the FMP). The
use of the most recent, best available
information in the SAFE reports allows
the Council and NMFS to respond to
changes in stock condition and
environmental, ecosystem, and
socioeconomic factors in the GOA and
to adjust the harvest specifications as
appropriate, which is also consistent
with National Standard 2 of the
Magnuson-Stevens Act to use the best
scientific information available (16
U.S.C. 1851(a)(2)).
NMFS is committed to supporting
science and research to continue to
move the process into effective
ecosystem-based management by
refining the existing tools and
developing new tools for incorporating
ecosystem and socioeconomic
information.
As noted in response to Comment 2,
PSC limits and the conditions that affect
the limits are set in regulations, and
changes to those regulations are outside
of the scope of the annual harvest
specification process.
Comment 4: NMFS must account for
climate change in its decision making.
Response: Climate change is
accounted for in NMFS’s
decisionmaking on the annual
implementation of the harvest
specifications, consistent with the
harvest strategy in the FMP and
analyzed in the Final EIS. The Final EIS
analyzed alternatives for an
implementing framework for the BSAI
and GOA harvest strategy and evaluated
the potential effects of those alternatives
on the human environment (see
response to Comment 6). The Final EIS
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examined existing physical and
oceanographic conditions in the BSAI
and GOA, and addressed regime shifts,
warming and loss of sea ice, and
acidification (Chapter 3.5 of the Final
EIS), as well as systemic ecosystem
impacts. (Chapter 11 of the Final EIS).
Moreover, the framework process for
the preferred harvest strategy under the
Final EIS allows for the effects of
climate change to be considered in the
annual process for setting the harvest
specifications. As addressed in response
to Comment 3, the annual ESR is part
of the SAFE reports that the Council and
its Plan Teams, SSC, and AP annually
review prior to the review of the stock
assessments and advancing
recommendations to NMFS for the
annual OFLs, ABCs, and TACs. The
purpose of the ESRs is to provide the
Council, scientific community, and the
public, as well as NMFS, with annual
information about ecosystem status and
trends, and they include physical
oceanography, biological data, and
socio-ecological dimensions, primarily
collected from AFSC surveys with
collaboration from a range of
government and non-government
partners. The ESRs provide the
scientific review body (the SSC) with
context for the annual biological
reference points (OFLs and ABCs), and
for the Council’s final TAC
recommendations for groundfish (which
are constrained by those biological
reference points). Information from the
ESRs are also integrated into the annual
harvest recommendations through
inclusion in stock assessment-specific
risk tables. There are many examples of
climate change considerations presented
in the GOA ESR, including: sea surface
temperatures and marine heatwaves
driven by long-term climate change;
status and trends of key physical
indicators of climate change that could
impact the survival and condition of
certain species like salmon, such as
ocean temperatures; deoxygenation from
climate change and patterns and trends
in oxygen in the GOA; implications
from ocean acidification for sensitive
species and fisheries, including Tanner
crab and salmon; shifting migration
dates for salmon in terms of juvenile
and adult migration patterns; and trends
in zooplankton population and lipid
content, as well as juvenile salmon size
and condition, in Southeast Alaska as
part of an effort to investigate how
climate change may affect nearshore
ecosystems in relation to juvenile
salmon and associated biophysical
factors.
In some instances, the Plan Teams
and SSC have recommended ABC
reductions based on climate change
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considerations. As explained in
response to Comment 3, stock
assessments use a stock-assessment
specific risk table that is applied by
evaluating the severity of four types of
considerations that could be used to
support a scientific recommendation to
reduce the ABC (assessment-related,
population dynamics, environmental/
ecosystem, and fishery performance).
For example, for the 2019 stock
assessment for Pacific cod, patterns in
distribution, growth, and size were
associated with warmer ocean
conditions and the cumulative effects
from a series of recent warm years. As
a result, environmental and ecosystem
considerations were assigned a level 2
in the risk table.
Finally, the FMP indicated that the
ongoing consideration of factors like
climate change would be addressed
annually in the SAFE reports (Section
3.2.2.2 of the FMP), as is currently the
case with both individual stock
assessments and the ESRs. As a result,
the annual harvest specifications
process, which implements the
preferred harvest strategy under the
Final EIS, allows for the consideration
of the best scientific information
available on climate change (16 U.S.C.
1851(a)(2)).
Comment 5: The TAC for pollock
should reflect the true environmental
cost of trawling.
Response: The SAFE report chapter
for GOA pollock evaluates annually the
GOA pollock fishery’s effects on the
ecosystem, as well as ecosystem effects
on the pollock stock (see section titled
‘‘Environmental/Ecosystem
considerations’’ in the SAFE report
chapter: https://apps-afsc.fisheries.
noaa.gov/Plan_Team/2023/
GOApollock.pdf). In addition,
ecosystem considerations, as well as the
impact on communities and
incidentally caught species, are
considered and updated annually in the
ESRs and ESPs, including the GOA
pollock ESP. The Final EIS supporting
the harvest specifications also evaluated
environmental and ecosystem
considerations, and the environmental
impacts of the GOA pollock fishery have
been analyzed in a number of
subsequent NEPA documents, including
the EA for Amendment 93 to the GOA
FMP.
Comment 6: The Alaska Groundfish
Harvest Specifications EIS is outdated
and NMFS must prepare a new or
supplemental EIS on the harvest
specifications.
Response: Groundfish harvests are
managed subject to annual limits on the
retained and discarded amounts of each
species and species group. The ‘‘harvest
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strategy’’ is the method used to calculate
these annual limits, referred to as
‘‘harvest specifications,’’ and the
process of establishing them is referred
to as the ‘‘specifications process.’’
NMFS prepared the Alaska Groundfish
Harvest Specifications Final EIS to
analyze the environmental, social, and
economic impacts of alternatives
harvest strategies used to determine the
annual harvest specifications for the
federally managed groundfish fisheries
in the GOA and BSAI management
areas.
The purpose of the harvest strategy is
to provide for orderly and controlled
commercial fishing for groundfish;
promote sustainable incomes to the
fishing, fish processing, and support
industries; support sustainable fishing
communities; and provide sustainable
flows of fish products to consumers.
The harvest strategy balances
groundfish harvest in the fishing year
with ecosystem needs (such as nontarget fish stocks, marine mammals,
seabirds, and habitat). Importantly, the
harvest strategy and specification
process are designed to use the best
available scientific information
developed each year through the annual
SAFE (including the ESR process) to
calculate the status determination
criteria, assess the status of each stock,
and set the TACs.
In a ROD, NMFS selected one of the
alternative harvest strategies: to set
TACs that fall within the range of ABCs
recommended through the harvest
specifications process that includes
review by the Plan Team and SSC.
NMFS concluded that the preferred
harvest strategy analyzed in the Final
EIS and selected in the ROD provides
the best balance among relevant
environmental, social, and economic
considerations and allows for continued
management of the groundfish fisheries
based on the most recent, best scientific
information. While the specific numbers
that the harvest strategy produces may
vary from year to year, the methodology
used for the preferred harvest strategy
remains constant. NMFS has not
changed the harvest strategy or
specifications process from what was
analyzed in the Final EIS.
Each year the harvest strategy uses the
best scientific information available in
the annual SAFE reports to derive the
annual harvest specifications, which
include TACs and PSC limits. Through
this process, each year, the Council’s
Groundfish Plan Teams use updated
stock assessments to calculate biomass,
OFLs, and ABCs for each species and
species group for specified management
areas. The OFLs and ABCs are
published with the harvest
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specifications, and provide the
foundation for the Council and NMFS to
develop the TACs. The OFLs and ABCs
reflect fishery science, applied in light
of the requirements of the FMPs. The
Council bases its TAC recommendations
on those of its AP, which are consistent
with the SSC’s OFL and ABC
recommendations (meaning, the TAC
recommendations cannot exceed the
SSC’s ABC and OFL recommendations).
The Final EIS evaluates the
consequences of alternative harvest
strategies on ecosystem components and
on the ecosystem as a whole. The Final
EIS evaluates the alternatives for their
effects within the action area. The
environmental consequences of each
alternative were considered for target
species, non-specified species, forage
species, prohibited species, marine
mammals, seabirds, Essential Fish
Habitat, ecosystem relationships, the
economy, and environmental justice.
These considerations were evaluated
based on the conditions as they existed
at the time the Final EIS was developed,
but the Final EIS also anticipated
potential changes in these conditions
that could be incorporated, as
appropriate, through the annual
implementation of the harvest strategy.
Each year since 2007 relevant changes
(new information, changed
circumstances, potential changes to the
action) are considered with the primary
purpose of evaluating the need to
supplement the Final EIS.
NEPA implementing regulations at 40
CFR 1502.9(d) instruct agencies to
prepare supplements to either draft or
final environmental impact statements if
there remains a major Federal action left
to occur and: (i) The agency makes
substantial changes to the proposed
action that are relevant to
environmental concerns; or (ii) There
are significant new circumstances or
information relevant to environmental
concerns and bearing on the proposed
action or its impacts. Ultimately, an
agency is required ‘‘to take a ‘hard look’
at the new information to assess
whether supplementation might be
necessary.’’ Norton v. S. Utah
Wilderness All., 542 U.S. 55, 72–73
(2004).
A SIR for the Final EIS is prepared
each year to take that ‘‘hard look’’ and
document the evaluation and decision
whether an SEIS is necessary to
implement the annual groundfish
harvest specifications, consistent with
NEPA regulations (40 CFR 1502.9(d))
and NOAA’s Policy and Procedures for
Compliance with the National
Environmental Policy Act and Related
Authorities (Companion Manual for
NOAA Administrative Order 216–6A).
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The Companion Manual authorizes the
use of a SIR to document a review of
new information or circumstances and
determine the sufficiency of the existing
NEPA analysis for implementing a
component or step of the action
analyzed in that existing analysis.
The SIR prepared each year for the
annual harvest specifications analyzes
the information contained in the most
recent SAFE reports and all information
available to NMFS and the Council to
determine whether an SEIS should be
prepared. The SAFE reports represent
the best scientific information available
for the harvest specifications. Included
in the SAFE reports are the groundfish
stock assessments and any ESPs, the
ESRs, and the Economic Status Report.
To date, no annual SIR to the Final EIS
has concluded that an SEIS is necessary.
The SIR recognizes the preferred
harvest strategy analyzed in the Final
EIS and selected in the ROD was built
on an annual process to compile and
utilize the most recent, best scientific
information available on species
abundance and condition, harvest and
survey data, environmental and
ecosystem factors, and socio-economic
conditions. The Final EIS contemplated
the annual process included flexibility
that allows for the implementation of
annual harvest specifications that reflect
new information and changing
circumstances in the context of the
considerations in the Final EIS. NMFS
has determined that the 2024 and 2025
harvest specifications for the BSAI and
GOA are consistent with the preferred
alternative harvest strategy analyzed in
the Harvest Specifications EIS because
they were set through the harvest
specifications process, are within the
optimum yield established for both the
BSAI and the GOA, and do not set TAC
to exceed the ABC for any single species
or species group.
The SIR assessed new information
and circumstances. Based on the SIR,
NMFS concluded that the best available,
most recent information presented on
species abundance and condition,
environmental and ecosystem factors,
and socio-economic conditions and
used to set the 2024 and 2025 harvest
specifications does not represent a
significant change relative to the
environmental impacts of the preferred
harvest strategy analyzed in the Harvest
Specifications EIS.
The Harvest Specifications EIS
identified reasonably foreseeable future
actions, which inform the analysis in
the SIR regarding new circumstances
and which include catch share
management, traditional fisheries
management tools, ecosystem-sensitive
management, and actions by other
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Federal, state, and international
agencies and private actions. This
section of the SIR assessed information
and circumstances regarding bycatch
management of salmon, crab, and
halibut; habitat impacts; seabirds; and
marine mammals, including ESA-listed
species like Steller sea lions, humpback
whales, sperm whales, and fin whales,
and unlisted species like northern fur
seals and killer whales. In this
assessment, the SIR relied on the 2023
SAFE reports, other analyses prepared
to support NMFS management actions,
updated catch and bycatch data, and
other best available scientific
information to conclude any new
information and circumstances do not
present a seriously different picture of
the likely environmental harms of the
action to occur—the annual
implementation of the 2024 and 2025
groundfish harvest specifications—
beyond what was considered in the
Harvest Specifications EIS. More details
are provided in the SIR (see ADDRESSES).
Based on the SIR prepared in
conjunction with these harvest
specifications, NMFS determined that
the 2024 and 2025 groundfish harvest
specifications do not constitute a
substantial change in the proposed
action analyzed in the Final EIS and
will not affect the human environment
in a significant manner or to a
significant extent not already
considered in the Harvest Specifications
EIS. Accordingly, supplementation of
the Final EIS was not required for
NMFS to approve and implement the
2024 and 2025 groundfish harvest
specifications of the BSAI and GOA.
Comment 7: NMFS should develop a
programmatic EIS and initiate a NEPA
analysis that includes government-togovernment consultation with Alaska
Native Tribes, or otherwise supplement
the Alaska Groundfish Programmatic
Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement.
Response: As outlined in response to
response to Comment 6, NMFS prepared
the Alaska Groundfish Harvest
Specifications Final EIS to analyze
alternatives to implement the FMP’s
harvest strategy and specifications
process, which outlines the method and
process used to determine the annual
harvest specifications for the federally
managed groundfish fisheries in the
GOA and BSAI management areas.
NMFS also must specify PSC
allowances in the annual harvest
specifications. The Final EIS evaluates
the consequences of alternative harvest
strategies on ecosystem components and
on the ecosystem as a whole, as well as
their effects within the action area.
Ultimately, from the analysis in the
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Final EIS, NMFS selected a preferred
harvest strategy that NMFS uses each
year for the specifications process. Each
year, NMFS also evaluates whether
supplementation of that Final EIS is
required, consistent with NEPA
regulations, to implement the harvest
specifications. Based on the SIR
prepared in conjunction with these
harvest specifications, NMFS
determined that supplementation of the
Alaska Groundfish Harvest
Specifications Final EIS was not
required. NMFS therefore implements
these harvest specifications consistent
with the Alaska Groundfish Harvest
Specifications Final EIS.
Separate from the Final EIS for the
Alaska Groundfish Harvest
Specifications, the Council and NMFS
prepared the Alaska Groundfish
Programmatic Supplemental
Environmental Impact Statement
(PSEIS). The PSEIS evaluated
alternative policies and objectives for
the management of the groundfish
fisheries in the BSAI and GOA. The
action analyzed in the PSEIS is different
from the action analyzed in the Alaska
Groundfish Harvest Specifications Final
EIS, and as explained above NMFS
implements the harvest specifications
consistent with the Final EIS analyzing
that action. In addition to the
preparation of the Harvest
Specifications Final EIS, since the
PSEIS the Council and NMFS have
prepared for FMP amendments and
regulatory changes the appropriate
NEPA analyses to support the
implementation of those specific FMP
or regulatory changes.
Finally, the Council and NMFS are
now considering a new action to revise
the management policies and objectives
for the groundfish fisheries, as well as
for all Council-managed fisheries, off
Alaska. The Council requested that
NMFS initiate the development of a
Programmatic EIS to analyze
alternatives for the revisions of policies,
objectives, and goals for all Councilmanaged fisheries in June of 2023. In
2024–2025, the Council and NMFS will
decide on the direction and structure of
alternatives analyzed under a
Programmatic EIS, and NMFS will begin
the NEPA scoping process. There will
be multiple public meetings, in addition
to Council-hosted workshops, to
support the development and analysis
of alternatives, and NMFS will work
with Alaska Native Tribes to ensure
meaningful and timely government-togovernment consultation consistent
with Executive Order 13175 and NOAA
Procedures for Government-toGovernment Consultation with
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Federally Recognized Indian Tribal
Governments.
Classification
NMFS is issuing this final rule
pursuant to section 305(d) of the
Magnuson-Stevens Act. Through
previous actions, the FMP and
regulations are designed to authorize
NMFS to take this action. See 50 CFR
part 679. The NMFS Assistant
Administrator has determined that the
final harvest specifications are
consistent with the FMP and with the
Magnuson-Stevens Act and other
applicable laws.
This final rule is exempt from review
under Executive Order 12866 because it
only implements annual catch limits in
the GOA.
NMFS prepared an EIS for the Alaska
groundfish harvest specifications and
alternative harvest strategies (see
ADDRESSES) and made it available to the
public on January 12, 2007 (72 FR
1512). On February 13, 2007, NMFS
issued the ROD for the Final EIS
identifying the selected alternative
(Alternative 2). NMFS prepared a SIR
for this action to provide a subsequent
assessment of the action and to address
the need to prepare a Supplemental EIS
(SEIS; 40 CFR 1501.11(b);
§ 1502.9(d)(1)). Copies of the Final EIS,
ROD, and annual SIRs for this action are
available from NMFS (see ADDRESSES).
The Final EIS analyzes the
environmental, social, and economic
consequences of the groundfish harvest
specifications and alternative harvest
strategies on resources in the action
area. Based on the analysis in the Final
EIS, NMFS concluded that the preferred
Alternative (Alternative 2) provides the
best balance among relevant
environmental, social, and economic
considerations and allows for continued
management of the groundfish fisheries
based on the most recent, best scientific
information. The preferred alternative is
a harvest strategy in which TACs are set
at a level within the range of ABCs
recommended through the Council
harvest specifications process by the
Council’s SSC. The sum of the TACs
also must achieve the OY specified in
the FMP and regulations. While the
specific numbers that the harvest
strategy produces may vary from year to
year, the methodology used for the
preferred harvest strategy remains
constant.
The annual SIR evaluates the need to
prepare a SEIS for the 2024 and 2025
groundfish harvest specifications. An
SEIS must be prepared if a major
Federal action remains to occur and: (1)
the agency makes substantial changes to
the proposed action that are relevant to
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environmental concerns; or (2)
significant new circumstances or
information exist relevant to
environmental concerns and bearing on
the proposed action or its impacts (40
CFR 1502.9(d)(1)). After reviewing the
most recent, best available information,
including the information contained in
the SIR and SAFE report, the Regional
Administrator has determined that (1)
the 2024 and 2025 harvest
specifications, which were set according
to the preferred harvest strategy, do not
constitute a substantial change in the
action; and (2) the information
presented does not indicate that there
are significant new circumstances or
information relevant to environmental
concerns and bearing on the proposed
action or its impacts. Any new
information and circumstances do not
present a seriously different picture of
the likely environmental harms of the
action to occur—the implementation of
these harvest specifications—beyond
what was considered in the Final EIS,
and the 2024 and 2025 harvest
specifications will result in
environmental, social, and economic
impacts within the scope of those
analyzed and disclosed in the Final EIS.
Therefore, a SEIS is not necessary to
implement the 2024 and 2025 harvest
specifications.
Section 604 of the Regulatory
Flexibility Act (RFA) (5 U.S.C. 604)
requires that, when an agency
promulgates a final rule under 5 U.S.C.
553, after being required by that section
or any other law, to publish a general
notice of proposed rulemaking, the
agency shall prepare a final regulatory
flexibility analysis (FRFA). The
following constitutes the FRFA
prepared for these final 2024 and 2025
harvest specifications.
Section 604 of the RFA describes the
required contents of a FRFA: (1) a
statement of the need for, and objectives
of, the rule; (2) a statement of the
significant issues raised by the public
comments in response to the initial
regulatory flexibility analysis (IRFA), a
statement of the assessment of the
agency of such issues, and a statement
of any changes made in the proposed
rule as a result of such comments; (3)
the response of the agency to any
comments filed by the Chief Counsel for
Advocacy of the Small Business
Administration in response to the
proposed rule, and a detailed statement
of any change made to the proposed rule
in the final rule as a result of the
comments; (4) a description of and an
estimate of the number of small entities
to which the rule will apply or an
explanation of why no such estimate is
available; (5) a description of the
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15513
projected reporting, recordkeeping, and
other compliance requirements of the
rule, including an estimate of the classes
of small entities which will be subject
to the requirement and the type of
professional skills necessary for
preparation of the report or record; and
(6) a description of the steps the agency
has taken to minimize the significant
economic impact on small entities
consistent with the stated objectives of
applicable statutes, including a
statement of the factual, policy, and
legal reasons for selecting the alternative
adopted in the final rule and why each
one of the other significant alternatives
to the rule considered by the agency that
affect the impact on small entities was
rejected.
A description of this action, its
purpose, and its legal basis are
contained at the beginning of the
preamble to this final rule and are not
repeated here.
NMFS published the proposed rule on
December 7, 2023 (88 FR 85184). NMFS
prepared an IRFA to accompany the
proposed action and included the IRFA
in the proposed rule. The comment
period closed on January 8, 2024. No
comments were received on the IRFA or
on the economic impacts of the rule
more generally. The Chief Counsel for
Advocacy of the Small Business
Administration did not file any
comments on the proposed rule.
The entities directly regulated by this
action are: (1) entities operating vessels
with groundfish Federal fishing permits
(FFPs) catching FMP groundfish in
Federal waters; (2) all entities operating
vessels, regardless of whether they hold
groundfish FFPs, catching FMP
groundfish in the State-waters parallel
fisheries; and (3) all entities operating
vessels fishing for halibut inside 3 miles
(5.6 km) of the shore (whether or not
they have FFPs).
For RFA purposes only, NMFS has
established a small business size
standard for businesses, including their
affiliates, whose primary industry is
commercial fishing (see 50 CFR 200.2).
A business primarily engaged in
commercial fishing (NAICS code 11411)
is classified as a small business if it is
independently owned and operated, is
not dominant in its field of operation
(including its affiliates), and has
combined annual gross receipts not in
excess of $11 million for all its affiliated
operations worldwide.
Using the most recent data available
(2022), the estimated number of directly
regulated small entities includes
approximately 677 individual CV and
CP entities with gross revenues meeting
the small entity criteria. This includes
an estimated 674 small CV entities and
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3 small CP entities in the GOA
groundfish sector. The determination of
entity size is based on vessel revenues
and affiliated group revenues. This
determination also includes an
assessment of fisheries cooperative
affiliations, although actual vessel
ownership affiliations have not been
completely established. However, the
estimate of these 677 CVs and CPs may
be an overstatement of the number of
small entities because of the complexity
of analyzing the linkages and affiliations
across these vessels, particularly since
many of them conduct operations in
Federal and State fisheries. The CVs had
average gross revenues that varied by
gear type. Average gross revenues for
hook-and-line CVs, pot gear CVs, and
trawl gear CVs are estimated to be
$450,000, $860,000, and $1.38 million,
respectively. Average gross revenues for
hook-and-line CPs and pot gear CPs are
estimated to be $7.40 million and $6.87
million, respectively. Trawl gear CP
entity revenue data are confidential.
This final rule contains no
information collection requirements
under the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995.
This action implements the final 2024
and 2025 harvest specifications,
apportionments, and halibut PSC limits
for the groundfish fishery of the GOA.
This action is necessary to establish
harvest limits for groundfish during the
2024 and 2025 fishing years and is taken
in accordance with the FMP prepared
by the Council pursuant to the
Magnuson-Stevens Act. The
establishment of the final harvest
specifications is governed by the
Council and NMFS’s harvest strategy for
the catch of groundfish in the GOA. The
harvest strategy was selected previously
from among five alternatives, with the
preferred alternative harvest strategy
being one in which the TACs fall within
the range of ABCs recommended
through the Council harvest
specifications process by the SSC.
Under this preferred alternative harvest
strategy, TACs are recommended to
NMFS by the Council, utilizing
recommendations from the AP, and are
within the range of ABCs recommended
by the SSC. The sum of the TACs must
achieve the OY specified in the FMP.
While the specific TAC numbers that
the harvest strategy produces may vary
from year to year, the methodology used
for the preferred harvest strategy
remains constant. This final action
implements the preferred alternative
harvest strategy previously chosen by
the Council and NMFS to set TACs that
fall within the range of ABCs
recommended through the Council
harvest specifications process and as
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recommended by the Council, after
considerations from the Council’s AP.
This TAC determination method is
consistent with previous years.
The final 2024 and 2025 TACs
associated with preferred harvest
strategy are those recommended by the
Council in December 2023. OFLs and
ABCs for the species were based on
recommendations prepared by the
Council’s Plan Team, and reviewed and
recommended by the Council’s SSC.
The Council based its TAC
recommendations on those of its AP,
and those recommendations are
consistent with the SSC’s OFL and ABC
recommendations. The sum of all TACs
remains within the OY for the GOA
consistent with § 679.20(a)(1)(i)(B).
The final 2024 and 2025 OFLs and
ABCs are based on the best available
biological information, including
projected biomass trends, information
on assumed distribution of stock
biomass, and revised technical methods
to calculate stock biomass. The final
2024 and 2025 TACs are based on the
best available biological and
socioeconomic information. The final
2024 and 2025 OFLs, ABCs, and TACs
are consistent with the biological
condition of groundfish stocks as
described in the 2023 SAFE report,
which is the most recent, completed
SAFE report, as well as the ecosystem
and socioeconomic information
presented in the 2023 SAFE report
(including the GOA ESR). Accounting
for the most recent information to set
the final OFLs, ABCs, and TACs is
consistent with the objectives for this
action, as well as National Standard 2 of
the Magnuson-Stevens Act (16 U.S.C.
1851(a)(2)) that actions shall be based
on the best scientific information
available. The SAFE report also
includes information on the economic
condition of the groundfish fisheries off
Alaska through the Economic Status
Report. Data are available through 2022.
Under this action, the final ABCs
reflect harvest amounts that are less
than the specified overfishing levels.
The final TACs are within the range of
final ABCs recommended by the SSC
and do not exceed the biological limits
recommended by the SSC (the ABCs
and overfishing levels). For most species
and species groups in the GOA, the
Council recommended, and NMFS sets,
final TACs equal to final ABCs, which
is intended to maximize harvest
opportunities in the GOA, unless other
conservation or management reasons
support setting TAC amounts less than
the ABCs.
For the following species and species
groups, the Council recommended, and
NMFS sets, TACs that are less than the
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ABCs for pollock, Pacific cod, shallowwater flatfish in the Western GOA,
arrowtooth flounder in the Western
GOA and SEO District, flathead sole in
the Western GOA, and other rockfish in
the SEO District. These specific
reductions were reviewed and
recommended by the Council’s AP, and
the Council in turn adopted the AP’s
recommendations for the final 2024 and
2025 TACs.
Increasing TACs for some species may
not result in increased harvest
opportunities for those species. This is
due to a variety of reasons. There may
be a lack of commercial or market
interest in some species. Additionally,
there are fixed, and therefore
constraining, PSC limits associated with
the harvest of the GOA groundfish
species that can lead to an underharvest
of flatfish TACs. For this reason, the
shallow-water flatfish, arrowtooth
flounder, and flathead sole TACs in the
Western GOA are set to allow for
harvest opportunities for these target
species while conserving the halibut
PSC limit for use in other fisheries,
including other groundfish fisheries or
the halibut IFQ directed fishery.
Similarly, the arrowtooth flounder TAC
in the SEO District is set lower than
ABC to conserve halibut PSC limit for
use in other fisheries or because there is
limited commercial interest in this
fishery. The other rockfish TAC in the
SEO District is set to support incidental
catch in other fisheries. Finally, the
TACs for two species (pollock and
Pacific cod) cannot be set equal to ABC,
as the TAC must be reduced to account
for the State’s GHLs in these fisheries.
The W/C/WYK Regulatory Area pollock
combined TAC and the GOA Pacific cod
TACs are therefore set to account for the
State’s GHLs for the State waters pollock
and Pacific cod fisheries so that the
ABCs are not exceeded.
Based upon the best available
scientific data, and in consideration of
the Council’s objectives of this action,
there are no significant alternatives to
the final rule that have the potential to
accomplish the stated objectives of the
Magnuson-Stevens Act and any other
applicable statutes and that have the
potential to minimize any significant
adverse economic impact of the final
rule on small entities. This action is
economically beneficial to entities
operating in the GOA, including small
entities. The action specifies TACs for
commercially valuable species in the
GOA and allows for the continued
prosecution of the fishery, thereby
creating the opportunity for fishery
revenue. After public process, during
which the Council and NMFS solicited
input from stakeholders, the Council
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concluded and NMFS likewise
determines that these final harvest
specifications would best accomplish
the stated objectives articulated in the
preamble for this final rule and in
applicable statutes and would minimize
to the extent practicable adverse
economic impacts on the universe of
directly regulated small entities.
Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3), the
Assistant Administrator for Fisheries,
NOAA, finds good cause to waive the
30-day delay in the date of effectiveness
for this rule because delaying this rule
is contrary to the public interest. The
Plan Team review of the 2023 SAFE
report occurred in November 2023, and,
based on the 2023 SAFE report, the
Council considered and recommended
the final harvest specifications in
December 2023. Accordingly, NMFS’s
review of the final 2024 and 2025
harvest specifications could not begin
until after the December 2023 Council
meeting and after the public comment
period closed on January 8, 2024.
For all fisheries not currently closed
because the TACs established under the
final 2023 and 2024 harvest
specifications (88 FR 13238, March 2,
2023) have not yet been reached, it is
possible that they would be closed prior
to the expiration of a 30-day delayed
effectiveness period, because those
fisheries have nearly reached those
previously set TACs. Some affected
fisheries therefore could close soon, as
they are already close to reaching their
TACs, and such closures would cause
unnecessary economic harm to the
fisheries in the cases where this final
rule increases some of the groundfish
TACs. If implemented immediately, this
final rule would allow these fisheries to
continue fishing, because some of the
new TACs implemented by this rule are
higher than the TACs under which they
are currently fishing.
In addition, immediate effectiveness
of this action is required to provide
consistent management and
conservation of fishery resources based
on the best available scientific
information. This is particularly
pertinent for those species that have
lower 2024 ABCs and TACs than those
established in the final 2023 and 2024
harvest specifications (88 FR 13238,
March 2, 2023). If implemented
immediately, this rule would ensure
that NMFS can properly manage those
fisheries for which this rule sets lower
2024 ABCs and TACs, which are based
on the most recent biological
information on the condition of stocks.
The changes between the proposed 2024
ABCs and TACs are discussed earlier in
the Changes from the Proposed 2024
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and 2025 Harvest Specifications in the
GOA section of this rule.
Certain fisheries, such as those for
pollock, are intensive, fast-paced
fisheries. Other fisheries, such as those
for sablefish, flatfish, rockfish, Atka
mackerel, skates, sharks, and octopuses,
are critical either as directed fisheries or
as incidental catch in other fisheries.
Thus, for those species that have higher
2024 TACs than under the final 2023
and 2024 harvest specifications (88 FR
13238, March 2, 2023) than the TACs
established by this final rule, there is
some risk of exceeding these TAC
limits. U.S. fishing vessels have
demonstrated the capacity to catch the
TAC allocations in many of these
fisheries. If the date of effectiveness of
this rule were to be delayed 30 days and
a TAC was reached during those 30
days, NMFS would be required to close
directed fishing or prohibit retention for
the applicable species. Such closures
and unnecessary discards would cause
confusion to the industry and potential
economic harm to fishermen,
undermining the intent of this rule.
Waiving the 30-day delay in the date of
effectiveness allows NMFS to prevent
this potential economic harm that could
occur, should the previously set 2024
TACs (as set under the final 2023 and
2024 harvest specifications) be reached
during such a delay. In addition,
determining which fisheries may close
in advance is nearly impossible because
these fisheries are affected by several
factors, including fishing effort,
weather, movement of fishery stocks,
and market price, which cannot be
predicted. Furthermore, the closure of
one fishery has a cascading effect on
other fisheries; the closure would free
up fishing vessels, allowing them to
move from closed fisheries to open
fisheries, thereby increasing the fishing
capacity in those open fisheries, and
potentially causing them to close
sooner.
In fisheries subject to declining
sideboard limits, a failure to implement
the updated sideboard limits before the
initial season’s end could deny the
intended economic protection to the
sectors that do not have sideboards.
Conversely, in fisheries with increasing
sideboard limits, economic benefit
could be denied to the sideboardlimited sectors.
If the final harvest specifications are
not effective by March 15, 2024, which
is the start of the 2024 Pacific halibut
season as specified by the IPHC, the
fixed gear sablefish fishery will not
begin concurrently with the Pacific
halibut IFQ season. This would result in
confusion for the industry and
economic harm from unnecessary
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15515
discard of sablefish that are caught
along with Pacific halibut, as both fixed
gear sablefish and Pacific halibut are
managed under the same IFQ program.
Immediate effectiveness of these final
2024 and 2025 harvest specifications
will allow the sablefish IFQ fishery to
begin concurrently with the Pacific
halibut IFQ season.
Finally, immediate effectiveness also
provides the fishing industry the earliest
possible opportunity to plan and
conduct its fishing operations with
respect to new information about TACs.
Therefore, in accordance with 5 U.S.C.
553(d)(3), NMFS finds good cause to
waive the 30-day delay in the date of
effectiveness for this rule.
Small Entity Compliance Guide
Section 212 of the Small Business
Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of
1996 states that, for each rule or group
of related rules for which an agency is
required to prepare a FRFA, the agency
shall publish one or more guides to
assist small entities in complying with
the rule, and shall designate such
publications as ‘‘small entity
compliance guides.’’ The tables
contained in this final rule are provided
online and serve as the plain language
guide to assist small entities in
complying with this final rule as
required by the Small Business
Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of
1996. This final rule’s primary purpose
is to announce the final 2024 and 2025
harvest specifications and prohibited
species bycatch allowances for the
groundfish fisheries of the GOA. This
action is necessary to establish harvest
limits and associated management
measures for groundfish during the 2024
and 2025 fishing years, and to
accomplish the goals and objectives of
the FMP. This action affects all
fishermen who participate in the GOA
fisheries. The specific OFL, ABC, TAC,
and PSC amounts are provided in tables
in this final rule to assist the reader.
This final rule also contains plain
language summaries of the underlying
relevant regulations supporting the
harvest specifications and the harvest of
groundfish in the GOA that the reader
may find helpful.
Information to assist small entities in
complying with this final rule is
provided online. The OFL, ABC, TAC,
and PSC tables are individually
available online at https://www.
fisheries.noaa.gov/alaska/sustainablefisheries/alaska-groundfish-harvestspecifications. Explanatory information
on the relevant regulations supporting
the harvest specifications is also found
in footnotes to the tables. Harvest
specification changes are also available
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from the same online source, which
includes applicable Federal Register
notices, information bulletins, and other
supporting materials. NMFS will
announce closures of directed fishing in
the Federal Register and information
bulletins released by the Alaska Region.
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Affected fishermen should keep
themselves informed of such closures.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 773 et seq.; 16 U.S.C.
1540(f), 1801 et seq.; 16 U.S.C. 3631 et seq.;
Pub. L. 105–277; Pub. L. 106–31; Pub. L.
106–554; Pub. L. 108–199; Pub. L. 108–447;
Pub. L. 109–241; Pub. L 109–479.
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Dated: February 28, 2024.
Samuel D. Rauch, III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for
Regulatory Programs, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024–04516 Filed 3–1–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 43 (Monday, March 4, 2024)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 15484-15516]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-04516]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 679
[Docket No. 240227-0061; RTID 0648-XD436]
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Gulf of
Alaska; Final 2024 and 2025 Harvest Specifications for Groundfish
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Final rule; harvest specifications and closures.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NMFS announces final 2024 and 2025 harvest specifications,
apportionments, and Pacific halibut prohibited species catch limits for
the groundfish fishery of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is
necessary to establish harvest limits for groundfish during the
remainder of the 2024 and the start of the 2025 fishing years and to
accomplish the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plan for
Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (FMP). The 2024 harvest specifications
supersede those previously set in the final 2023 and 2024 harvest
specifications, and the 2025 harvest specifications will be superseded
in early 2025 when the final 2025 and 2026 harvest specifications are
published. The intended effect of this action is to conserve and manage
the groundfish resources in the GOA in accordance with the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act).
DATES: Harvest specifications and closures are effective at 1200 hours,
Alaska local time (A.l.t.), March 4, 2024, through 2400 hours, A.l.t.,
December 31, 2025.
ADDRESSES: Electronic copies of the Final Alaska Groundfish Harvest
Specifications Environmental Impact Statement (Final EIS), Record of
Decision (ROD), and the annual Supplementary Information Reports (SIRs)
to the EIS prepared for this action are available from https://www.regulations.gov. The 2023 Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation
[[Page 15485]]
(SAFE) report for the groundfish resources of the GOA, dated November
2023, and SAFE reports for previous years are available from the North
Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) at 1007 West Third Avenue,
Suite 400, Anchorage, AK 99501, phone 907-271-2809, or from the North
Pacific Groundfish SAFE Report web page at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/alaska/population-assessments/north-pacific-groundfish-stock-assessments-and-fishery-evaluation.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Abby Jahn, 907-586-7416.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS manages the GOA groundfish fisheries in
the exclusive economic zone of the GOA under the FMP. The Council
prepared the FMP under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Act (16
U.S.C. 1801 et seq.). Regulations governing U.S. fisheries and
implementing the FMP appear at 50 CFR parts 600, 679, and 680.
The FMP and its implementing regulations require that NMFS, after
consultation with the Council, specify the total allowable catch (TAC)
for each target species, the sum of which must be within the optimum
yield (OY) range of 116,000 to 800,000 metric tons (mt) (Sec.
679.20(a)(1)(i)(B) and Sec. 679.20(a)(2)). Section 679.20(c)(1)
further requires that NMFS publish and solicit public comment on
proposed annual TACs and apportionments thereof, Pacific halibut
prohibited species catch (PSC) limits, and seasonal allowances of
pollock and Pacific cod. Upon consideration of those public comments,
NMFS must publish a notification of final harvest specifications for up
to 2 fishing years as annual TACs and apportionments, Pacific halibut
PSC limits, and seasonal allowances of pollock and Pacific cod, per
Sec. 679.20(c)(3)(ii). The final harvest specifications set forth in
tables 1 through 27 of this rule reflect the outcome of this process,
as required at Sec. 679.20(c).
The proposed 2024 and 2025 harvest specifications for groundfish of
the GOA and Pacific halibut PSC limits were published in the Federal
Register on December 7, 2023 (88 FR 85184). Comments were invited and
accepted through January 8, 2024. NMFS received 2 letters raising 7
distinct comments during the public comment period for the proposed GOA
groundfish harvest specifications. In December 2023, NMFS consulted
with the Council regarding the 2024 and 2025 harvest specifications.
After considering public comment at public meetings and submitted for
the proposed rule (88 FR 85184), as well as current biological,
ecosystem, and socioeconomic data, NMFS is implementing the final 2024
and 2025 harvest specifications, as recommended by the Council. For
2024, the sum of the TAC amounts is 520,020 mt. For 2025, the sum of
the TAC amounts is 483,700 mt.
Other Actions Affecting the 2024 and 2025 Harvest Specifications
Amendment 122 to the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands FMP: Pacific Cod
Trawl Cooperative Program
NMFS published a final rule implementing Amendment 122 to the
Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian
Islands (BSAI) Management Area (BSAI FMP) (88 FR 53704, August 8,
2023), establishing the Pacific Cod Trawl Cooperative Program (PCTC
Program) to allocate BSAI Pacific cod quota share to qualifying
groundfish License Limitation Program (LLP) license holders and
qualifying processors. The PCTC Program is a limited access privilege
program for the harvest of Pacific cod in the BSAI trawl catcher vessel
(CV) sector.
The PCTC Program modifies existing GOA sideboard limits and
associated GOA halibut PSC limits for non-exempt American Fisheries Act
(AFA) CVs and LLP license holders and closes directed fishing where the
revised sideboard limits are too small to support a directed fishery.
All GOA non-exempt AFA CVs and associated AFA LLP licenses are
sideboarded in aggregate for all GOA groundfish fishing activity and
for GOA halibut PSC based on their GOA catch history during the
qualifying years 2009 through 2019, except when participating in the
Central Gulf of Alaska (Central GOA) Rockfish Program. In addition, the
ratio used to apportion GOA halibut PSC limits is modified, and the
five seasonal apportionments based on that sideboard ratio is reduced
to a single aggregate annual amount. Amendment 122 also closes directed
fishing to all GOA non-exempt AFA CVs and LLP licenses for the
following species categories: Southeast Outside (SEO) District of the
Eastern GOA pollock, Western GOA shallow-water flatfish, Central and
Eastern GOA deep-water flatfish, Central GOA dusky rockfish, and
Eastern GOA and Central GOA Pacific ocean perch. NMFS will no longer
publish AFA Program sideboard limits for these specific species or
species groups in the Federal Register as part of the annual groundfish
harvest specifications, and instead table 56 to 50 CFR part 679 lists
that directed fishing for these species is prohibited to non-exempt AFA
CVs. Amendment 122 and its implementing regulations affect the
calculation and establishment of the groundfish sideboard limits and
halibut PSC limits discussed below under the sections ``American
Fisheries Act (AFA) Catcher/Processor and Catcher Vessel Groundfish
Harvest Limits'' and ``Non-Exempt AFA Catcher Vessel Halibut PSC
Limits.''
Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) and TAC Specifications
In December 2023, the Council's Scientific and Statistical
Committee (SSC), its Advisory Panel (AP), and the Council reviewed the
most recent biological, ecosystem, socioeconomic, and harvest
information about the condition of the GOA groundfish stocks. The
Council's GOA Groundfish Plan Team (Plan Team) compiled and presented
this information in the 2023 SAFE report for the GOA groundfish
fisheries, dated November 2023 (see ADDRESSES). The SAFE report
contains a review of the latest scientific analyses and estimates of
each species' biomass and other biological parameters, as well as
summaries of the available information on the GOA ecosystem by
including risk tables and information from the GOA Ecosystem Status
Report (ESR).
The ESRs compile and summarize information about the status of the
Alaska marine ecosystems for the Plan Team, SSC, AP, Council, NMFS, and
the public, and they are updated annually. These ESRs include ecosystem
report cards, ecosystem assessments, and ecosystem status indicators
(i.e., climate indices, sea surface temperature), which together
provide context for ecosystem-based fisheries management in Alaska. The
ESRs inform stock assessments and are integrated in the annual harvest
recommendations through inclusion in stock assessment-specific risk
tables. The ESRs provide context for the SSC's recommendations for OFLs
and ABCs, as well as for the Council's TAC recommendations. The SAFE
reports and the ESRs are presented to the Plan Team and at the October
and December Council meetings before the SSC, AP, and Council make
groundfish harvest recommendations and aid NMFS in implementing these
annual groundfish harvest specifications.
The SAFE report also includes information on the economic condition
of the groundfish fisheries off Alaska through the Economic Status
Report. The SAFE report provides information to the Council and NMFS
for recommending and setting, respectively, annual harvest levels for
each stock, documenting significant trends or changes in the resource,
marine
[[Page 15486]]
ecosystems, and fisheries over time, and assessing the relative success
of existing Federal fishery management programs. From these data and
analyses, the Plan Team recommends, and the SSC sets, an overfishing
level (OFL) and ABC for each species and species group. The 2023 SAFE
report was made available for public review during the public comment
period for the proposed harvest specifications.
In previous years, the greatest changes from the proposed to the
final harvest specifications were based on recent NMFS stock surveys,
which provide updated estimates of stock biomass and spatial
distribution, and changes to the models used for producing stock
assessments. At the November 2023 Plan Team meeting, NMFS scientists
presented updated and new survey results, changes to stock assessment
models, and accompanying stock assessment estimates for groundfish
species and species groups that are included in the 2023 SAFE report
per the stock assessment schedule found in the 2023 SAFE report
introduction. The SSC reviewed this information at the December 2023
Council meeting. Changes from the proposed to the final 2024 and 2025
harvest specifications are discussed below.
The final 2024 and 2025 OFLs and ABCs are based on the best
scientific information available, including projected biomass trends,
information on assumed distribution of stock biomass, and revised
methods used to calculate stock biomass, and the final 2024 and 2025
TACs are based on the best scientific and socioeconomic information
available. The FMP specifies the formulas, or tiers, to be used to
compute OFLs and ABCs. The formulas applicable to a particular stock or
stock complex are determined by the level of reliable information
available to fisheries scientists. This information is categorized into
a successive series of six tiers to define OFL and ABC amounts, with
Tier 1 representing the highest level of information quality available
and Tier 6 representing the lowest level of information quality
available. The Plan Team used the FMP tier structure to calculate OFL
and ABC amounts for each groundfish species. The SSC adopted the final
2024 and 2025 OFLs and ABCs recommended by the Plan Team, with the
exception of the ABC for pollock in the combined Western and Central
Regulatory Areas and the West Yakutat District of the Eastern
Regulatory Area (the W/C/WYK), and the ABC apportionments by area for
shortraker rockfish and other rockfish.
For pollock, the SSC did not accept the GOA Plan Team's recommended
ABC because of concerns about discrepancies between model predicted and
survey trends. Instead, the SSC recommended a reduction from max ABC
for 2024.
For shortraker rockfish sub-area apportionments of ABC, the Plan
Team deliberated on the author's recommended model change because the
new apportionment method of using both trawl and longline indices may
constrain fisheries within the Central GOA. The Plan Team recommended
accepting the new apportionment method but applying a stair-step
between the methods to alleviate concerns highlighted by the public
during the meeting. The SSC received public testimony that also
highlighted allocation limitations. Public testimony asserted that
there is a high probability that the reduction in a Central GOA sub-
area apportionment of ABC could result in fishery closure. Sub-area
apportionments of ABCs may be a constraint when species are allocated
to catch share programs or sectors through regulation. As there is no
current conservation concern for shortraker rockfish, the SSC
recommended the status quo apportionment method. The SSC acknowledges
that this differs from the author and Plan Team recommendation for this
stock as well as the SSC recommendation for GOA rougheye and
blackspotted rockfish, which uses both trawl and longline indices for
apportionment.
For other rockfish sub-area apportionments of ABC, the Plan Team
recommended that the W/C and WYK sub-area ABCs be combined for 2025.
The Plan Team rationale for this recommendation is that these non-
target species are poorly sampled by the trawl survey, there are no
major changes in fishing behavior, good species-specific catch data is
available, and most of the biomass is in the Southeast Outside (SEO)
District of the Eastern Regulatory Area where trawling is prohibited.
Further, recent analyses suggest there is little to no genetic
structure in rockfish in general, and evidence of local depletion has
not been observed. The Plan Team recommended that the Council engage in
the Spatial Management Policy for this stock. After discussing this
recommendation and considering related public testimony, the SSC agreed
with the Plan Team recommendation for 2024. This change will align with
the ABC apportionment for GOA Demersal Shelf Rockfish (DSR) when they
are moved to a separate assessment for the 2025 fishery.
For Pacific ocean perch, the Plan Team recommended specifying a
GOA-wide OFL for consistency with stock definition and stock status
determination criteria. The SSC agreed with the Plan Team's
recommendation.
The Council adopted the SSC's OFLs and ABCs and the AP's TAC
recommendations. The final TAC recommendations are based on the ABCs
and are adjusted for other biological and socioeconomic considerations,
including maintaining the sum of all TACs within the required OY range
of 116,000 to 800,000 mt.
The Council recommended 2024 and 2025 TACs that are equal to ABCs
for pollock in the SEO District, sablefish, shallow-water flatfish in
the Central GOA and WYK and SEO Districts, deep-water flatfish, rex
sole, arrowtooth flounder in the Central GOA and WYK District, flathead
sole in the Central GOA and WYK and SEO Districts, Pacific ocean perch;
northern rockfish, shortraker rockfish, dusky rockfish, rougheye and
blackspotted rockfish, demersal shelf rockfish, thornyhead rockfish,
other rockfish in the W/C/WYK, Atka mackerel, big skate, longnose
skate, other skates, sharks, and octopuses in the GOA. The Council
recommended TACs for 2024 and 2025 that are less than the ABCs for
pollock, Pacific cod, shallow-water flatfish in the Western Regulatory
Area (Western GOA), arrowtooth flounder in the Western GOA and SEO
District, flathead sole in the Western GOA, and other rockfish in the
SEO District. For sub-area apportionments of ABCs, refer to tables 1
and 2.
The combined W/C/WYK pollock TAC and the GOA Pacific cod TACs are
set to accommodate the State of Alaska's (State's) guideline harvest
levels (GHLs) so that the ABCs for pollock and Pacific cod are not
exceeded. The Western GOA shallow-water flatfish, Western GOA
arrowtooth flounder, and Western GOA flathead sole TACs are set to
allow for increased harvest opportunities for these target species
while conserving the halibut PSC limit for use in other, more fully
utilized fisheries. Similarly, the SEO District arrowtooth flounder TAC
is set lower than ABC to conserve halibut PSC limit for use in other
fisheries or because there is limited commercial interest and
participation in this fishery. The other rockfish TAC in the SEO
District is set to reduce the amount of discards of the species in that
complex.
The final 2024 and 2025 harvest specifications approved by the
Secretary of Commerce are unchanged from those recommended by the
Council and are consistent with the preferred harvest
[[Page 15487]]
strategy alternative outlined in the FMP, as well as the Final EIS and
ROD, because they were set through the harvest specifications process,
none of the TACs exceed the recommended ABCs, and the sum of all TACs
is within the OY range (see ADDRESSES).
NMFS finds that the Council's recommended OFLs, ABCs, and TACs are
consistent with the biological condition of the groundfish stocks as
described in the final 2023 SAFE report, while also accounting for
ecosystem and socioeconomic information presented in the 2023 SAFE
report (which includes the GOA ESR). NMFS also finds that the Council's
recommendations for TACs are consistent with the biological condition
of groundfish stocks as adjusted for other biological and socioeconomic
considerations, including maintaining the sum of all TACs within the OY
range. NMFS reviewed the Council's recommended TACs and apportionments,
and NMFS approves these harvest specifications under Sec.
679.20(c)(3)(ii). The apportionment of TAC amounts among gear types and
sectors, processing sectors, and seasons is discussed below.
Tables 1 and 2 list the final 2024 and 2025 OFLs, ABCs, TACs, and
area apportionments of groundfish in the GOA. The 2024 harvest
specifications set in this final action supersede the 2024 harvest
specifications previously set in the final 2023 and 2024 harvest
specifications (88 FR 13238, March 2, 2023). The 2025 harvest
specifications will be superseded in early 2025 when the final 2025 and
2026 harvest specifications are published. Pursuant to this final
action, the 2024 harvest specifications therefore will apply for the
remainder of the current year (2024), while the 2025 harvest
specifications are projected only for the following year and will be
superseded in early 2025 by the final 2025 and 2026 harvest
specifications. Because this final action will be superseded in early
2025 by the publication of the final 2025 and 2026 harvest
specifications, it is projected that this final action will implement
the harvest specifications for the GOA for approximately 1 year.
Specification and Apportionment of TAC Amounts
NMFS's apportionment of groundfish species are based on the
distribution of biomass among the regulatory areas over which NMFS
manages the species. Additional regulations that govern the
apportionment of pollock, Pacific cod, and sablefish and are described
below.
The ABC for the pollock stock in the combined W/C/WYK includes the
amount for the GHL established by the State for the Prince William
Sound (PWS) pollock fishery. The Plan Team, SSC, AP, and Council have
recommended that the sum of all State waters and Federal waters pollock
removals from the GOA not exceed ABC recommendations. For 2024 and
2025, the SSC recommended and the Council approved the W/C/WYK pollock
ABC, including the amount to account for the State's PWS GHL. At the
November 2023 Plan Team meeting, State fisheries managers recommended
setting the PWS pollock GHL at 2.5 percent of the annual W/C/WYK
pollock ABC. For 2024, this yields a PWS pollock GHL of 4,769 mt, an
increase of 18 percent from the 2023 PWS pollock GHL of 4,027 mt. For
2025, the PWS pollock GHL is 3,942 mt, a decrease of 17 percent from
the 2024 PWS pollock GHL of 4,769 mt. After the GHL reductions, the
2024 and 2025 pollock ABCs for the combined W/C/WYK areas are then
apportioned between four statistical areas (Areas 610, 620, 630, and
640) as both ABCs and TACs, as described below and detailed in tables 1
and 2. The ABCs and TACs for the four statistical areas, plus the State
PWS GHL, do not exceed the combined W/C/WYK ABC.
Apportionments of pollock to the W/C/WYK areas are considered to be
``apportionments of annual catch limits (ACLs)'' rather than ``ABCs.''
This more accurately reflects that such apportionments address
management, rather than biological or conservation, concerns. In
addition, apportionments of the ACL in this manner allow NMFS to
balance any transfer of TAC among Areas 610, 620, and 630 pursuant to
Sec. 679.20(a)(5)(iv)(B) to ensure that the combined apportionments of
ACL and ABC for the W/C/WYK, as well as the W/C/WYK TAC, are not
exceeded.
NMFS establishes pollock TACs in the Western (Area 610) and Central
(Areas 620 and 630) Regulatory Areas and the West Yakutat (Area 640)
and the SEO (Area 650) Districts of the GOA (see tables 1 and 2). NMFS
also establishes seasonal apportionments of the annual pollock TACs in
the Western and Central Regulatory Areas of the GOA among Statistical
Areas 610, 620, and 630. Additional detail on area apportionments and
seasonal allowances is provided in the Apportionments of Pollock TAC
Among Seasons and Regulatory Areas, and Allocations for Processing by
Inshore and Offshore Components section of this rule; tables 3 and 4
list these amounts.
The 2024 and 2025 Pacific cod TACs are set to accommodate the
State's GHLs for Pacific cod in State waters in the Western and Central
Regulatory Areas, as well as in PWS (in the Eastern Regulatory Area).
The Plan Team, SSC, AP, and Council recommended that the sum of all
State waters and Federal waters Pacific cod removals from the GOA not
exceed ABC recommendations. The Council recommended setting the 2024
and 2025 Pacific cod TACs in the Western, Central, and Eastern
Regulatory Areas to account for State GHLs. Therefore, the 2024 Pacific
cod TACs are less than the ABCs by the following amounts: (1) Western
GOA, 2,624 mt; (2) Central GOA, 5,148 mt; and (3) Eastern GOA, 734 mt.
The 2025 Pacific cod TACs are less than the ABCs by the following
amounts: (1) Western GOA, 2,291 mt; (2) Central GOA, 4,495 mt; and (3)
Eastern GOA, 641 mt. These amounts reflect the State's 2024 and 2025
GHLs in these areas, which are 30 percent of the Western GOA ABC and 25
percent of the Eastern and Central GOA ABCs.
The Western and Central GOA Pacific cod TACs are allocated among
various gear and operational sectors. NMFS also establishes seasonal
apportionments of the annual Pacific cod TACs in the Western and
Central Regulatory Areas. The Pacific cod sector and seasonal
apportionments are discussed in detail in the Annual and Seasonal
Apportionments of Pacific Cod TAC section and in tables 5 and 6 of this
rule.
The Council's recommendation for sablefish area apportionments
takes into account the prohibition on the use of trawl gear in the SEO
District of the Eastern Regulatory Area (Sec. 679.7(b)(1)) and makes
available 5 percent of the combined Eastern Regulatory Area TACs to
vessels using trawl gear for use as incidental catch in other trawl
groundfish fisheries in the WYK District (Sec. 679.20(a)(4)(i)).
Tables 7 and 8 list the final 2024 and 2025 allocations of sablefish
TAC to fixed gear and trawl gear in the GOA.
Changes From the Proposed 2024 and 2025 Harvest Specifications in the
GOA
In October 2023, the Council's recommendations for the proposed
2024 and 2025 harvest specifications (88 FR 85184, December 7, 2023)
were based largely on information contained in the final 2022 SAFE
report for the GOA groundfish fisheries, dated November 2022. The final
2022 SAFE report for the GOA is available from the Council (see
ADDRESSES). The Council proposed that the final OFLs, ABCs, and TACs
established for the 2024 groundfish fisheries (88 FR 13238, March 2,
2023) be used for the proposed 2024 and 2025 harvest specifications (88
FR 85184, December 7, 2023) pending completion
[[Page 15488]]
and review of the 2023 SAFE report at the Council's December 2023
meeting.
As described previously, the SSC recommended the final 2024 and
2025 OFLs and ABCs as recommended by the Plan Team, with the exception
of the 2024 pollock ABC and the shortraker rockfish and other rockfish
ABC apportionments by subareas. The Council adopted as its
recommendations the SSC's OFL and ABC recommendations and the AP's TAC
recommendations for 2024 and 2025.
The final 2024 TACs are higher than the proposed 2024 TACs
published in the proposed 2024 and 2025 harvest specifications (88 FR
85184, December 7, 2023) for pollock, Pacific cod, sablefish, shallow-
water flatfish, deep-water flatfish, rex sole, arrowtooth flounder,
flathead sole, Pacific ocean perch, northern rockfish, dusky rockfish,
rougheye and blackspotted rockfish, other rockfish, and Atka mackerel.
The final 2024 TACs are lower than the proposed 2024 TACs for
shortraker rockfish, big skate, longnose skate, and other skates.
The final 2025 TACs are higher than the proposed 2025 GOA TACs for
Pacific cod, sablefish, shallow-water flatfish, deep-water flatfish,
rex sole, arrowtooth flounder, flathead sole, Pacific ocean perch,
rougheye and blackspotted rockfish, other rockfish, and Atka mackerel.
The final 2025 TACs are lower than the proposed 2025 TACs for pollock,
northern rockfish, shortraker rockfish, dusky rockfish, big skates,
longnose skates, and other skates. For the remaining target species
(i.e., demersal shelf rockfish, thornyhead rockfish, sharks, and
octopus), the Council recommended the final 2024 and 2025 TACs that are
the same as the proposed 2024 and 2025 TACs.
Additional information explaining the changes between the proposed
and final ABCs is included in the final 2023 SAFE report, which was not
completed and available when the Council made its proposed ABC and TAC
recommendations in October 2023. At that time, the most recent stock
assessment information was contained in the final 2022 SAFE report. For
the final specifications, the final 2023 SAFE report contains the best
and most recent scientific information on the condition of the
groundfish stocks, harvest information, and ecosystem and socioeconomic
information, as previously discussed in this preamble, and is available
for review (see ADDRESSES). The Council considered the 2023 SAFE report
in December 2023 when it made recommendations for the final 2024 and
2025 harvest specifications. In the GOA, the total final 2024 TAC
amount is 520,020 mt, an increase of 9.1 percent from the total
proposed 2024 TAC amount of 476,537 mt. The total final 2025 TAC amount
is 483,700 mt, an increase of 1.5 percent from the total proposed 2025
TAC amount of 476,537 mt. Table 1a summarizes the difference between
the proposed and final TACs.
Annual stock assessments incorporate a variety of new or revised
inputs, such as survey data or catch information, as well as changes to
the statistical models used to estimate a species' biomass and
population trend. Changes to biomass and ABC estimates are primarily
based on fishery catch updates to species' assessment models.
The changes for individual species or species groups from the
proposed 2024 TACs to the final 2024 TACs are within a range of plus 57
percent or minus 32 percent, and the changes from the proposed 2025
TACs to the final 2025 TACs are within a range of plus 57 percent or
minus 32 percent. Differences in TACs are based on changes in the
estimates of overall biomass in the stock assessment for 2024 and 2025,
as compared to the estimates previously made for 2023 and 2024. For
2024, the species or species group with TAC increases greater than 10
percent are pollock, Pacific cod, deep-water flatfish, rougheye and
blackspotted rockfish, and Atka mackerel. For 2025, the species or
species group with TAC increases greater than ten percent are Pacific
cod, deep-water flatfish, rougheye and blackspotted rockfish, and Atka
mackerel. Based on changes in the estimates of biomass, the species
group with TAC percentage decreases greater than ten percent are other
skates for 2024 and 2025. For all other species and species groups,
changes from the proposed 2024 and 2025 TACs to the final 2024 and 2025
TACs are a 10 percent or less change (either increase or decrease).
These TAC changes correspond to associated changes in the OFLs and
ABCs, as recommended by the SSC, AP, and Council.
Detailed information providing the basis for the changes described
above are contained in the final 2023 SAFE report. The final TACs are
based on the best scientific information available, including
biological and socioeconomic information. These TACs are specified in
compliance with the harvest strategy from the FMP and Final EIS and as
described in the proposed and final rules for the 2024 and 2025 harvest
specifications.
Table 1a--Comparison of Proposed and Final 2024 and 2025 GOA Total Allowable Catch Limits
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton and percentage]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2024 Final 2025 Final
2024 and 2025 2024 Final minus 2024 Percentage 2025 Final minus 2025 Percentage
Species proposed TAC TAC proposed difference TAC proposed difference
TAC TAC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pollock.................................................. 168,416 195,720 27,304 16 168,416 -4,922 -3
Pacific cod.............................................. 16,668 23,766 7,098 43 16,668 4,089 25
Sablefish................................................ 21,095 22,596 1,501 7 21,095 1,600 8
Shallow-water flatfish................................... 45,425 45,478 53 0 45,425 666 1
Deep-water flatfish...................................... 5,719 7,062 1,343 23 5,719 1,234 22
Rex sole................................................. 21,097 21,364 267 1 21,097 206 1
Arrowtooth flounder...................................... 93,389 94,141 752 1 93,389 547 1
Flathead sole............................................ 35,839 35,880 41 0 35,839 548 2
Pacific ocean perch...................................... 36,196 39,719 3,523 10 36,196 2,158 6
Northern rockfish........................................ 4,741 4,815 74 2 4,741 -95 -2
Shortraker rockfish...................................... 705 647 -58 -8 705 -58 -8
Dusky rockfish........................................... 7,520 7,624 104 1 7,520 -295 -4
Rougheye/blackspotted rockfish........................... 772 1,037 265 34 772 269 35
Demersal shelf rockfish.................................. 283 283 0 0 283 0 0
Thornyhead rockfish...................................... 1,628 1,628 0 0 1,628 0 0
Other rockfish........................................... 1,610 1,653 43 3 1,610 43 3
[[Page 15489]]
Atka mackerel............................................ 3,000 4,700 1,700 57 3,000 1,700 57
Big skate................................................ 2,867 2,835 -32 -1 2,867 -32 -1
Longnose skate........................................... 2,712 2,536 -176 -6 2,712 -176 -6
Other skates............................................. 984 665 -319 -32 984 -319 -32
Sharks................................................... 4,891 4,891 0 0 4,891 0 0
Octopuses................................................ 980 980 0 0 980 0 0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total................................................ 476,537 520,020 43,483 9.1 483,700 7,163 1.5
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The final 2024 and 2025 TAC amounts for the GOA are within the OY
range established for the GOA and do not exceed the ABC for any species
or species group. The ABC does not exceed the OFL for any species or
species group. Tables 1 and 2 list the final OFL, ABC, and TAC amounts
for GOA groundfish for 2024 and 2025, respectively.
Table 1--Final 2024 OFLs, ABCs, and TACs of Groundfish for the Western/Central/West Yakutat, Western, Central,
Eastern Regulatory Areas, the West Yakutat and Southeast Outside Districts of the Eastern Regulatory Area, and
Gulfwide Districts of the Gulf of Alaska
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Area \1\ OFL ABC TAC
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pollock \2\................................. Shumagin (610)................ n/a 38,882 38,882
Chirikof (620)................ n/a 90,937 90,937
Kodiak (630).................. n/a 50,587 50,587
WYK (640)..................... n/a 5,565 5,565
-----------------------------------
W/C/WYK (subtotal) \2\..... 269,916 190,740 185,971
SEO (650)..................... 12,998 9,749 9,749
-----------------------------------
Total...................... 282,914 200,489 195,720
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pacific cod \3\............................. W............................. n/a 8,745 6,121
C............................. n/a 20,590 15,442
E............................. n/a 2,937 2,203
-----------------------------------
Total...................... 38,712 32,272 23,766
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sablefish \4\............................... W............................. n/a 4,699 4,699
C............................. n/a 9,651 9,651
WYK........................... n/a 2,926 2,926
SEO........................... n/a 5,320 5,320
-----------------------------------
Subtotal TAC............... n/a n/a 22,596
-----------------------------------
Total...................... 55,084 47,146 n/a
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shallow-water flatfish \5\.................. W............................. n/a 23,337 13,250
C............................. n/a 27,783 27,783
WYK........................... n/a 2,778 2,778
SEO........................... n/a 1,667 1,667
-----------------------------------
Total...................... 68,121 55,565 45,478
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Deep-water flatfish \6\..................... W............................. n/a 237 237
C............................. n/a 2,655 2,655
WYK........................... n/a 1,856 1,856
SEO........................... n/a 2,314 2,314
-----------------------------------
Total...................... 8,387 7,062 7,062
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rex sole.................................... W............................. n/a 3,367 3,367
C............................. n/a 13,639 13,639
WYK........................... n/a 1,453 1,453
SEO........................... n/a 2,905 2,905
-----------------------------------
[[Page 15490]]
Total...................... 25,978 21,364 21,364
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Arrowtooth flounder......................... W............................. n/a 30,409 14,500
C............................. n/a 64,871 64,871
WYK........................... n/a 7,870 7,870
SEO........................... n/a 16,099 6,900
-----------------------------------
Total...................... 142,485 119,249 94,141
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Flathead sole............................... W............................. n/a 13,273 8,650
C............................. n/a 21,307 21,307
WYK........................... n/a 3,876 3,876
SEO........................... n/a 2,047 2,047
-----------------------------------
Total...................... 49,414 40,503 35,880
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pacific ocean perch \7\..................... W............................. n/a 1,787 1,787
C............................. n/a 28,757 28,757
WYK........................... n/a 2,110 2,110
SEO........................... n/a 7,065 7,065
-----------------------------------
Total...................... 47,466 39,719 39,719
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern rockfish \8\....................... W............................. n/a 2,535 2,535
C............................. n/a 2,280 2,280
E............................. n/a 0 0
-----------------------------------
Total...................... 5,750 4,815 4,815
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shortraker rockfish \9\..................... W............................. n/a 34 34
C............................. n/a 189 189
E............................. n/a 424 424
-----------------------------------
Total...................... 863 647 647
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dusky rockfish \10\......................... W............................. n/a 145 145
C............................. n/a 7,365 7,365
WYK........................... n/a 84 84
SEO........................... n/a 30 30
-----------------------------------
Total...................... 9,281 7,624 7,624
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rougheye and Blackspotted rockfish \11\..... W............................. n/a 197 197
C............................. n/a 315 315
E............................. n/a 525 525
-----------------------------------
Total...................... 1,555 1,037 1,037
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Demersal shelf rockfish \12\................ SEO........................... 376 283 283
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thornyhead rockfish\13\..................... W............................. n/a 314 314
C............................. n/a 693 693
E............................. n/a 621 621
-----------------------------------
Total...................... 2,170 1,628 1,628
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other rockfish \14\ \15\.................... W/C/WYK....................... n/a 1,353 1,353
SEO........................... n/a 2,421 300
-----------------------------------
Total...................... 4,977 3,774 1,653
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Atka mackerel............................... GW............................ 6,200 4,700 4,700
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Big skate \16\.............................. W............................. n/a 745 745
C............................. n/a 1,749 1,749
E............................. n/a 341 341
-----------------------------------
Total...................... 3,780 2,835 2,835
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Longnose skate \17\......................... W............................. n/a 104 104
[[Page 15491]]
C............................. n/a 1,894 1,894
E............................. n/a 538 538
-----------------------------------
Total...................... 3,380 2,536 2,536
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other skates \18\........................... GW............................ 887 665 665
GW............................ 6,521 4,891 4,891
GW............................ 1,307 980 980
-----------------------------------
Total................................... .............................. 765,608 599,784 520,020
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Regulatory areas and districts are defined at Sec. 679.2. (W = Western Gulf of Alaska; C = Central Gulf of
Alaska; E = Eastern Gulf of Alaska; WYK = West Yakutat District; SEO = Southeast Outside District; GW = Gulf-
wide).
\2\ The total for the W/C/WYK Regulatory Areas pollock ABC is 190,740 mt. After deducting 2.5 percent (4,769 mt)
of that ABC for the State's pollock GHL fishery, the remaining pollock ABC of 185,971 mt (for the W/C/WYK
Regulatory Areas) is apportioned among four statistical areas (Areas 610, 620, 630, and 640). These
apportionments are considered subarea ACLs, rather than ABCs, for specification and reapportionment purposes.
The ACLs in Areas 610, 620, and 630 are further divided by season, as detailed in table 3 (final 2024 seasonal
biomass distribution of pollock in the Western and Central Regulatory Areas, area apportionments, and seasonal
allowances). In the West Yakutat (Area 640) and Southeast Outside (Area 650) Districts of the Eastern
Regulatory Area, pollock are not divided into seasonal allowances.
\3\ The annual Pacific cod TAC is apportioned, after seasonal apportionment to the jig sector, as follows: (1)
63.84 percent to the A season and 36.16 percent to the B season and (2) 64.16 percent to the A season and
35.84 percent to the B season in the Western and Central Regulatory Areas of the GOA, respectively. Pacific
cod TAC in the Eastern Regulatory Area of the GOA is allocated 90 percent to vessels harvesting Pacific cod
for processing by the inshore component and 10 percent to vessels harvesting Pacific cod for processing by the
offshore component. Table 5 lists the final 2024 Pacific cod seasonal apportionments and sector allocations.
\4\ The sablefish OFL and ABC are set Alaska-wide (55,084 mt and 47,146 mt, respectively), and the Alaska-wide
totals are included in the total OFL and ABC in table 1. Additionally, sablefish TAC is allocated to trawl and
fixed gear in 2024 and trawl gear in 2025. Table 7 lists the final 2024 allocations of sablefish TACs.
\5\ ``Shallow-water flatfish'' means flatfish not including ``deep-water flatfish,'' flathead sole, rex sole, or
arrowtooth flounder.
\6\ ``Deep-water flatfish'' means Dover sole, Greenland turbot, Kamchatka flounder, and deepsea sole.
\7\ ``Pacific ocean perch'' means Sebastes alutus.
\8\ ``Northern rockfish'' means Sebastes polyspinis. For management purposes, the 1 mt apportionment of ABC to
the WYK District of the Eastern Gulf of Alaska has been included in the other rockfish species group.
\9\ ``Shortraker rockfish'' means Sebastes borealis.
\10\ ``Dusky rockfish'' means Sebastes variabilis.
\11\ ``Rougheye and blackspotted rockfish'' mean Sebastes aleutianus (rougheye) and S. melanostictus
(blackspotted).
\12\ ``Demersal shelf rockfish'' means Sebastes pinniger (canary), S. nebulosus (china), S. caurinus (copper),
S. maliger (quillback), S. helvomaculatus (rosethorn), S. nigrocinctus (tiger), and S. ruberrimus (yelloweye).
\13\ ``Thornyhead rockfish'' means Sebastolobus species.
\14\ ``Other rockfish'' means Sebastes aurora (aurora), S. melanostomus (blackgill), S. paucispinis (bocaccio),
S. goodei (chilipepper), S. crameri (darkblotch), S. elongatus (greenstriped), S. variegatus (harlequin), S.
wilsoni (pygmy), S. babcocki (redbanded), S. proriger (redstripe), S. zacentrus (sharpchin), S. jordani
(shortbelly), S. brevispinis (silvergrey), S. diploproa (splitnose), S. saxicola (stripetail), S. miniatus
(vermilion), S. reedi (yellowmouth), S. entomelas (widow), and S. flavidus (yellowtail). In the Eastern GOA
only, ``other rockfish'' also includes northern rockfish, S. polyspinis.
\15\ ``Other rockfish'' in the Western and Central Regulatory Areas and in the West Yakutat District means other
rockfish and demersal shelf rockfish. The ``other rockfish'' species group in the SEO District only includes
``other rockfish.''
\16\ ``Big skate'' means Beringraja binoculata.
\17\ ``Longnose skate'' means Raja rhina.
\18\ ``Other skates'' mean Bathyraja spp.
Table 2--Final 2025 OFLs, ABCs, and TACs of Groundfish for the Western/Central/West Yakutat, Western, Central,
Eastern Regulatory Areas, the West Yakutat and Southeast Outside Districts of the Eastern Regulatory Area, and
Gulfwide Districts of the Gulf of Alaska
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Area \1\ OFL ABC TAC
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pollock \2\................................. Shumagin (610)................ n/a 32,144 32,144
Chirikof (620)................ n/a 75,179 75,179
Kodiak (630).................. n/a 41,821 41,821
WYK (640)..................... n/a 4,601 4,601
-----------------------------------
W/C/WYK (subtotal) \2\..... 182,891 157,687 153,745
SEO (650)..................... 12,998 9,749 9,749
-----------------------------------
Total...................... 195,889 167,436 163,494
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pacific cod \3\............................. W............................. n/a 7,638 5,347
C............................. n/a 17,981 13,486
E............................. n/a 2,565 1,924
-----------------------------------
Total...................... 33,970 28,184 20,757
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 15492]]
Sablefish \4\............................... W............................. n/a 4,719 4,719
C............................. n/a 9,693 9,693
WYK........................... n/a 2,940 2,940
SEO........................... n/a 5,343 5,343
-----------------------------------
Subtotal TAC............... n/a n/a 22,695
-----------------------------------
Total...................... 55,317 47,350 n/a
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shallow-water flatfish \5\.................. W............................. n/a 23,782 13,250
C............................. n/a 28,311 28,311
WYK........................... n/a 2,831 2,831
SEO........................... n/a 1,699 1,699
-----------------------------------
Total...................... 69,354 56,623 46,091
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Deep-water flatfish \6\..................... W............................. n/a 234 234
C............................. n/a 2,614 2,614
WYK........................... n/a 1,827 1,827
SEO........................... n/a 2,278 2,278
-----------------------------------
Total...................... 8,257 6,953 6,953
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rex sole.................................... W............................. n/a 3,363 3,363
C............................. n/a 13,624 13,624
WYK........................... n/a 1,439 1,439
SEO........................... n/a 2,877 2,877
-----------------------------------
Total...................... 25,900 21,303 21,303
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Arrowtooth flounder......................... W............................. n/a 30,323 14,500
C............................. n/a 64,688 64,688
WYK........................... n/a 7,848 7,848
SEO........................... n/a 16,053 6,900
-----------------------------------
Total...................... 142,074 118,912 93,936
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Flathead sole............................... W............................. n/a 13,521 8,650
C............................. n/a 21,702 21,702
WYK........................... n/a 3,949 3,949
SEO........................... n/a 2,086 2,086
-----------------------------------
Total...................... 50,322 41,258 36,387
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pacific ocean perch \7\..................... W............................. n/a 1,726 1,726
C............................. n/a 27,768 27,768
WYK........................... n/a 2,038 2,038
SEO........................... .......... 6,822 6,822
-----------------------------------
Total...................... 45,835 38,354 38,354
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern rockfish \8\....................... W............................. n/a 2,446 2,446
C............................. n/a 2,200 2,200
E............................. n/a .......... ..........
-----------------------------------
Total...................... 5,548 4,646 4,646
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shortraker rockfish \9\..................... W............................. n/a 34 34
C............................. n/a 189 189
E............................. n/a 424 424
-----------------------------------
Total...................... 863 647 647
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dusky rockfish \10\......................... W............................. n/a 137 137
C............................. n/a 6,979 6,979
WYK........................... n/a 81 81
SEO........................... n/a 28 28
-----------------------------------
Total...................... 8,796 7,225 7,225
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 15493]]
Rougheye and Blackspotted rockfish \11\..... W............................. n/a 198 198
C............................. n/a 317 317
E............................. n/a 526 526
-----------------------------------
Total...................... 1,566 1,041 1,041
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Demersal shelf rockfish \12\................ SEO........................... 376 283 283
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thornyhead rockfish \13\.................... W............................. n/a 314 314
C............................. n/a 693 693
E............................. n/a 621 621
-----------------------------------
Total...................... 2,170 1,628 1,628
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other rockfish \14\ \15\.................... W/C/WYK....................... n/a 1,353 1,353
SEO........................... n/a 2,421 300
-----------------------------------
Total...................... 4,977 3,774 1,653
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Atka mackerel............................... GW............................ 6,200 4,700 4,700
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Big skate \16\.............................. W............................. n/a 745 745
C............................. n/a 1,749 1,749
E............................. n/a 341 341
-----------------------------------
Total...................... 3,780 2,835 2,835
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Longnose skate \17\......................... W............................. n/a 104 104
C............................. n/a 1,894 1,894
E............................. n/a 538 538
-----------------------------------
Total...................... 3,380 2,536 2,536
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other skates \18\........................... GW............................ 887 665 665
Sharks...................................... GW............................ 6,521 4,891 4,891
Octopus..................................... GW............................ 1,307 980 980
-----------------------------------
Total................................... .............................. 673,289 562,224 483,700
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Regulatory areas and districts are defined at Sec. 679.2. (W = Western Gulf of Alaska; C = Central Gulf of
Alaska; E = Eastern Gulf of Alaska; WYK = West Yakutat District; SEO = Southeast Outside District; GW = Gulf-
wide).
\2\ The total for the W/C/WYK Regulatory Areas pollock ABC is 157,687 mt. After deducting 2.5 percent (3,942 mt)
of that ABC for the State's pollock GHL fishery, the remaining pollock ABC of 153,745 mt (for the W/C/WYK
Regulatory Areas) is apportioned among four statistical areas (Areas 610, 620, 630, and 640). These
apportionments are considered subarea ACLs, rather than ABCs, for specification and reapportionment purposes.
The ACLs in Areas 610, 620, and 630 are further divided by season, as detailed in table 4 (final 2025 seasonal
biomass distribution of pollock in the Western and Central Regulatory Areas, area apportionments, and seasonal
allowances). In the West Yakutat (Area 640) and Southeast Outside (Area 650) Districts of the Eastern
Regulatory Area, pollock is not divided into seasonal allowances.
\3\ The annual Pacific cod TAC is apportioned, after seasonal apportionment to the jig sector, as follows: (1)
63.84 percent to the A season and 36.16 percent to the B season and (2) 64.16 percent to the A season and
35.84 percent to the B season in the Western and Central Regulatory Areas of the GOA, respectively. Pacific
cod TAC in the Eastern Regulatory Area of the GOA is allocated 90 percent to vessels harvesting Pacific cod
for processing by the inshore component and 10 percent to vessels harvesting Pacific cod for processing by the
offshore component. Table 6 lists the final 2025 Pacific cod seasonal apportionments and sector allocations.
\4\ The sablefish OFL and ABC are set Alaska-wide (55,317 mt and 47,350 mt, respectively), and the Alaska-wide
totals are included in the total OFL and ABC in table 2. Additionally, sablefish TAC is allocated only to
trawl gear for 2025. Table 8 lists the final 2025 allocation of sablefish TACs to trawl gear.
\5\ ``Shallow-water flatfish'' means flatfish not including ``deep-water flatfish,'' flathead sole, rex sole, or
arrowtooth flounder.
\6\ ``Deep-water flatfish'' means Dover sole, Greenland turbot, Kamchatka flounder, and deepsea sole.
\7\ ``Pacific ocean perch'' means Sebastes alutus.
\8\ ``Northern rockfish'' means Sebastes polyspinis. For management purposes, the 1 mt apportionment of ABC to
the WYK District of the Eastern Gulf of Alaska has been included in the ``other rockfish'' species group.
\9\ ``Shortraker rockfish'' means Sebastes borealis.
\10\ ``Dusky rockfish'' means Sebastes variabilis.
\11\ ``Rougheye and blackspotted rockfish'' mean Sebastes aleutianus (rougheye) and S. melanostictus
(blackspotted).
\12\ ``Demersal shelf rockfish'' means Sebastes pinniger (canary), S. nebulosus (china), S. caurinus (copper),
S. maliger (quillback), S. helvomaculatus (rosethorn), S. nigrocinctus (tiger), and S. ruberrimus (yelloweye).
\13\ ``Thornyhead rockfish'' means Sebastolobus species.
\14\ ``Other rockfish'' means Sebastes aurora (aurora), S. melanostomus (blackgill), S. paucispinis (bocaccio),
S. goodei (chilipepper), S. crameri (darkblotch), S. elongatus (greenstriped), S. variegatus (harlequin), S.
wilsoni (pygmy), S. babcocki (redbanded), S. proriger (redstripe), S. zacentrus (sharpchin), S. jordani
(shortbelly), S. brevispinis (silvergrey), S. diploproa (splitnose), S. saxicola (stripetail), S. miniatus
(vermilion), S. reedi (yellowmouth), S. entomelas (widow), and S. flavidus (yellowtail). In the Eastern GOA
only, ``other rockfish'' also includes northern rockfish, S. polyspinis.
[[Page 15494]]
\15\ In 2024 and prior years, ``other rockfish'' in the Western and Central Regulatory Areas and in the West
Yakutat District meant other rockfish and demersal shelf rockfish, and the ``other rockfish'' species group in
the SEO District only included ``other rockfish.'' Starting with the 2024 stock assessment for the 2025
harvest specifications, the ``other rockfish'' species group will be specified GOA-wide (as one GOA-wide
species group), and the demersal shelf rockfish species group will be specified for the Western and Central
Regulatory Areas/West Yakutat District and for the SEO District (as two separate species groups).
\16\ ``Big skate'' means Beringraja binoculata.
\17\ ``Longnose skate'' means Raja rhina.
\18\ ``Other skates'' mean Bathyraja spp.
Apportionment of Reserves
Section 679.20(b)(2) requires NMFS to set aside 20 percent of each
TAC for pollock, Pacific cod, flatfish, sharks, and octopuses in
reserve for possible apportionment at a later date during the fishing
year. For 2024 and 2025, NMFS proposed reapportionment of all the
reserves in the proposed 2024 and 2025 harvest specifications published
in the Federal Register on December 7, 2023 (88 FR 85184). NMFS did not
receive any public comments on the proposed reapportionments. For the
final 2024 and 2025 harvest specifications, NMFS reapportions, as
proposed, all the reserves for pollock, Pacific cod, flatfish, sharks,
and octopuses back to the original TAC limit from which the reserve was
derived (Sec. 679.20(b)(3)). This is being done because NMFS expects,
based on recent harvest patterns, that such reserves are not necessary
or that the entire TAC for each of these species will be caught. The
TACs listed in tables 1 and 2 reflect reapportionments of reserve
amounts to the original TAC limit for these species and species groups,
i.e., each final TAC for the above-mentioned species or species groups
contains the full TAC recommended by the Council.
Apportionments of Pollock TAC Among Seasons and Regulatory Areas, and
Allocations for Processing by Inshore and Offshore Components
In the GOA, pollock is apportioned by season and area and is
further allocated for processing by inshore and offshore components.
The pollock TACs in the Western and Central Regulatory Areas of the GOA
are apportioned among Statistical Areas 610, 620, and 630. These
apportionments are divided into two equal seasonal allowances of 50
percent to the A season (January 20 through May 31) and 50 percent to
the B season (September 1 through November 1) (Sec. Sec.
679.20(a)(5)(iv)(B) and 679.23(d)(2)).
Effective in 2021, regulatory changes revised the number of GOA
pollock seasons to two seasons from four seasons (85 FR 38093, June 25,
2020). The GOA pollock stock assessment continues to use a four-season
methodology to determine pollock distribution in the Western and
Central Regulatory Areas of the GOA to maintain continuity in the
historical pollock apportionment time-series. Pollock TACs in the
Western and Central Regulatory Areas of the GOA are apportioned among
Statistical Areas 610, 620, and 630 in proportion to the distribution
of pollock biomass determined by the most recent NMFS surveys, pursuant
to Sec. 679.20(a)(5)(iv)(A). The pollock chapter of the 2023 SAFE
report (see ADDRESSES) contains a comprehensive description of the
apportionment and reasons for the minor changes from past
apportionments. For purposes of specifying pollock TAC between two
seasons for the Western and Central Regulatory Areas of the GOA, NMFS
has summed the A and B season apportionments and the C and D season
apportionments, using the four-season methodology, as calculated in the
2023 GOA pollock assessment. This yields the seasonal amounts specified
for the A season and the B season, respectively.
Within any fishing year, the amount by which a pollock seasonal
allowance is underharvested or overharvested may be added to, or
subtracted from, the subsequent seasonal allowance for the Western and
Central Regulatory Areas in a manner to be determined by the Regional
Administrator (Sec. 679.20(a)(5)(iv)(B)). The rollover amount is
limited to 20 percent of the subsequent seasonal TAC apportionment for
the statistical area. Any unharvested pollock above the 20-percent
limit could be further distributed to the other statistical areas, in
proportion to the estimated biomass in the subsequent season in those
statistical areas and in an amount no more than 20 percent of the
seasonal TAC apportionment in those statistical areas (Sec.
679.20(a)(5)(iv)(B)). The pollock TACs in the WYK and the SEO Districts
of 5,565 mt and 9,749 mt, respectively, in 2024, and 4,601 mt and 9,749
mt, respectively, in 2025, are not allocated by season.
Tables 3 and 4 list the final 2024 and 2025 seasonal biomass
distribution of pollock in the Western and Central Regulatory Areas,
area apportionments, and seasonal allowances. The amounts of pollock
for processing by the inshore and offshore components are not shown.
Section 679.20(a)(6)(i) requires the allocation of 100 percent of the
pollock TAC in all GOA regulatory areas and all seasonal allowances to
vessels catching pollock for processing by the inshore component after
subtraction of pollock amounts projected by the Regional Administrator
to be caught by, or delivered to, the offshore component incidental to
directed fishing for other groundfish species. Thus, the amount of
pollock available for harvest by vessels harvesting pollock for
processing by the offshore component is that amount that will be taken
as incidental catch during directed fishing for groundfish species
other than pollock, up to the maximum retainable amounts allowed by
Sec. 679.20(e) and (f). At this time, these incidental catch amounts
of pollock are unknown and will be determined during the fishing year
during the course of fishing activities by the offshore component.
Table 3--Final 2024 Distribution of Pollock in the Western and Central Regulatory Areas of the Gulf of Alaska;
Area Apportionments; and Seasonal Allowances of Annual TAC
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton \1\]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shumigan (Area Chirikof (Area Kodiak (Area
Season \2\ 610) 620) 630) Total \3\
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A (January 20-May 31)........................... 5,422 70,918 13,863 90,203
B (September 1-November 1)...................... 33,460 20,019 36,724 90,203
---------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 15495]]
Annual Total................................ 38,882 90,937 50,587 180,406
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Area apportionments and seasonal allowances may not total precisely due to rounding.
\2\ As established by Sec. 679.23(d)(2), directed fishing for pollock in the Western and Central Regulatory
Areas is authorized only during the following two seasons: January 20 through May 31 and September 1 through
November 1, respectively. The amounts of pollock for processing by the inshore and offshore components are not
shown in this table.
\3\ The West Yakutat and Southeast Outside District pollock TACs are not allocated by season and are not
included in the total pollock TACs shown in this table.
Table 4--Final 2025 Distribution of Pollock in the Western and Central Regulatory Areas of the Gulf of Alaska;
Area Apportionments; and Seasonal Allowances of Annual TAC
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton \1\]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shumigan (Area Chirikof (Area Kodiak (Area
Season \2\ 610) 620) 630) Total \3\
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A (January 20-May 31)........................... 4,483 58,629 11,460 74,572
B (September 1-November 1)...................... 27,661 16,550 30,361 74,572
---------------------------------------------------------------
Annual Total................................ 32,144 75,179 41,821 149,144
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Area apportionments and seasonal allowances may not total precisely due to rounding.
\2\ As established by Sec. 679.23(d)(2), directed fishing for pollock in the Western and Central Regulatory
Areas is authorized only during the following two seasons: January 20 through May 31 and September 1 through
November 1, respectively. The amounts of pollock for processing by the inshore and offshore components are not
shown in this table.
\3\ The West Yakutat and Southeast Outside District pollock TACs are not allocated by season and are not
included in the total pollock TACs shown in this table.
Annual and Seasonal Apportionments of Pacific Cod TAC
Pursuant to Sec. 679.20(a)(12)(i), NMFS seasonally allocates the
2024 and 2025 Pacific cod TACs in the Western and Central Regulatory
Areas of the GOA among gear and operational sectors. In the Western and
Central Regulatory Areas, a portion of the annual TAC is apportioned to
the A season for hook-and-line, pot, and jig gear from January 1
through June 10, and for trawl gear from January 20 through June 10,
and a portion of the annual TAC is apportioned to the B season for jig
gear from June 10 through December 31, for hook-and-line and pot gear
from September 1 through December 31, and for trawl gear from September
1 through November 1 (Sec. Sec. 679.20(a)(12) and 679.23(d)(3)). NMFS
also allocates the Pacific cod TACs annually between the inshore (90
percent) and offshore (10 percent) components in the Eastern Regulatory
Area of the GOA (Sec. 679.20(a)(6)(ii)).
In the Central GOA, the Pacific cod TAC is apportioned seasonally
first to vessels using jig gear, then among CVs less than 50 feet (15.2
meters (m)) in length overall using hook-and-line gear, then among CVs
equal to or greater than 50 feet (15.2 m) in length overall using hook-
and-line gear, then among catcher/processors (CPs) using hook-and-line
gear, then among CVs using trawl gear, then among CPs using trawl gear,
and then among vessels using pot gear (Sec. 679.20(a)(12)(i)(B)). In
the Western GOA, the Pacific cod TAC is apportioned seasonally first to
vessels using jig gear, then among CVs using hook-and-line gear, then
among CPs using hook-and-line gear, then among CVs using trawl gear,
then among CPs using trawl gear, and then among vessels using pot gear
(Sec. 679.20(a)(12)(i)(A)). Excluding seasonal apportionments to the
jig sector, NMFS seasonally apportions the remainder of the annual
Pacific cod TACs in the Western GOA as 63.84 percent to the A season
and 36.16 percent to the B season, and in the Central GOA as 64.16
percent to the A season and 35.84 percent to the B season.
Under Sec. 679.20(a)(12)(ii), any overage or underage of the
Pacific cod season allowance from the A season may be subtracted from,
or added to, the subsequent B season allowance. In addition, any
portion of the hook-and-line, trawl, pot, or jig sector allocations
that is determined by NMFS as likely to go unharvested by a sector may
be reallocated to other sectors for harvest during the remainder of the
fishing year consistent with the reallocation priorities prescribed in
regulation and the capability of a sector to harvest the remaining TAC.
Pursuant to Sec. 679.20(a)(12)(i)(A) and (B), a portion of the
annual Pacific cod TACs in the Western and Central GOA will be
allocated to vessels with a Federal fisheries permit that use jig gear
before the TACs are apportioned among other non-jig sectors. In
accordance with the FMP, the annual jig sector allocations may increase
to up to 6 percent of the annual Western and Central GOA Pacific cod
TACs, depending on the annual performance of the jig sector (see table
1 in the final rule implementing Amendment 83 to the FMP for a detailed
discussion of the jig sector allocation process (76 FR 74670, December
1, 2011)). Jig sector allocation increases are established for a
minimum of 2 years. Jig sector allocation decreases are established for
1 year.
NMFS has evaluated the historical harvest performance of the jig
sector in the Western and Central GOA and is establishing the 2024 and
2025 Pacific cod apportionments to this sector based on its historical
harvest performance through 2023. NMFS did not evaluate the 2020
performance of the jig sectors in the Western and Central GOA because
directed fishing was prohibited for all Pacific cod sectors in 2020 (84
FR 70438, December 23, 2019). Because of the closure, catch for the jig
sectors could not reach 90 percent of the annual allocation that is
required for a
[[Page 15496]]
performance increase in the following year's allocation (87 FR 74102,
December 2, 2022). For 2024 and 2025, NMFS allocates the jig sector 3.5
percent of the annual Pacific cod TAC in the Western GOA. The 2024 and
2025 allocations consist of a base allocation of 1.5 percent of the
Western GOA Pacific cod TAC and performance increases of 2.0 percent.
For 2024 and 2025, NMFS allocates the jig sector 2.0 percent of the
annual Pacific cod TAC in the Central GOA. The 2024 and 2025
allocations consist of a base allocation of 1.0 percent of the Central
GOA Pacific cod TAC and a performance increase of 1.0 percent. The 2025
allocations of the annual Pacific cod TACs in the Western and Central
GOA to jig gear may change based on the harvest performance of the
sector in 2024, which NMFS will evaluate in the 2025 and 2026 harvest
specifications.
For 2024 and 2025, NMFS is apportioning the jig sector allocations
for the Western and Central GOA between the A season (60 percent) and
the B season (40 percent), pursuant to Sec. 679.20(a)(12)(i). This is
the same jig sector seasonal apportionment implemented in prior
groundfish harvest specifications for the GOA and is consistent with
Amendment 83 to the FMP (76 FR 44700, July 26, 2011).
Tables 5 and 6 list the seasonal apportionments and allocations of
the 2024 and 2025 Pacific cod TACs.
Table 5--Final 2024 Seasonal Apportionments and Allocation of Pacific Cod Total Allowable Catch (TAC) Amounts in
the GOA; Allocations in the Western GOA and Central GOA Sectors, and the Eastern GOA Inshore and Offshore
Processing Components
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Season B Season
---------------------------------------------------------------
Annual Sector Sector
Regulatory area and sector allocation percentage of Seasonal percentage of Seasonal
(mt) annual non-jig allowances annual non-jig allowances
TAC (mt) TAC (mt)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Western GOA:
Jig (3.5% of TAC)........... 214 n/a 129 n/a 86
Hook-and-line CV............ 83 0.70 41 0.70 41
Hook-and-line CP............ 1,170 10.9 644 8.90 526
Trawl CV.................... 2,268 31.54 1,863 6.86 405
Trawl CP.................... 142 0.90 53 1.50 89
All Pot CV and Pot CP....... 2,245 19.80 1,170 18.20 1,075
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total................... 6,121 63.84 3,899 36.16 2,222
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Central GOA:
Jig (2.0% of TAC)........... 309 n/a 185 n/a 124
Hook-and-line <50 CV........ 2,210 9.32 1,410 5.29 800
Hook-and-line >=50 CV....... 1,015 5.61 849 1.10 166
Hook-and-line CP............ 772 4.11 622 1.00 151
Trawl CV \1\................ 6,293 25.29 3,828 16.29 2,465
Trawl CP.................... 635 2.00 303 2.19 332
All Pot CV and Pot CP....... 4,208 17.83 2,698 9.98 1,510
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total................... 15,442 64.16 9,894 35.84 5,548
---------------------------------------------------------------
Eastern GOA..................... .............. Inshore (90% of Annual TAC)
Offshore (10% of Annual TAC)
---------------------------------------------------------------
2,203 1,983
220
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Trawl catcher vessels participating in Rockfish Program cooperatives receive 3.81 percent, or 588 mt, of the
annual Central GOA TAC (see table 28c to 50 CFR part 679). This apportionment is deducted from the Trawl CV B
season allowance (see table 12: Final 2024 Apportionments of Rockfish Secondary Species in the Central GOA to
Catcher Vessel and Catcher/Processor Cooperatives).
Table 6--Final 2025 Seasonal Apportionments and Allocation of Pacific Cod Total Allowable Catch (TAC) Amounts in
the GOA; Allocations in the Western GOA and Central GOA Sectors, and the Eastern GOA Inshore and Offshore
Processing Components
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Season B Season
---------------------------------------------------------------
Annual Sector Sector
Regulatory area and sector allocation percentage of Seasonal percentage of Seasonal
(mt) annual non-jig allowances annual non-jig allowances
TAC (mt) TAC (mt)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Western GOA:
Jig (3.5% of TAC)........... 187 N/A 112 N/A 75
Hook-and-line CV............ 72 0.70 36 0.70 36
Hook-and-line CP............ 1,022 10.9 562 8.90 459
Trawl CV.................... 1,981 31.54 1,627 6.86 354
Trawl CP.................... 124 0.90 46 1.50 77
All Pot CV and Pot CP....... 1,961 19.80 1,022 18.20 939
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 15497]]
Total................... 5,347 63.84 3,406 36.16 1,941
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Central GOA:
Jig (2.0% of TAC)........... 270 N/A 162 N/A 108
Hook-and-line <50 CV........ 1,930 9.32 1,231 5.29 699
Hook-and-line >=50 CV....... 886 5.61 741 1.10 145
Hook-and-line CP............ 675 4.11 543 1.00 132
Trawl CV \1\................ 5,496 25.29 3,343 16.29 2,153
Trawl CP.................... 555 2.00 265 2.19 290
All Pot CV and Pot CP....... 3,675 17.83 2,356 9.98 1,318
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total................... 13,486 64.16 8,641 35.84 4,845
---------------------------------------------------------------
Eastern GOA .............. Inshore (90% of Annual TAC)
Offshore (10% of Annual TAC)
---------------------------------------------------------------
1,924 1,731
192
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Trawl catcher vessels participating in Rockfish Program cooperatives receive 3.81 percent, or 514 mt, of the
annual Central GOA TAC (see table 28c to 50 CFR part 679). This apportionment is deducted from the Trawl CV B
season allowance (see table 13: Final 2025 Apportionments of Rockfish Secondary Species in the Central GOA to
Catcher Vessel and Catcher/Processor Cooperatives).
Allocations of the Sablefish TAC Amounts to Vessels Using Fixed and
Trawl Gear
Section 679.20(a)(4)(i) and (ii) require allocations of sablefish
TACs for each of the regulatory areas and districts to fixed and trawl
gear. In the Western and Central Regulatory Areas, 80 percent of each
TAC is allocated to fixed gear, and 20 percent of each TAC is allocated
to trawl gear. In the Eastern Regulatory Area, 95 percent of the TAC is
allocated to fixed gear, and 5 percent is allocated to trawl gear. The
trawl gear allocation in the Eastern Regulatory Area may only be used
to support incidental catch of sablefish using trawl gear while
directed fishing for other target species (Sec. 679.20(a)(4)(i)).
In recognition of the prohibition against trawl gear in the SEO
District of the Eastern Regulatory Area, the Council recommended, and
NMFS approves, specifying for incidental catch the allocation of 5
percent of the combined Eastern Regulatory Area sablefish TAC to trawl
gear in the WYK District of the Eastern Regulatory Area. The remainder
of the WYK District sablefish TAC is allocated to vessels using fixed
gear. NMFS allocates 100 percent of the sablefish TAC in the SEO
District to vessels using fixed gear. This results in 2024 allocations
of 412 mt to trawl gear and 2,514 mt to fixed gear in the WYK District,
a 2024 allocation of 5,320 mt to fixed gear in the SEO District, and a
2025 allocation of 414 mt to trawl gear in the WYK District. Table 7
lists the allocations of the 2024 sablefish TACs to fixed and trawl
gear. Table 8 lists the allocations of the 2025 sablefish TACs to trawl
gear.
The Council recommended that a trawl sablefish TAC be established
for 2 years so that retention of incidental catch of sablefish by trawl
gear could commence in January in the second year of the groundfish
harvest specifications. Both the 2024 and 2025 trawl allocations are
specified in these final harvest specifications in tables 7 and 8,
respectively.
The Council also recommended that the fixed gear sablefish TAC be
established annually to ensure that this Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ)
fishery is conducted concurrently with the halibut IFQ fishery and is
based on the most recent survey information. Since there is an annual
assessment for sablefish and since the final harvest specifications are
expected to be published before the IFQ season begins in March 2024,
NMFS specifies the fixed gear sablefish TAC annually, rather than for 2
years, to ensure that the sablefish IFQ fishery is conducted
concurrently with the halibut IFQ fishery. Concurrent sablefish and
halibut IFQ fisheries reduce the potential for discards of halibut and
sablefish in those fisheries. Accordingly, table 7 lists the 2024 fixed
gear allocations, and the 2025 fixed gear allocations will be specified
in the 2025 and 2026 harvest specifications.
With the exception of the trawl gear allocations that are provided
to the Rockfish Program (see table 28c to 50 CFR part 679), directed
fishing for sablefish with trawl gear in the GOA is closed during the
fishing year. Also, fishing for groundfish with trawl gear is
prohibited prior to January 20 (Sec. 679.23(c)). Therefore, it is not
likely that the sablefish allocation to trawl gear will be reached
before the effective date of these final 2024 and 2025 harvest
specifications.
[[Page 15498]]
Table 7--Final 2024 Sablefish TAC Amounts in the Gulf of Alaska and Allocations to Fixed and Trawl Gear
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fixed gear Trawl gear
Area/district TAC allocation allocation
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Western............................................... 4,699 3,759 940
Central \1\........................................... 9,651 7,721 1,930
West Yakutat \2\...................................... 2,926 2,514 412
Southeast Outside..................................... 5,320 5,320 0
---------------------------------------------------------
Total............................................. 22,596 19,313 3,283
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The trawl allocation of sablefish in the Central Regulatory Area is further apportioned to the Rockfish
Program cooperatives (993 mt). See table 28c to 50 CFR part 679 and table 12: Final 2024 Apportionments of
Rockfish Secondary Species in the Central GOA to Catcher Vessel and Catcher/Processor Cooperatives. This
results in 937 mt being available for the non-Rockfish Program trawl fisheries.
\2\ The trawl allocation is based on allocating 5 percent of the combined Eastern Regulatory Area (West Yakutat
and Southeast Outside Districts) sablefish TAC as incidental catch to trawl gear in the West Yakutat District.
Table 8--Final 2025 Sablefish TAC Amounts in the Gulf of Alaska and Allocations to Trawl Gear \1\
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fixed gear Trawl gear
Area/district TAC allocation allocation
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Western............................................... 4,719 n/a 944
Central \2\........................................... 9,693 n/a 1,939
West Yakutat \3\...................................... 2,940 n/a 414
Southeast Outside..................................... 5,343 n/a 0
---------------------------------------------------------
Total............................................. 22,695 0 3,297
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The Council recommended that the final 2025 harvest specifications for the fixed gear sablefish Individual
Fishing Quota fisheries not be specified in the final 2024 and 2025 harvest specifications. The final 2025
harvest specifications for fixed gear will be specified in the 2025 and 2026 harvest specifications.
\2\ The trawl allocation of sablefish in the Central Regulatory Area is further apportioned to the Rockfish
Program cooperatives (997 mt). See table 28c to 50 CFR part 679 and table 13: Final 2025 Apportionments of
Rockfish Secondary Species in the Central GOA to Catcher Vessel and Catcher/Processor Cooperatives. This
results in 942 mt being available for the non-Rockfish Program trawl fisheries.
\3\ The trawl allocation is based on allocating 5 percent of the combined Eastern Regulatory Area (West Yakutat
and Southeast Outside Districts) sablefish TAC as incidental catch to trawl gear in the West Yakutat District.
Allocations, Apportionments, and Sideboard Limits for the Rockfish
Program
These final 2024 and 2025 harvest specifications for the GOA
include the fishery cooperative allocations and sideboard limitations
established by the Rockfish Program. Rockfish Program participants are
primarily trawl CVs and trawl CPs, with limited participation by
vessels using longline gear. The Rockfish Program assigns quota share
and cooperative quota to participants for primary species (Pacific
ocean perch, northern rockfish, and dusky rockfish) and secondary
species (Pacific cod, rougheye and blackspotted rockfish, sablefish,
shortraker rockfish, and thornyhead rockfish), allows a participant
holding a LLP license with rockfish quota share to form a rockfish
cooperative with other persons, and allows holders of CP LLP licenses
to opt out of the fishery. The Rockfish Program also has an entry-level
fishery for rockfish primary species for vessels using longline gear.
Longline gear includes hook-and-line, jig, troll, and handline gear.
Under the Rockfish Program, rockfish primary species in the Central
GOA are allocated to participants after deducting for incidental catch
needs in other directed groundfish fisheries (Sec. 679.81(a)(2)).
Participants in the Rockfish Program also receive a portion of the
Central GOA TAC of specific secondary species. In addition to
groundfish species, the Rockfish Program assigns a portion of the
halibut PSC limit (191.4 mt) from the third season deep-water species
fishery allowance for the GOA trawl fisheries to Rockfish Program
participants (Sec. 679.81(d) and table 28d to 50 CFR part 679). The
Rockfish Program also establishes sideboard limits to restrict the
ability of harvesters operating under the Rockfish Program to increase
their participation in other, non-Rockfish Program fisheries. These
restrictions and halibut PSC limits are discussed in the Rockfish
Program Groundfish Sideboard and Halibut PSC Limitations section of
this rule.
Section 679.81(a)(2)(ii) and table 28e to 50 CFR part 679 require
allocations of 5 mt of Pacific ocean perch, 5 mt of northern rockfish,
and 50 mt of dusky rockfish to the entry-level longline fishery in 2024
and 2025. The allocations for the entry-level longline fishery may
increase incrementally each year if the catch in the previous year
exceeds 90 percent of the allocation of a species. The incremental
increase in the allocation would continue each year until it reaches
the maximum percent of the TAC assigned to the Rockfish Program for
that species. In 2023, the catch of Pacific ocean perch, northern
rockfish, and dusky rockfish did not attain the 90 percent threshold,
and the final allocations for 2024 therefore remain the same as the
2023 allocations. The remainder of the TACs for the rockfish primary
species are allocated to the CV and CP cooperatives (Sec.
679.81(a)(2)(iii)). Table 9 lists the allocations of the 2024 and 2025
TACs for each rockfish primary species to the entry-level longline
fishery, the potential incremental increases for future years, and the
maximum percent of the TACs assigned to the Rockfish Program that may
be allocated to the rockfish entry-level longline fishery.
[[Page 15499]]
Table 9--Final 2024 and Initial 2025 Allocations of Rockfish Primary Species to the Entry Level Longline Fishery
in the Central Gulf of Alaska
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Incremental increase
2024 and 2025 in 2025 if >90% of Up to maximum
Rockfish primary species allocations 2024 allocation is percent of TAC
(metric tons) harvested (metric (%)
tons)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pacific ocean perch................................... 5 5 1
Northern rockfish..................................... 5 5 2
Dusky rockfish........................................ 50 20 5
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Section 679.81 requires allocations of rockfish primary species
among various sectors of the Rockfish Program. Tables 10 and 11 list
the final 2024 and 2025 allocations of rockfish primary species in the
Central GOA to the entry-level longline fishery, and rockfish CV and CP
cooperatives in the Rockfish Program. NMFS also is setting aside
incidental catch amounts (ICAs) for other directed fisheries in the
Central GOA of 3,500 mt of Pacific ocean perch, 300 mt of northern
rockfish, and 250 mt of dusky rockfish. These amounts are based on
recent average incidental catches of these species in the Central GOA
by other groundfish fisheries.
Allocations among vessels belonging to CV or CP cooperatives are
not included in these final harvest specifications. Rockfish Program
applications for CV cooperatives and CP cooperatives are not due to
NMFS until March 1 of each calendar year; therefore, NMFS cannot
calculate 2024 and 2025 allocations in conjunction with these final
harvest specifications (Sec. 679.81(f)). After receiving the Rockfish
Program applications, NMFS will calculate the 2024 allocations for CV
and CP cooperatives, as set forth in Sec. 679.81(b), (c), and (e).
NMFS will announce the 2024 allocations after March 1.
Table 10--Final 2024 Allocations of Rockfish Primary Species in the Central Gulf of Alaska to the Entry Level Longline Fishery and Rockfish Cooperatives
in the Rockfish Program
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Allocation to
Central GOA Incidental the entry level Allocation to
Rockfish primary species annual TAC catch TAC minus ICA longline \1\ the rockfish
allowance fishery cooperatives \2\
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pacific ocean perch................................................ 28,757 3,500 25,257 5 25,252
Northern rockfish.................................................. 2,280 300 1,980 5 1,975
Dusky rockfish..................................................... 7,365 250 7,115 50 7,065
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total.......................................................... 38,402 4,050 34,352 60 34,292
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Longline gear includes hook-and-line, jig, troll, and handline gear (Sec. 679.2).
\2\ Rockfish cooperatives include vessels in CV and CP cooperatives (Sec. 679.81).
Table 11--Final 2025 Allocations of Rockfish Primary Species in the Central Gulf of Alaska to the Entry Level Longline Fishery and Rockfish Cooperatives
in the Rockfish Program
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Allocation to
Central GOA Incidental the entry level Allocation to
Rockfish primary species annual TAC catch TAC minus ICA longline \1\ the rockfish
allowance fishery cooperatives \2\
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pacific ocean perch................................................ 27,768 3,500 24,268 5 24,263
Northern rockfish.................................................. 2,200 300 1,900 5 1,895
Dusky rockfish..................................................... 6,979 250 6,729 50 6,679
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total.......................................................... 36,947 4,050 32,837 60 32,837
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Longline gear includes hook-and-line, jig, troll, and handline gear (Sec. 679.2).
\2\ Rockfish cooperatives include vessels in CV and CP cooperatives (Sec. 679.81).
Section 679.81(c) and table 28c to 50 CFR part 679 require
allocations of rockfish secondary species to CV and CP cooperatives in
the Central GOA. CV cooperatives receive allocations of Pacific cod,
sablefish from the trawl gear allocation, and thornyhead rockfish. CP
cooperatives receive allocations of sablefish from the trawl gear
allocation, rougheye and blackspotted rockfish, shortraker rockfish,
and thornyhead rockfish. Tables 12 and 13 list the apportionments of
the 2024 and 2025 TACs of rockfish secondary species in the Central GOA
to CV and CP cooperatives.
[[Page 15500]]
Table 12--Final 2024 Apportionments of Rockfish Secondary Species in the Central GOA to Catcher Vessel and
Catcher/Processor Cooperatives
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Catcher vessel cooperatives Catcher/processor
------------------------------ cooperatives
Rockfish secondary species Central GOA -----------------------------
annual TAC Percentage Apportionment Percentage Apportionment
of TAC (mt) of TAC (mt)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pacific cod......................... 15,442 3.81 588 0.00 0
Sablefish........................... 9,651 6.78 654 3.51 339
Shortraker rockfish................. 189 0.00 0 40.00 76
Rougheye/blackspotted rockfish...... 315 0.00 0 58.87 185
Thornyhead rockfish................. 693 7.84 54 26.50 184
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table 13--Final 2025 Apportionments of Rockfish Secondary Species in the Central GOA to Catcher Vessel and
Catcher/Processor Cooperatives
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Catcher vessel cooperatives Catcher/processor
------------------------------ cooperatives
Rockfish secondary species Central GOA -----------------------------
annual TAC Percentage Apportionment Percentage Apportionment
of TAC (mt) of TAC (mt)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pacific cod......................... 13,486 3.81 514 0.00 0
Sablefish........................... 9,693 6.78 657 3.51 340
Shortraker rockfish................. 189 0.00 n/a 40.00 76
Rougheye/blackspotted rockfish...... 317 0.00 n/a 58.87 187
Thornyhead rockfish................. 693 7.84 54 26.50 184
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Halibut PSC Limits
Section 679.21(d) establishes annual halibut PSC limit
apportionments to trawl gear and hook-and-line gear and authorizes the
establishment of apportionments for pot gear. In December 2023 the
Council recommended and NMFS approves halibut PSC limits of 1,705 mt
for trawl gear, 256 mt for hook-and-line gear, and 9 mt for the
demersal shelf rockfish (DSR) rockfish fishery in the SEO District for
both 2024 and 2025, consistent with Sec. 679.21.
The DSR fishery in the SEO District is defined at Sec.
679.21(d)(2)(ii)(A). This fishery is apportioned 9 mt of the halibut
PSC limit in recognition of its small-scale harvests of groundfish
(Sec. 679.21(d)(2)(i)(A)). The separate halibut PSC limit for the DSR
fishery is intended to prevent that fishery from being impacted from
the halibut PSC incurred by other GOA fisheries. NMFS estimates low
halibut bycatch in the DSR fishery because: (1) the duration of the DSR
fishery and the gear soak times are short; (2) the DSR fishery occurs
in the winter when there is less overlap in the distribution of DSR and
halibut; and (3) the directed commercial DSR fishery has a low DSR TAC.
The State of Alaska sets the commercial GHL for the DSR fishery after
deducting estimates of DSR incidental catch in all fisheries (including
halibut and subsistence) and allocation to the sport DSR fishery. In
2023, the commercial GHL fishery for DSR was closed due to concerns
about declining DSR biomass.
The FMP authorizes the Council and NMFS to exempt specific gear
from the halibut PSC limits. NMFS, after consultation with the Council,
exempts pot gear, the sablefish IFQ fixed gear fishery categories, and
jig gear from the non-trawl halibut PSC limit for 2024 and 2025. The
Council recommended, and NMFS approves, these exemptions because: (1)
the pot gear fisheries have low annual halibut bycatch mortality; (2)
IFQ program regulations prohibit discard of halibut if any halibut IFQ
permit holder on board a catcher vessel holds unused halibut IFQ for
that vessel category and the IFQ regulatory area in which the vessel is
operating (Sec. 679.7(f)(11)); (3) some sablefish IFQ fishermen hold
halibut IFQ permits and are therefore required to retain the halibut
they catch while fishing sablefish IFQ; and (4) NMFS estimates
negligible halibut mortality for the jig gear fisheries given the small
amount of groundfish harvested by jig gear, the selective nature of jig
gear, and the high survival rates of halibut caught and released with
jig gear.
The best information available on estimated halibut bycatch
consists of data collected by fisheries observers during 2023. The
estimated halibut bycatch mortality through December 31, 2023 is 289 mt
for trawl gear and 37 mt for hook-and-line gear for a total halibut
mortality of 326 mt. The estimated halibut bycatch mortality was
calculated using groundfish and halibut catch data from the NMFS Alaska
Region's catch accounting system. This accounting system contains
historical and recent catch information compiled from each Alaska
groundfish fishery.
Section 679.21(d)(4)(i) and (ii) authorize NMFS to seasonally
apportion the halibut PSC limits after consultation with the Council.
The FMP and regulations require that the Council and NMFS consider the
following information in seasonally apportioning halibut PSC limits:
(1) seasonal distribution of halibut; (2) seasonal distribution of
target groundfish species relative to halibut distribution; (3)
expected halibut bycatch needs on a seasonal basis relative to changes
in halibut biomass and expected catch of target groundfish species; (4)
expected bycatch rates on a seasonal basis; (5) expected changes in
directed groundfish fishing seasons; (6) expected actual start of
fishing effort; and (7) economic effects of establishing seasonal
halibut allocations on segments of the target groundfish industry. The
Council considered information from the 2023 SAFE report, NMFS catch
data, State of Alaska catch data, International Pacific Halibut
Commission (IPHC) stock assessment and mortality data, and
[[Page 15501]]
public testimony when apportioning the halibut PSC limits. NMFS concurs
with the Council's recommendations listed in table 14, which shows the
final 2024 and 2025 Pacific halibut PSC limits, allowances, and
apportionments.
Section 679.21(d)(4)(iii) and (iv) specify that any unused amounts,
or overages, of a seasonal apportionment of a halibut PSC limit will be
added to, or deducted from, the next respective seasonal apportionment
within the fishing year.
Table 14--Final 2024 and 2025 Pacific Halibut Prohibited Species Catch (PSC) Limits, Allowances, and Apportionments
[Values are in metric tons]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trawl gear Hook-and-line gear \1\
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other than DSR DSR
Season Percent Amount ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Percent Amount Season Amount
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
January 20-April 1.................... 30.5 520 January 1-June 10....... 86 220 January 1-December 31... 9
April 1-July 1........................ 20.0 341 June 10-September 1..... 2 5 ........................ ..........
July 1-August 1....................... 27.0 460 September 1-December 31. 12 31 ........................ ..........
August 1-October 1.................... 7.5 128 ........................ .......... ........... ........................ ..........
October 1-December 31................. 15.0 256 ........................ .......... ........... ........................ ..........
=================================================================================================================
Total............................. .......... 1,705 ........................ .......... 256 ........................ 9
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The Pacific halibut prohibited species catch (PSC) limit for hook-and-line gear is assigned to the DSR fishery in the SEO District and to the hook-
and-line fisheries other than the DSR fishery. The fixed gear sablefish IFQ fishery is exempt from halibut PSC limits, as are pot and jig gear for all
groundfish fisheries.
Section 679.21(d)(3)(ii) authorizes further apportionment of the
trawl halibut PSC limit to trawl fishery categories listed in Sec.
679.21(d)(3)(iii). The annual apportionments are based on each
category's proportional share of the anticipated halibut bycatch
mortality during the fishing year and optimization of the total amount
of groundfish harvest under the halibut PSC limit. The fishery
categories for the trawl halibut PSC limits are: (1) a deep-water
species fishery, composed of sablefish, rockfish, deep-water flatfish,
rex sole, and arrowtooth flounder; and (2) a shallow-water species
fishery, composed of pollock, Pacific cod, shallow-water flatfish,
flathead sole, Atka mackerel, and ``other species'' (sharks and
octopuses) (Sec. 679.21(d)(3)(iii)). Halibut mortality incurred while
directed fishing for skates with trawl gear accrues towards the
shallow-water species fishery halibut PSC limit (69 FR 26320, May 12,
2004).
NMFS will combine available trawl halibut PSC limit apportionments
during a portion of the second season deep-water and shallow-water
species fisheries for use in either fishery from May 15 through June 30
(Sec. 679.21(d)(4)(iii)(D)). This is intended to maintain groundfish
harvest while minimizing halibut bycatch by these sectors to the extent
practicable. This provides the deep-water and shallow-water species
trawl fisheries additional flexibility and the incentive to participate
in fisheries at times of the year that may have lower halibut PSC rates
relative to other times of the year.
Table 15 lists the final 2024 and 2025 apportionments of trawl
halibut PSC limits between the trawl gear deep-water and shallow-water
species fishery categories.
Table 28d to 50 CFR part 679 specifies the amount of the trawl
halibut PSC limit that is assigned to the CV and CP sectors that are
participating in the Rockfish Program. This includes 117.3 mt of
halibut PSC limit to the CV sector and 74.1 mt of halibut PSC limit to
the CP sector. These amounts are assigned from the trawl deep-water
species fishery's halibut PSC third seasonal apportionment. After the
combined CV and CP halibut PSC limit allocation of 191.4 mt to the
Rockfish Program, 148.6 mt remains for the trawl deep-water species
fishery's halibut PSC third seasonal apportionment.
Section 679.21(d)(4)(iii)(B) limits the amount of the halibut PSC
limit assigned to Rockfish Program participants that could be re-
apportioned to the last seasonal apportionment for the general GOA
trawl fisheries during the current fishing year to no more than 55
percent of the unused annual halibut PSC limit apportioned to Rockfish
Program participants. The remainder of the unused Rockfish Program
halibut PSC limit is unavailable for use by any person for the
remainder of the fishing year (Sec. 679.21(d)(4)(iii)(C)).
Table 15--Final 2024 and 2025 Apportionment of Pacific Halibut Prohibited Species Catch Limits Between the Trawl
Gear Deep-Water Species Fishery and the Shallow-Water Species Fishery Categories
[Values are in metric tons]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Shallow-water Deep-water \1\ Total
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
January 20-April 1............................................. 385 135 520
April 1-July 1................................................. 85 256 341
July 1-August 1................................................ 120 340 460
August 1-October 1............................................. 53 75 128
------------------------------------------------
Subtotal January 20-October 1.............................. 643 806 1,449
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
October 1-December 31 \2\...................................... ............... .............. 256
------------------------------------------------
Total.................................................. ............... .............. 1,705
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Vessels participating in cooperatives in the Central GOA Rockfish Program will receive 191.4 mt of the third
season (July 1 through August 1) deep-water species fishery halibut PSC apportionment (see table 28d to 50 CFR
part 679.
[[Page 15502]]
\2\ There is no apportionment between trawl shallow-water and deep-water species fishery categories during the
fifth season (October 1 through December 31).
Section 679.21(d)(2)(i)(B) requires that the ``other hook-and-line
fishery'' halibut PSC limit apportionment to vessels using hook-and-
line gear must be apportioned between CVs and CPs in accordance with
Sec. 679.21(d)(2)(iii) in conjunction with these harvest
specifications. The halibut PSC apportionment is based on the Western
and Central GOA Pacific cod allocations, which vary annually based on
the proportion of the Pacific cod biomass between the Western, Central,
and Eastern GOA. Updated information in the final 2023 SAFE report
describes this distributional calculation, which apportions ABC among
GOA regulatory areas on the basis of the three most recent stock
surveys. For 2024 and 2025, the distribution of the total GOA Pacific
cod ABC is 27.1 percent to the Western GOA, 63.8 percent to the Central
GOA, and 9.1 percent to the Eastern GOA. Therefore, the calculations
made in accordance with Sec. 679.21(d)(2)(iii) incorporate the most
recent information on GOA Pacific cod distribution and allocations with
respect to establishing the annual halibut PSC limits for the CV and CP
hook-and-line sectors of the ``other hook-and-line fishery.''
Additionally, the annual halibut PSC limits for both the CV and CP
sectors of the ``other hook-and-line fishery'' are divided into three
seasonal apportionments, using seasonal percentages of 86 percent, 2
percent, and 12 percent.
For 2024 and 2025, NMFS apportions halibut PSC limits of 149 mt and
107 mt to the hook-and-line CV and hook-and-line CP sectors,
respectively. Table 16 lists the final 2024 and 2025 apportionments of
halibut PSC limits between the hook-and-line CV and the hook-and-line
CP sectors of the ``other hook-and-line fishery.''
No later than November 1 of each year, NMFS will calculate the
projected unused amount of halibut PSC limit by either of the CV or CP
hook-and-line sectors that comprise the two sectors of the ``other
hook-and-line fishery'' for the remainder of the year. The projected
unused amount of halibut PSC limit is made available to the other
sector for the remainder of that fishing year (Sec.
679.21(d)(2)(iii)(C)), if NMFS determines that an additional amount of
halibut PSC is necessary for that sector to continue its directed
fishing operations.
Table 16--Final 2024 and 2025 Apportionments of the ``Other Hook-and-Line Fishery'' Annual Halibut Prohibited
Species Catch Allowance Between the Hook-and-Line Gear Catcher Vessel and Catcher/Processor Sectors
[Values are in metric tons]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hook-and-line Sector annual Seasonal Sector seasonal
``Other than DSR'' allowance sector amount Season percentage amount
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
256.......................... Catcher Vessel. 149 January 1-June 86 128
10.
June 10- 2 3
September 1.
September 1- 12 18
December 31.
Catcher/ 107 January 1-June 86 92
Processor. 10.
June 10- 2 2
September 1.
September 1- 12 13
December 31.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Estimates of Halibut Biomass and Stock Condition
The IPHC annually assesses the abundance and potential yield of the
Pacific halibut stock using all available data from the commercial and
sport fisheries, other removals, and scientific surveys. Additional
information on the Pacific halibut stock assessment may be found in the
IPHC's 2023 Pacific halibut stock assessment (December 2023), available
on the IPHC website at https://www.iphc.int. The IPHC considered the
2023 Pacific halibut stock assessment at its January 2024 annual
meeting when it set the 2024 commercial halibut fishery catch limits.
Halibut Discard Mortality Rates
To monitor halibut bycatch mortality allowances and apportionments,
the Regional Administrator uses observed halibut incidental catch
rates, halibut discard mortality rates (DMRs), and estimates of
groundfish catch to project when a fishery's halibut bycatch mortality
allowance or seasonal apportionment is reached. Halibut incidental
catch rates are based on observed estimates of halibut incidental catch
in the groundfish fishery. DMRs are estimates of the proportion of
incidentally caught halibut that do not survive after being returned to
the sea. The cumulative halibut mortality that accrues to a particular
halibut PSC limit is the product of a DMR multiplied by the estimated
halibut PSC. DMRs are estimated using the best scientific information
available in conjunction with the annual GOA stock assessment process.
The DMR methodology and findings are included as an appendix to the
annual GOA groundfish SAFE report.
In 2016, the DMR estimation methodology underwent revisions per the
Council's directive. An interagency halibut working group (IPHC,
Council, and NMFS staff) developed improved estimation methods that
have undergone review by the GOA Plan Team, SSC, and the Council. A
summary of the revised methodology is contained in the GOA proposed
2017 and 2018 harvest specifications (81 FR 87881, December 6, 2016),
and the comprehensive discussion of the working group's statistical
methodology is available from the Council (see ADDRESSES). The DMR
working group's revised methodology is intended to improve estimation
accuracy, transparency, and transferability in the methodology used for
calculating DMRs. The working group will continue to consider
improvements to the methodology used to calculate halibut mortality,
including potential changes to the reference period (the period of data
used for calculating the DMRs). The new methodology continues to ensure
that NMFS is using DMRs that accurately reflect halibut mortality,
which will inform the sectors of their estimated halibut mortality and
allow sectors to respond with methods that could reduce mortality and,
eventually, the DMR for that sector.
[[Page 15503]]
At the December 2023 meeting, the SSC, AP, and Council concurred
with the revised DMR estimation methodology, and NMFS adopts for 2024
and 2025 the DMRs calculated under the revised methodology, which uses
an updated 2-year and 4-year reference period depending on data
availability. The final 2024 and 2025 DMRs in this rule are unchanged
from the DMRs in the proposed 2024 and 2025 harvest specifications (88
FR 85184, December 7, 2023). Table 17 lists these final 2024 and 2025
DMRs.
Table 17--Final 2024 and 2025 Halibut Discard Mortality Rates for Vessels Fishing in the Gulf of Alaska
[Values are percent of halibut assumed to be dead]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Halibut discard
Gear Sector Groundfish fishery mortality rate
(percent)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pelagic trawl.......................... Catcher vessel........... All...................... 100
Catcher/processor........ All...................... 100
Non-pelagic trawl...................... Catcher vessel........... Rockfish Program......... 56
Catcher vessel........... All others............... 69
Mothership and catcher/ All...................... 83
processor.
Hook-and-line.......................... Catcher/processor........ All...................... 11
Catcher vessel........... All...................... 10
Pot.................................... Catcher vessel and All...................... 26
catcher/processor.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinook Salmon Prohibited Species Catch Limits
There are Chinook salmon PSC limits for the directed pollock trawl
fishery in the Western and Central GOA. NMFS is required to close the
directed pollock fishery in the Western and Central Regulatory Areas of
the GOA if the applicable Chinook salmon PSC limit in that regulatory
area will be reached (Sec. 679.21(h)(8)). The annual Chinook salmon
PSC limits in the directed pollock fishery of 6,684 salmon in the
Western GOA and 18,316 salmon in the Central GOA are set at Sec.
679.21(h)(2).
There is also an established initial annual PSC limit of 7,500
Chinook salmon for the trawl non-pollock groundfish fisheries in the
Western and Central GOA. This limit is apportioned among the 3 sectors
that conduct directed fishing for groundfish species other than
pollock: 3,600 Chinook salmon to trawl CPs; 1,200 Chinook salmon to
trawl CVs participating in the Rockfish Program; and 2,700 Chinook
salmon to trawl CVs not participating in the Rockfish Program (Sec.
679.21(h)(4)). NMFS will monitor the Chinook salmon PSC in the trawl
non-pollock groundfish fisheries and close an applicable sector if it
will reach its Chinook salmon PSC limit.
The Chinook salmon PSC limit for two sectors, trawl CPs and trawl
CVs not participating in the Rockfish Program, may be increased in
subsequent years based on the performance of these two sectors and
their ability to minimize their use of their respective Chinook salmon
PSC limits during a calendar year. If either or both of these 2 sectors
limited its use of Chinook salmon PSC to the specified threshold amount
(3,120 for trawl CPs and 2,340 for Non-Rockfish Program trawl CVs),
that sector will receive an incremental increase to its Chinook salmon
PSC limit (Sec. 679.21(h)(4)). In 2023, the trawl CP sector did not
exceed 3,120 Chinook salmon PSC; therefore, the 2024 trawl CP sector
Chinook salmon PSC limit will be 4,080 Chinook salmon. In 2023, the
Non-Rockfish Program trawl CV sector did not exceed 2,340 Chinook
salmon PSC; therefore, the 2024 Non-Rockfish Program trawl CV sector
Chinook salmon PSC limit will be 3,060 Chinook salmon.
American Fisheries Act (AFA) Catcher/Processor and Catcher Vessel
Groundfish Harvest Limits
Section 679.64 establishes groundfish harvesting and processing
sideboard limitations on AFA CPs and CVs in the GOA. These sideboard
limits are necessary to protect the interests of fishermen and
processors who do not directly benefit from the AFA as compared to
those fishermen and processors who receive exclusive harvesting and
processing privileges under the AFA. Section 679.7(k)(1)(ii) prohibits
listed AFA CPs and CPs designated on a listed AFA CP permit from
harvesting any species of groundfish in the GOA. Additionally, Sec.
679.7(k)(1)(iv) prohibits listed AFA CPs and CPs designated on a listed
AFA CP permit from processing any pollock harvested in a directed
pollock fishery in the GOA and any groundfish harvested in Statistical
Area 630 of the GOA.
AFA CVs that are less than 125 feet (38.1 meters) length overall,
have annual landings of pollock in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands
of less than 5,100 mt, and have made at least 40 landings of GOA
groundfish from 1995 through 1997 are exempt from GOA CV groundfish
sideboard limits (Sec. 679.64(b)(2)(ii)). Sideboard limits for non-
exempt AFA CVs in the GOA are based on their traditional harvest levels
of TAC in groundfish fisheries covered by the FMP. Section
679.64(b)(3)(iv) establishes the CV groundfish sideboard limits in the
GOA based on the aggregate retained catch by non-exempt AFA CVs of each
sideboard species from 2009 through 2019 divided by the TAC for that
species available to catcher vessels from 2009 through 2019. Under the
PCTC Program, NMFS modified the calculation of the sideboard ratios for
non-exempt AFA CVs, using the qualifying years of 2009 through 2019 (88
FR 53704, August 8, 2023). Previously, sideboard limits were based on
the ratio of catch to the TAC during the years 1995 through 1997.
Non-exempt AFA CVs are prohibited in regulation from directed
fishing for specific groundfish species or species groups subject to
sideboard limits (Sec. 679.20(d)(1)(iv)(D) and Table 56 to 50 CFR part
679) (84 FR 2723, February 8, 2019). Under the PCTC Program, NMFS also
promulgated regulations to prohibit non-exempt AFA CVs from directed
fishing for additional groundfish species or species groups subject to
sideboard limits (88 FR 53704, August 8, 2023). All of these
prohibitions are found in the revised Table 56 to 50 CFR part 679.
Sideboard limits for species or species groups not listed in Table 56
continue to be calculated and included in the GOA annual harvest
specifications.
Tables 18 and 19 list the final 2024 and 2025 groundfish sideboard
limits for non-exempt AFA CVs. NMFS will deduct all targeted or
incidental catch of sideboard species made by non-exempt AFA CVs from
the sideboard limits listed in tables 18 and 19.
[[Page 15504]]
Table 18--Final 2024 GOA Non-Exempt American Fisheries Act Catcher Vessel (CV) Groundfish Sideboard Limits
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ratio of 2009-2019
Apportionments by season/ non-exempt AFA CV Final 2024 Final 2024 non-
Species gear Area/component retained catch to TACs \3\ exempt AFA CV
2009-2019 TAC sideboard limit
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pollock............................. A Season: January 20-May Shumagin (610)................... 0.057 5,422 309
31. Chirikof (620)................... 0.064 70,918 4,539
Kodiak (630)..................... 0.091 13,862 1,261
B Season: September 1- Shumagin (610)................... 0.057 33,460 1,907
November 1. Chirikof (620)................... 0.064 20,019 1,281
Kodiak (630)..................... 0.091 36,725 3,342
Annual................... WYK (640)........................ 0.026 5,565 145
Pacific cod......................... A Season: \1\ January 1- W................................ 0.009 3,899 35
June 10. C................................ 0.011 9,894 109
B Season: \2\ September 1- W................................ 0.009 2,222 20
December 31. C................................ 0.011 5,548 61
Flatfish, shallow-water............. Annual................... C................................ 0.011 27,783 306
Rex sole............................ Annual................... C................................ 0.014 13,639 191
Arrowtooth flounder................. Annual................... C................................ 0.011 64,871 714
Flathead sole....................... Annual................... C................................ 0.007 21,307 149
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The Pacific cod A season for trawl gear does not open until January 20.
\2\ The Pacific cod B season for trawl gear closes November 1.
\3\ The Western and Central GOA and WYK District area apportionments of pollock are considered ACLs.
Table 19--Final 2025 GOA Non-Exempt American Fisheries Act Catcher Vessel (CV) Groundfish Sideboard Limits
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ratio of 2009-2019
Apportionments by season/ non-exempt AFA CV Final 2025 Final 2025 non-
Species gear Area/component retained catch to TAC \3\ exempt AFA CV
2009-2019 TAC sideboard limit
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pollock............................. A Season: January 20-May Shumagin (610)................... 0.057 4,483 256
31. Chirikof (620)................... 0.064 58,629 3,752
Kodiak (630)..................... 0.091 11,460 1,043
B Season: September 1- Shumagin (610)................... 0.057 27,661 1,577
November 1. Chirikof (620)................... 0.064 16,550 1,059
Kodiak (630)..................... 0.091 30,361 2,763
Annual................... WYK (640)........................ 0.026 4,601 120
Pacific cod......................... A Season: \1\ January 1- W................................ 0.009 3,406 31
June 10. C................................ 0.011 8,641 95
B Season: \2\ September 1- W................................ 0.009 1,941 17
December 31. C................................ 0.011 4,845 53
Flatfish, shallow-water............. Annual................... C................................ 0.011 28,311 311
Rex sole............................ Annual................... C................................ 0.014 13,624 191
Arrowtooth flounder................. Annual................... C................................ 0.011 64,688 712
Flathead sole....................... Annual................... C................................ 0.007 21,702 152
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The Pacific cod A season for trawl gear does not open until January 20.
\2\ The Pacific cod B season for trawl gear closes November 1.
\3\ The Western and Central GOA and WYK District area apportionments of pollock are considered ACLs.
Non-Exempt AFA Catcher Vessel Halibut PSC Limits
The non-exempt AFA catcher vessels and the associated LLP licenses
PSC limit for halibut in the GOA will be an annual amount based on a
static ratio of 0.072, which was derived from the aggregate retained
groundfish catch by non-exempt AFA CVs in each PSC target category from
2009 through 2019 (Sec. 679.64(b)(4)(ii)). This change was implemented
with the PCTC Program (88 FR 53704, August 8, 2023). Prior to the PCTC
Program, the halibut PSC sideboard limits for non-exempt AFA CVs in the
GOA were based on the aggregate retained groundfish catch by non-exempt
AFA CVs in each PSC target category from 1995 through 1997 divided by
the retained catch of all vessels in that fishery from 1995 through
1997. Table 20 lists the final 2024 and 2025 non-exempt AFA CV halibut
PSC sideboard limits for vessels using trawl gear in the GOA.
Table 20--Final 2024 and 2025 Non-Exempt AFA CV Halibut Prohibited Species Catch (PSC) Sideboard Limits for
Vessels Using Trawl Gear in the GOA
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annual non-exempt AFA CV halibut PSC
Ratio (percent) Annual trawl gear halibut PSC limit (mt) limit (mt)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
0.072 1,705 123
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 15505]]
Non-AFA Crab Vessel Groundfish Harvest Limitations
Section 680.22 establishes groundfish catch limits for vessels with
a history of participation in the Bering Sea snow crab fishery to
prevent these vessels from using the increased flexibility provided by
the Crab Rationalization (CR) Program to expand their level of
participation in the GOA groundfish fisheries. Sideboard limits
restrict these vessels' catch to their collective historical landings
in each GOA groundfish fishery (except the fixed-gear sablefish
fishery). Sideboard limits also apply to catch made using an LLP
license derived from the history of a restricted vessel, even if that
LLP license is used on another vessel.
The basis for these sideboard limits is described in detail in the
final rules implementing the major provisions of the CR Program,
including Amendments 18 and 19 to the Fishery Management Plan for
Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands King and Tanner Crabs (Crab FMP) (70 FR
10174, March 2, 2005), Amendment 34 to the Crab FMP (76 FR 35772, June
20, 2011), Amendment 83 to the GOA FMP (76 FR 74670, December 1, 2011),
Amendment 45 to the Crab FMP (80 FR 28539, May 19, 2015), and a
rulemaking to prohibit non-AFA crab vessels from directed fishing for
all groundfish species or species groups subject to sideboard limits,
except for Pacific cod apportioned to CVs using pot gear in the Western
and Central Regulatory Areas (Sec. 680.22(e)(1)(iii)) (84 FR 2723,
February 8, 2019).
Tables 21 and 22 list the final 2024 and 2025 groundfish sideboard
limitations for non-AFA crab vessels. All targeted or incidental catch
of sideboard species made by non-AFA crab vessels or associated LLP
licenses will be deducted from these sideboard limits.
Table 21--Final 2024 GOA Non-American Fisheries Act Crab Vessel Groundfish Sideboard Limits
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ratio of 1996-2000
non-AFA crab vessel Final 2024 Final 2024 non-
Species Season Area/gear catch to 1996-2000 TACs AFA crab vessel
total harvest sideboard limit
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pacific cod........... A Season: Western Pot CV.. 0.0997 3,899 389
January 1-June Central Pot CV.. 0.0474 9,894 469
10.
B Season: Western Pot CV.. 0.0997 2,222 221
September 1- Central Pot CV.. 0.0474 5,548 263
December 31.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table 22--Final 2025 GOA Non-American Fisheries Act Crab Vessel Groundfish Sideboard Limits
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ratio of 1996-2000
non-AFA crab vessel Final 2025 Final 2025 non-
Species Season Area/gear catch to 1996-2000 TACs AFA crab vessel
total harvest sideboard limit
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pacific cod........... A Season: Western Pot CV.. 0.0997 3,406 340
January 1-June Central Pot CV.. 0.0474 8,641 410
10.
B Season: Western Pot CV.. 0.0997 1,941 193
September 1- Central Pot CV.. 0.0474 4,845 230
December 31.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rockfish Program Groundfish Sideboard and Halibut PSC Limitations
The Rockfish Program establishes three classes of sideboard
provisions: CV groundfish sideboard restrictions, CP rockfish sideboard
restrictions, and CP opt-out vessel sideboard restrictions (Sec.
679.82(c)(1)). These sideboards are intended to limit the ability of
rockfish harvesters to expand into other GOA groundfish fisheries.
CVs participating in the Rockfish Program may not participate in
directed fishing for dusky rockfish, Pacific ocean perch, and northern
rockfish in the West Yakutat District and Western GOA from July 1
through July 31. Also, CVs may not participate in directed fishing for
arrowtooth flounder, deep-water flatfish, and rex sole in the GOA from
July 1 through July 31 (Sec. 679.82(d)).
CPs participating in Rockfish Program cooperatives are restricted
by rockfish and halibut PSC sideboard limits. These CPs are prohibited
from directed fishing for dusky rockfish, Pacific ocean perch, and
northern rockfish in the West Yakutat District and Western GOA from
July 1 through July 31 (Sec. 679.82(e)(2)). Prior to 2021, CPs
participating in Rockfish Program cooperatives were restricted by
rockfish sideboard limits in the Western GOA. A final rule that
implemented Amendment 111 to the FMP (86 FR 11895, March 1, 2021)
removed from regulation the Western GOA rockfish sideboard limits for
Rockfish Program CPs. That rule also revised and clarified the
establishment of the West Yakutat District rockfish sideboard ratios in
regulation. The rockfish sideboard ratio for each rockfish fishery in
the West Yakutat District is an established percentage of the TAC for
CPs in the directed fishery for dusky rockfish and Pacific ocean perch
(Sec. 679.82(e)(4)). These percentages are confidential.
Holders of CP-designated LLP licenses that opt out of participating
in a Rockfish Program cooperative will be able to access that portion
of each rockfish sideboard limit that is not assigned to rockfish
cooperatives (Sec. 679.82(e)(7)).
Under the Rockfish Program, the CP sector is subject to halibut PSC
sideboard limits for the trawl deep-water and shallow-water species
fisheries (Sec. 679.82(e)(3) and (5)). Halibut PSC sideboard ratios by
fishery are set forth in Sec. 679.82(e)(5). The CP sector halibut PSC
sideboard limits are effective from July 1 through July 31 (Sec.
679.82(c)(4), (e)(6)). No halibut PSC sideboard limits apply to the CV
sector, as CVs participating in cooperatives receive a portion of the
annual halibut PSC limit. CPs that opt out of the Rockfish Program are
able to access that portion of the deep-water and shallow-water species
fishery halibut PSC sideboard limit not assigned to CP rockfish
cooperatives. The sideboard provisions for CPs that elect to opt out of
participating in a rockfish cooperative are described in Sec.
679.82(c), (e), and (f). Sideboard limits are linked to the catch
history of specific vessels; however, some of these vessels may choose
to opt out of the Rockfish Program. After March 1, NMFS will determine
which CPs have opted-out of the Rockfish
[[Page 15506]]
Program in 2024, and NMFS will know the ratios and amounts used to
calculate opt-out sideboard ratios. NMFS will then calculate any
applicable opt-out sideboards for 2024 and announce these limits after
March 1. Table 23 lists the final 2024 and 2025 Rockfish Program
halibut PSC sideboard limits for the CP sector.
Table 23--Final 2024 and 2025 Rockfish Program Halibut PSC Sideboard Limits for the Catcher/Processor Sector
[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shallow-water Annual shallow- Annual deep- water
species fishery Deep-water species 2024 and 2025 water species species fishery
Sector halibut PSC fishery halibut halibut mortality fishery halibut halibut PSC
sideboard ratio PSC sideboard limit (mt) PSC sideboard sideboard limit
(percent) ratio (percent) limit (mt) (mt)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Catcher/processor................................... 0.1 2.5 1,705 2 43
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amendment 80 Program Groundfish and PSC Sideboard Limits
Amendment 80 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the
Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (Amendment 80 Program)
established a limited access privilege program for the non-AFA trawl CP
sector. The Amendment 80 Program established groundfish and halibut PSC
catch limits for Amendment 80 Program participants to limit the ability
of participants eligible for the Amendment 80 Program to expand their
harvest efforts in the GOA.
Section 679.92 establishes groundfish harvesting sideboard limits
on all Amendment 80 program vessels, other than the fishing vessel (F/
V) ``Golden Fleece'', to amounts no greater than the limits listed in
table 37 to 50 CFR part 679. Under Sec. 679.92(d), the F/V ``Golden
Fleece'' is prohibited from directed fishing for pollock, Pacific cod,
Pacific ocean perch, dusky rockfish, and northern rockfish in the GOA.
Groundfish sideboard limits for Amendment 80 Program vessels
operating in the GOA are based on their average aggregate harvests from
1998 through 2004 (72 FR 52668, September 14, 2007). Tables 24 and 25
list the final 2024 and 2025 groundfish sideboard limits for Amendment
80 Program vessels. NMFS will deduct all targeted or incidental catch
of sideboard species made by Amendment 80 Program vessels from the
sideboard limits in tables 24 and 25.
Table 24--Final 2024 GOA Groundfish Sideboard Limits for Amendment 80 Program Vessels
[Values are rounded to nearest metric ton]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ratio of
Amendment 80 2024 Amendment 80
Species Apportionments and Area sector vessels 2024 TAC vessel sideboard
allocations by season 1998-2004 catch (mt) limit (mt)
to TAC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pollock \1\.......................... A Season: January 20-May 31 Shumagin (610).................... 0.003 5,422 16
Chirikof (620).................... 0.002 70,918 142
Kodiak (630)...................... 0.002 13,862 28
B Season: September 1- Shumagin (610).................... 0.003 33,460 100
November 1. Chirikof (620).................... 0.002 20,019 40
Kodiak (630)...................... 0.002 36,725 73
Annual..................... WYK (640)......................... 0.002 5,565 11
Pacific cod.......................... A Season \2\: January 1- W................................. 0.020 3,899 78
June 10. C................................. 0.044 9,894 435
B Season \3\: September 1- W................................. 0.020 2,222 44
December 31. C................................. 0.044 5,548 244
Annual..................... WYK............................... 0.034 2,203 75
Pacific ocean perch.................. Annual..................... W................................. 0.994 1,787 1,776
WYK............................... 0.961 2,110 2,028
Northern rockfish.................... Annual..................... W................................. 1.000 2,535 2,535
Dusky rockfish....................... Annual..................... W................................. 0.764 145 111
WYK............................... 0.896 84 75
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The Western and Central GOA and WYK District area apportionments of pollock are considered ACLs.
\2\ The Pacific cod A season for trawl gear does not open until January 20.
\3\ The Pacific cod B season for trawl gear closes November 1.
Table 25--Final 2025 GOA Groundfish Sideboard Limits for Amendment 80 Program Vessels
[Values are rounded to nearest metric ton]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ratio of
Amendment 80 2025 Amendment 80
Species Apportionments and Area sector vessels 2025 TAC vessel sideboard
allocations by season 1998-2004 catch (mt) limit (mt)
to TAC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pollock \1\.......................... A Season: January 20-May 31 Shumagin (610).................... 0.003 4,483 83
Chirikof (620).................... 0.002 58,629 33
Kodiak (630)...................... 0.002 11,460 61
B Season: September 1- Shumagin (610).................... 0.003 27,661 96
November 1. Chirikof (620).................... 0.002 16,550 150
Kodiak (630)...................... 0.002 30,361 84
Annual..................... WYK (640)......................... 0.002 4,601 9
[[Page 15507]]
Pacific cod.......................... A Season \2\: January 1- W................................. 0.020 3,406 68
June 10. C................................. 0.044 8,641 150
B Season \3\: September 1- W................................. 0.020 1,941 39
December 31. C................................. 0.044 4,845 213
Annual..................... WYK............................... 0.034 1,924 65
Pacific ocean perch.................. Annual..................... W................................. 0.994 1,726 1,716
........................... WYK............................... 0.961 2,038 1,959
Northern rockfish.................... Annual..................... W................................. 1.000 2,446 2,446
Dusky rockfish....................... Annual..................... W................................. 0.764 137 105
WYK............................... 0.896 81 73
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The Western and Central GOA and WYK District area apportionments of pollock are considered ACLs.
\2\ The Pacific cod A season for trawl gear does not open until January 20.
\3\ The Pacific cod B season for trawl gear closes November 1.
The halibut PSC sideboard limits for Amendment 80 Program vessels
in the GOA are based on the historic use of halibut PSC by Amendment 80
Program vessels in each PSC target category from 1998 through 2004.
These values are slightly lower than the average historic use to
accommodate two factors: allocation of halibut PSC cooperative quota
under the Rockfish Program and the exemption of the F/V Golden Fleece
from this restriction (Sec. 679.92(b)(2)). Table 26 lists the final
2024 and 2025 halibut PSC sideboard limits for Amendment 80 Program
vessels. These tables incorporate the maximum percentages of the
halibut PSC sideboard limits that may be used by Amendment 80 Program
vessels as contained in table 38 to 50 CFR part 679. Any residual
amount of a seasonal Amendment 80 halibut PSC sideboard limit may carry
forward to the next season limit (Sec. 679.92(b)(2)).
Table 26--Final 2024 and 2025 Halibut PSC Sideboard Limits for Amendment 80 Program Vessels in the GOA
[Values are rounded to nearest metric ton]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Historic Amendment 2024 and 2025
80 use of the 2024 and 2025 Amendment 80
Season Season dates Target fishery annual halibut PSC annual halibut vessel halibut
limit catch (ratio) PSC limit (mt) PSC limit
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.................... January 20- shallow-water.. 0.0048 1,705 8
April 1. deep-water..... 0.0115 1,705 20
2.................... April 1-July 1. shallow-water.. 0.0189 1,705 32
deep-water..... 0.1072 1,705 183
3.................... July 1-August 1 shallow-water.. 0.0146 1,705 25
deep-water..... 0.0521 1,705 89
4.................... August 1- shallow-water.. 0.0074 1,705 13
October 1. deep-water..... 0.0014 1,705 2
5.................... October 1- shallow-water.. 0.0227 1,705 39
December 31. deep-water..... 0.0371 1,705 63
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total............ ............... ............... ................... ................ 474
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Directed Fishing Closures
Pursuant to Sec. 679.20(d)(1)(i), if the Regional Administrator
determines (1) that any allocation or apportionment of a target species
or species group allocated or apportioned to a fishery will be reached;
or (2) with respect to pollock and Pacific cod, that an allocation or
apportionment to an inshore or offshore component or sector allocation
will be reached, then the Regional Administrator may establish a
directed fishing allowance (DFA) for that species or species group. If
the Regional Administrator establishes a DFA and that allowance is or
will be reached before the end of the fishing season or year, NMFS will
prohibit directed fishing for that species or species group in the
specified GOA subarea, regulatory area, or district (Sec.
679.20(d)(1)(iii)).
The Regional Administrator has determined that the TACs for the
species and species groups listed in table 27 are necessary to account
for the incidental catch of these species in other anticipated
groundfish fisheries for the 2024 and 2025 fishing years.
[[Page 15508]]
Table 27--2024 and 2025 Directed Fishing Closures in the GOA
[Amounts for incidental catch in other directed fisheries are in metric
tons]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Incidental catch
amount and year (if
Target Area/component/gear amounts differ by
year)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pollock...................... all/offshore....... not applicable.\1\
Sablefish \2\................ all/trawl.......... 3,283 (2024).
3,297 (2025).
Pacific cod.................. Western, CV, HAL... 83 (2024), 72
Western, CP, trawl. (2025).
Central, CP, trawl. 142 (2024), 124
(2025).
635 (2024), 555
(2025).
Shortraker rockfish \2\...... All................ 647.
Rougheye/blackspotted All................ 1,037 (2024).
rockfish.\2\. 1,041 (2025).
Thornyhead rockfish \2\...... All................ 1,628.
Other rockfish............... All................ 1,653.
Atka mackerel................ All................ 4,700.
Big skate.................... All................ 2,853.
Longnose skate............... All................ 2,536.
Other skates................. All................ 665.
Sharks....................... All................ 4,891.
Octopuses.................... All................ 980.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Pollock is closed to directed fishing in the GOA by the offshore
component under Sec. 679.20(a)(6)(i).
\2\ Closures are not applicable to participants in cooperatives
conducted under the Central GOA Rockfish Program because cooperatives
are prohibited from exceeding their allocations (Sec.
679.7(n)(6)(viii)).
Consequently, in accordance with Sec. 679.20(d)(1)(i), the
Regional Administrator establishes the DFA for the species or species
groups listed in table 27 as zero mt. Therefore, in accordance with
Sec. 679.20(d)(1)(iii), NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for those
species and species groups, areas, gear types, and components in the
GOA listed in table 27 effective at 1200 hours, A.l.t., March 4, 2024,
through 2400 hours, A.l.t., December 31, 2025.
Closures implemented under the 2023 and 2024 GOA harvest
specifications for groundfish (88 FR 13238, March 2, 2023) remain
effective under authority of these final 2024 and 2025 harvest
specifications and until the date specified in those closure
notifications. Closures are posted at the following website under the
Alaska filter for Management Areas: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/rules-and-announcements/bulletins.
While these closures are in effect, the maximum retainable amounts
at Sec. 679.20(e) and (f) apply at any time during a fishing trip.
These closures to directed fishing are in addition to closures and
prohibitions found at 50 CFR part 679. NMFS may implement other
closures during the 2024 and 2025 fishing years as necessary for
effective conservation and management.
Comments and Responses
NMFS received two comment letters with seven unique comments during
the public comment period for the proposed GOA groundfish harvest
specifications (88 FR 85184, December 7, 2023). One comment letter was
from an individual and the other was from a non-governmental
organization. NMFS's responses to the seven unique comments raised in
the comment letters are addressed below.
Comment 1: The GOA harvest specifications do not consider the
impact of offshore wind on the marine environment.
Response: This is outside of the scope of the harvest
specifications. The final rule implementing the harvest specifications
sets the OFL, ABC, and TAC for target species in the GOA, but does not
regulate or authorize offshore wind. There is no current or planned
offshore wind project in Alaska State waters or EEZ waters off of
Alaska.
Comment 2: Salmon are important for the cultural well-being of
Alaska native tribes. Climate change is negatively affecting salmon and
additive pressure from the pollock fishery is exacerbating their
declines. Maintaining the status quo TAC for pollock harvest will
result in continued bycatch and impacts to salmon and halibut as the
pollock industry catches more individual salmon and halibut as bycatch
than directed and subsistence fishermen of Alaska are allocated for
their survival and livelihoods.
Response: NMFS recognizes that salmon are paramount to the cultural
well-being for indigenous peoples of Alaska. NMFS also recognizes that
climate change is affecting the survival of western Alaska Chinook and
chum salmon in their freshwater and marine life stages.
The annual TAC setting process is a robust, expansive process that
involves significant scientific input and includes consideration of
current environmental and ecosystem factors (like climate change) and
other marine resources (like salmon and halibut). Scientists from the
AFSC prepare the assessment using statistical analyses of fish
populations and draft the written assessment for a species or species
group, which for GOA pollock is a full assessment updated annually. The
assessments for the GOA are informed by the most recent survey and
harvest data available, including multiple surveys conducted annually
and biennially in the GOA. The stock assessment then undergoes rigorous
review by the scientists and resource managers on the Plan Team and
SSC.
During this annual TAC setting process, the Plan Team, SSC, AP, and
Council review several sources comprising the best scientific
information available--the ESR, ESPs, stock assessments, and Plan Team
reports--and use all these materials as reference in their OFL and ABC
(the biological reference points), and TAC (the harvest target/limit),
recommendations to NMFS. NMFS reviews the same information for its
annual decision to implement the OFL, ABC, and TAC for GOA groundfish.
Updates on salmon abundance estimates, commercial salmon catch, and the
physical environment are included in the ESR and ESP. For an overview
of the ESR and ESP, refer to the response to Comment 3.
The stock assessment author and Plan Team make a recommendation for
OFL and ABC for each species and species group, and the SSC may concur
with this recommendation or make a
[[Page 15509]]
different recommendation. Ultimately, the SSC recommends the OFL and
ABC that inform the setting of the TAC for each species and species
group since TAC cannot exceed ABC (Section 3.2.3.4.1 of the FMP; 50 CFR
600.310(g)(4)). This ensures that TAC for each species and species
group does not exceed the scientific recommendations for ABC and OFL.
OFL and ABC are calculated using prescribed methods set forth in
the FMP. The FMP specifies a series of six tiers to define OFL and ABC
amounts based on the level of reliable information available to fishery
scientists. Tier 1 represents the highest level of information quality
available, while Tier 6 represents the lowest. The methods for
calculating OFL and ABC (including the ABC control rule) become more
precautionary depending on the tier and stock status. For example, with
less reliable information the larger the buffer between OFL and ABC. As
stock status declines the OFL and ABC are reduced.
The specification of ABC is informed by the ecosystem,
environmental, and socioeconomic factors presented in the stock
assessment and the ESRs, specifically the stock-specific risk table
prepared for each stock as well as an additional ecosystem
considerations section prepared for full/operational assessments. For
GOA pollock, the ecosystem considerations section is included in the
ESP prepared with the stock assessment, and the GOA pollock assessment
also includes an overview of bycatch of salmon and halibut in the GOA
pollock fishery. The 2023 ESRs for the Alaska ecosystems provide
information on the status of salmon in the GOA ecosystem including
updated information on the abundance of salmon, fish condition, and run
sizes. The specification of the pollock TAC is therefore based on the
best scientific information available on the status of the pollock
stock and accounts for ecosystem, environmental, and socioeconomic
factors, including bycatch of non-target species like salmon.
In the groundfish fisheries, salmon and halibut are a non-target
species and are considered a prohibited species. For the GOA pollock
fisheries, there are separate Chinook salmon PSC limits for the Western
GOA (6,684 salmon) and Central GOA (18,316 salmon). There is also a
trawl non-pollock limit for Chinook salmon in the Western and Central
GOA. The limit is 7,500 Chinook and is further apportioned to trawl CPs
(3,600), trawl CVs participating in the Central GOA Rockfish Program
(1,200), and trawl CVs not participating in the Rockfish Program
(2,700). NMFS monitors Chinook PSC and will close a sector or fishery
if the PSC limit is reached. For halibut, the regulations set a halibut
PSC limit for trawl gear of 1,705 mt, and the estimated halibut bycatch
mortality through December 31, 2023 is 289 mt for trawl gear. NMFS also
posts weekly PSC reports on the web page at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/alaska/commercial-fishing/fisheries-catch-and-landings-reports-alaska.
Additionally, NMFS releases a report of the genetic stock
composition of Chinook salmon in the GOA trawl fisheries on an annual
basis. The latest report was presented to the Council in April 2023
using data from the 2021 and 2022 pollock trawl fisheries. The report
showed that the majority of Chinook salmon encountered and sampled
originate from South and East of the Alaska Peninsula. That report is
available at https://meetings.npfmc.org/CommentReview/DownloadFile?p=a5e7366b-bb9f-429a-b1b2-636ecfd1f442.pdf&fileName=C2a%20GOA%20Chinook%20Genetics%202021-2022.pdf.
Ultimately, NMFS manages bycatch in the GOA pollock fishery through
a variety of tools. These tools include the PSC limits (which are
announced in these annual harvest specifications), and a comprehensive
monitoring program to collect data on bycatch, including salmon
bycatch. The information from this monitoring program is used to
estimate how many Chinook and chum salmon are caught as bycatch from
trawl vessels, where those fish came from, and whether a potential
violation of law occurred.
NMFS acknowledges the western Alaska salmon crisis and the impact
it is having on culture and food security throughout western Alaska.
Science indicates climate change as the primary driver of poor salmon
returns in western Alaska. Scientists from NMFS continue to study the
impacts of climate change on salmon and halibut. For example,
scientists from NMFS and the State of Alaska found that recent heat
wave events created conditions where energy allocation and prey quality
was affected and added stress to western Alaska chum salmon at critical
life stages, see https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/meps/v726/p149-160/.
The Council and NMFS are committed to continued improvements in
bycatch management with a goal of minimizing bycatch at all levels of
abundance for target species (pollock) and PSC. NMFS and the Council
are currently engaged in a comprehensive process to evaluate existing
measures and develop alternatives that may be necessary to further
reduce chum salmon bycatch in the Bering Sea pollock fishery. More
information on this process can be found at https://www.npfmc.org/fisheries-issues/bycatch/salmon-bycatch/. However, the Chinook salmon
and Pacific halibut PSC limits and the conditions that affect the
limits are set in regulations, and changes to those regulations are
outside of the scope of the annual harvest specification process. NMFS
believes that changes to bycatch management of all prohibited species,
including Chinook salmon, chum salmon, and Pacific halibut, are best
accomplished through the Council process to recommend FMP amendments
and regulations that NMFS would implement if consistent with the
Magnuson-Stevens Act, the FMP, and other applicable law.
Comment 3: Management of fisheries, including TAC setting and PSC
limits, should include ecosystem based fishery management.
Response: The annual process for specifying TAC for groundfish in
the GOA is a scientifically-driven process informed by the best
available information on the status of the marine ecosystems off
Alaska. Each year, an ESR is prepared for the GOA ecosystem (as well as
for the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands ecosystems). The intent of the
ESRs is to provide the Plan Team, SSC, AP, Council, and NMFS, as well
as the public, with a broad overview of the current status of the
marine ecosystems. The ESRs are drafted by scientists and staff from
NOAA, other Federal and state agencies, academic institutions, tribes,
and non-profits, and they compile and summarize information about the
status of the Alaska marine ecosystems and represent the best
scientific information available.
The ESRs include information on the physical environment and
oceanography, climate data, biological data, marine resources, and
socio-ecological dimensions to provide context for the specification of
OFL, ABC, and TAC. For example, the 2024 ESR for the GOA includes a
synthesis of ecosystem status indicators in the physical environment
(such as sea surface temperature, sea level pressure anomalies, and
ocean transport); habitat (including ocean acidification); analysis of
primary production (such as phytoplankton) and zooplankton; trends for
non-target species and discards, including sea jellies, forage fish
like herring and eulachon, and squid; updated information on salmon;
groundfish condition and distribution; benthic communities; a seabird
[[Page 15510]]
synthesis and seabird-derived forage fish indicators; marine mammals,
including humpback whales and Steller sea lions; ecosystem and
community indicators; and fishing indicators, including a
sustainability index. The 2024 GOA ESR is available at https://apps-afsc.fisheries.noaa.gov/REFM/docs/2023/GOAecosys.pdf.
Information from the ESRs are integrated in stock assessments,
primarily through the risk tables that are prepared for each stock. The
risk table includes evaluation of four considerations: assessment-
related, population dynamics, and environmental/ecosystem, and fishery
performance. The risk table is meant to inform the specification of ABC
by accounting for additional scientific uncertainty that is not
addressed in the stock assessment model used to calculate OFL and ABC
based on the stock's tier and the corresponding OFL and ABC control
rules in the FMP. Because TAC cannot exceed ABC, reductions in ABC
based on the risk table result in additional precaution in the catch
limits for groundfish of the GOA. The risk table can highlight changes
in ecosystem conditions. For example, in the 2019 Pacific cod SAFE
report, the risk table assessed three considerations that were elevated
to level 2. As a result of the elevated risk, authors recommending
setting the ABC below the maximum. Further, because the 2019 GOA
Pacific cod stock was estimated to be below 20 percent of the projected
unfished spawning biomass (B20), directed fishing
was prohibited during the 2020 fishing year for the conservation of
western Distinct Population Segment Steller sea lions (84 FR 70438,
December 23, 2019). This prohibition is set in regulations (Sec.
679.20(d)(4)).
Some stock assessments, GOA pollock, GOA Pacific cod, and AK
Sablefish, also include an ESP. The ESP was developed as a framework
for organizing and evaluating ecosystem and socioeconomic information
about an individual stock. The ESP informs environmental and ecosystem
considerations, population dynamics, and fisheries performance in the
risk table on pollock. For example, the ESP for GOA pollock is cited in
the pollock SAFE for both temperature and catch per unit effort (CPUE).
Temperature is within the optimal range for pollock life history stages
in 2023 and CPUE is consistent with the abundance trend of exploitable
biomass. The GOA pollock ESP is available at https://apps-afsc.fisheries.noaa.gov/Plan_Team/2023/GOApollock_appA.pdf.
The information from the ESRs, stock assessments, and ESPs allows
the Plan Team, SSC, AP, Council, and NMFS to respond to ecosystem
changes and stock changes in the GOA and to adjust the harvest
specifications as necessary. This is consistent with the FMP and the
preferred harvest strategy analyzed in the Final EIS and implemented
each year for the specification of TAC. The Final EIS contemplated that
ABCs could be reduced based on ecosystem considerations (Chapter 11 of
Final EIS). The harvest strategy is designed such that the most recent
information would be used each year in setting the annual harvest
specification. The process is flexible to incorporate current
information on stock abundance and environmental, ecosystem, and
socioeconomic factors (like physical and ecosystem changes associated
with climate change). Similarly, the FMP contemplates ongoing
consideration of relevant factors, like ecosystem considerations and
climate change, through the development of SAFE reports (Section 3.2 of
the FMP). The use of the most recent, best available information in the
SAFE reports allows the Council and NMFS to respond to changes in stock
condition and environmental, ecosystem, and socioeconomic factors in
the GOA and to adjust the harvest specifications as appropriate, which
is also consistent with National Standard 2 of the Magnuson-Stevens Act
to use the best scientific information available (16 U.S.C.
1851(a)(2)).
NMFS is committed to supporting science and research to continue to
move the process into effective ecosystem-based management by refining
the existing tools and developing new tools for incorporating ecosystem
and socioeconomic information.
As noted in response to Comment 2, PSC limits and the conditions
that affect the limits are set in regulations, and changes to those
regulations are outside of the scope of the annual harvest
specification process.
Comment 4: NMFS must account for climate change in its decision
making.
Response: Climate change is accounted for in NMFS's decisionmaking
on the annual implementation of the harvest specifications, consistent
with the harvest strategy in the FMP and analyzed in the Final EIS. The
Final EIS analyzed alternatives for an implementing framework for the
BSAI and GOA harvest strategy and evaluated the potential effects of
those alternatives on the human environment (see response to Comment
6). The Final EIS examined existing physical and oceanographic
conditions in the BSAI and GOA, and addressed regime shifts, warming
and loss of sea ice, and acidification (Chapter 3.5 of the Final EIS),
as well as systemic ecosystem impacts. (Chapter 11 of the Final EIS).
Moreover, the framework process for the preferred harvest strategy
under the Final EIS allows for the effects of climate change to be
considered in the annual process for setting the harvest
specifications. As addressed in response to Comment 3, the annual ESR
is part of the SAFE reports that the Council and its Plan Teams, SSC,
and AP annually review prior to the review of the stock assessments and
advancing recommendations to NMFS for the annual OFLs, ABCs, and TACs.
The purpose of the ESRs is to provide the Council, scientific
community, and the public, as well as NMFS, with annual information
about ecosystem status and trends, and they include physical
oceanography, biological data, and socio-ecological dimensions,
primarily collected from AFSC surveys with collaboration from a range
of government and non-government partners. The ESRs provide the
scientific review body (the SSC) with context for the annual biological
reference points (OFLs and ABCs), and for the Council's final TAC
recommendations for groundfish (which are constrained by those
biological reference points). Information from the ESRs are also
integrated into the annual harvest recommendations through inclusion in
stock assessment-specific risk tables. There are many examples of
climate change considerations presented in the GOA ESR, including: sea
surface temperatures and marine heatwaves driven by long-term climate
change; status and trends of key physical indicators of climate change
that could impact the survival and condition of certain species like
salmon, such as ocean temperatures; deoxygenation from climate change
and patterns and trends in oxygen in the GOA; implications from ocean
acidification for sensitive species and fisheries, including Tanner
crab and salmon; shifting migration dates for salmon in terms of
juvenile and adult migration patterns; and trends in zooplankton
population and lipid content, as well as juvenile salmon size and
condition, in Southeast Alaska as part of an effort to investigate how
climate change may affect nearshore ecosystems in relation to juvenile
salmon and associated biophysical factors.
In some instances, the Plan Teams and SSC have recommended ABC
reductions based on climate change
[[Page 15511]]
considerations. As explained in response to Comment 3, stock
assessments use a stock-assessment specific risk table that is applied
by evaluating the severity of four types of considerations that could
be used to support a scientific recommendation to reduce the ABC
(assessment-related, population dynamics, environmental/ecosystem, and
fishery performance). For example, for the 2019 stock assessment for
Pacific cod, patterns in distribution, growth, and size were associated
with warmer ocean conditions and the cumulative effects from a series
of recent warm years. As a result, environmental and ecosystem
considerations were assigned a level 2 in the risk table.
Finally, the FMP indicated that the ongoing consideration of
factors like climate change would be addressed annually in the SAFE
reports (Section 3.2.2.2 of the FMP), as is currently the case with
both individual stock assessments and the ESRs. As a result, the annual
harvest specifications process, which implements the preferred harvest
strategy under the Final EIS, allows for the consideration of the best
scientific information available on climate change (16 U.S.C.
1851(a)(2)).
Comment 5: The TAC for pollock should reflect the true
environmental cost of trawling.
Response: The SAFE report chapter for GOA pollock evaluates
annually the GOA pollock fishery's effects on the ecosystem, as well as
ecosystem effects on the pollock stock (see section titled
``Environmental/Ecosystem considerations'' in the SAFE report chapter:
https://apps-afsc.fisheries.noaa.gov/Plan_Team/2023/GOApollock.pdf). In
addition, ecosystem considerations, as well as the impact on
communities and incidentally caught species, are considered and updated
annually in the ESRs and ESPs, including the GOA pollock ESP. The Final
EIS supporting the harvest specifications also evaluated environmental
and ecosystem considerations, and the environmental impacts of the GOA
pollock fishery have been analyzed in a number of subsequent NEPA
documents, including the EA for Amendment 93 to the GOA FMP.
Comment 6: The Alaska Groundfish Harvest Specifications EIS is
outdated and NMFS must prepare a new or supplemental EIS on the harvest
specifications.
Response: Groundfish harvests are managed subject to annual limits
on the retained and discarded amounts of each species and species
group. The ``harvest strategy'' is the method used to calculate these
annual limits, referred to as ``harvest specifications,'' and the
process of establishing them is referred to as the ``specifications
process.'' NMFS prepared the Alaska Groundfish Harvest Specifications
Final EIS to analyze the environmental, social, and economic impacts of
alternatives harvest strategies used to determine the annual harvest
specifications for the federally managed groundfish fisheries in the
GOA and BSAI management areas.
The purpose of the harvest strategy is to provide for orderly and
controlled commercial fishing for groundfish; promote sustainable
incomes to the fishing, fish processing, and support industries;
support sustainable fishing communities; and provide sustainable flows
of fish products to consumers. The harvest strategy balances groundfish
harvest in the fishing year with ecosystem needs (such as non-target
fish stocks, marine mammals, seabirds, and habitat). Importantly, the
harvest strategy and specification process are designed to use the best
available scientific information developed each year through the annual
SAFE (including the ESR process) to calculate the status determination
criteria, assess the status of each stock, and set the TACs.
In a ROD, NMFS selected one of the alternative harvest strategies:
to set TACs that fall within the range of ABCs recommended through the
harvest specifications process that includes review by the Plan Team
and SSC. NMFS concluded that the preferred harvest strategy analyzed in
the Final EIS and selected in the ROD provides the best balance among
relevant environmental, social, and economic considerations and allows
for continued management of the groundfish fisheries based on the most
recent, best scientific information. While the specific numbers that
the harvest strategy produces may vary from year to year, the
methodology used for the preferred harvest strategy remains constant.
NMFS has not changed the harvest strategy or specifications process
from what was analyzed in the Final EIS.
Each year the harvest strategy uses the best scientific information
available in the annual SAFE reports to derive the annual harvest
specifications, which include TACs and PSC limits. Through this
process, each year, the Council's Groundfish Plan Teams use updated
stock assessments to calculate biomass, OFLs, and ABCs for each species
and species group for specified management areas. The OFLs and ABCs are
published with the harvest specifications, and provide the foundation
for the Council and NMFS to develop the TACs. The OFLs and ABCs reflect
fishery science, applied in light of the requirements of the FMPs. The
Council bases its TAC recommendations on those of its AP, which are
consistent with the SSC's OFL and ABC recommendations (meaning, the TAC
recommendations cannot exceed the SSC's ABC and OFL recommendations).
The Final EIS evaluates the consequences of alternative harvest
strategies on ecosystem components and on the ecosystem as a whole. The
Final EIS evaluates the alternatives for their effects within the
action area. The environmental consequences of each alternative were
considered for target species, non-specified species, forage species,
prohibited species, marine mammals, seabirds, Essential Fish Habitat,
ecosystem relationships, the economy, and environmental justice. These
considerations were evaluated based on the conditions as they existed
at the time the Final EIS was developed, but the Final EIS also
anticipated potential changes in these conditions that could be
incorporated, as appropriate, through the annual implementation of the
harvest strategy. Each year since 2007 relevant changes (new
information, changed circumstances, potential changes to the action)
are considered with the primary purpose of evaluating the need to
supplement the Final EIS.
NEPA implementing regulations at 40 CFR 1502.9(d) instruct agencies
to prepare supplements to either draft or final environmental impact
statements if there remains a major Federal action left to occur and:
(i) The agency makes substantial changes to the proposed action that
are relevant to environmental concerns; or (ii) There are significant
new circumstances or information relevant to environmental concerns and
bearing on the proposed action or its impacts. Ultimately, an agency is
required ``to take a `hard look' at the new information to assess
whether supplementation might be necessary.'' Norton v. S. Utah
Wilderness All., 542 U.S. 55, 72-73 (2004).
A SIR for the Final EIS is prepared each year to take that ``hard
look'' and document the evaluation and decision whether an SEIS is
necessary to implement the annual groundfish harvest specifications,
consistent with NEPA regulations (40 CFR 1502.9(d)) and NOAA's Policy
and Procedures for Compliance with the National Environmental Policy
Act and Related Authorities (Companion Manual for NOAA Administrative
Order 216-6A).
[[Page 15512]]
The Companion Manual authorizes the use of a SIR to document a review
of new information or circumstances and determine the sufficiency of
the existing NEPA analysis for implementing a component or step of the
action analyzed in that existing analysis.
The SIR prepared each year for the annual harvest specifications
analyzes the information contained in the most recent SAFE reports and
all information available to NMFS and the Council to determine whether
an SEIS should be prepared. The SAFE reports represent the best
scientific information available for the harvest specifications.
Included in the SAFE reports are the groundfish stock assessments and
any ESPs, the ESRs, and the Economic Status Report. To date, no annual
SIR to the Final EIS has concluded that an SEIS is necessary.
The SIR recognizes the preferred harvest strategy analyzed in the
Final EIS and selected in the ROD was built on an annual process to
compile and utilize the most recent, best scientific information
available on species abundance and condition, harvest and survey data,
environmental and ecosystem factors, and socio-economic conditions. The
Final EIS contemplated the annual process included flexibility that
allows for the implementation of annual harvest specifications that
reflect new information and changing circumstances in the context of
the considerations in the Final EIS. NMFS has determined that the 2024
and 2025 harvest specifications for the BSAI and GOA are consistent
with the preferred alternative harvest strategy analyzed in the Harvest
Specifications EIS because they were set through the harvest
specifications process, are within the optimum yield established for
both the BSAI and the GOA, and do not set TAC to exceed the ABC for any
single species or species group.
The SIR assessed new information and circumstances. Based on the
SIR, NMFS concluded that the best available, most recent information
presented on species abundance and condition, environmental and
ecosystem factors, and socio-economic conditions and used to set the
2024 and 2025 harvest specifications does not represent a significant
change relative to the environmental impacts of the preferred harvest
strategy analyzed in the Harvest Specifications EIS.
The Harvest Specifications EIS identified reasonably foreseeable
future actions, which inform the analysis in the SIR regarding new
circumstances and which include catch share management, traditional
fisheries management tools, ecosystem-sensitive management, and actions
by other Federal, state, and international agencies and private
actions. This section of the SIR assessed information and circumstances
regarding bycatch management of salmon, crab, and halibut; habitat
impacts; seabirds; and marine mammals, including ESA-listed species
like Steller sea lions, humpback whales, sperm whales, and fin whales,
and unlisted species like northern fur seals and killer whales. In this
assessment, the SIR relied on the 2023 SAFE reports, other analyses
prepared to support NMFS management actions, updated catch and bycatch
data, and other best available scientific information to conclude any
new information and circumstances do not present a seriously different
picture of the likely environmental harms of the action to occur--the
annual implementation of the 2024 and 2025 groundfish harvest
specifications--beyond what was considered in the Harvest
Specifications EIS. More details are provided in the SIR (see
ADDRESSES).
Based on the SIR prepared in conjunction with these harvest
specifications, NMFS determined that the 2024 and 2025 groundfish
harvest specifications do not constitute a substantial change in the
proposed action analyzed in the Final EIS and will not affect the human
environment in a significant manner or to a significant extent not
already considered in the Harvest Specifications EIS. Accordingly,
supplementation of the Final EIS was not required for NMFS to approve
and implement the 2024 and 2025 groundfish harvest specifications of
the BSAI and GOA.
Comment 7: NMFS should develop a programmatic EIS and initiate a
NEPA analysis that includes government-to-government consultation with
Alaska Native Tribes, or otherwise supplement the Alaska Groundfish
Programmatic Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement.
Response: As outlined in response to response to Comment 6, NMFS
prepared the Alaska Groundfish Harvest Specifications Final EIS to
analyze alternatives to implement the FMP's harvest strategy and
specifications process, which outlines the method and process used to
determine the annual harvest specifications for the federally managed
groundfish fisheries in the GOA and BSAI management areas. NMFS also
must specify PSC allowances in the annual harvest specifications. The
Final EIS evaluates the consequences of alternative harvest strategies
on ecosystem components and on the ecosystem as a whole, as well as
their effects within the action area. Ultimately, from the analysis in
the Final EIS, NMFS selected a preferred harvest strategy that NMFS
uses each year for the specifications process. Each year, NMFS also
evaluates whether supplementation of that Final EIS is required,
consistent with NEPA regulations, to implement the harvest
specifications. Based on the SIR prepared in conjunction with these
harvest specifications, NMFS determined that supplementation of the
Alaska Groundfish Harvest Specifications Final EIS was not required.
NMFS therefore implements these harvest specifications consistent with
the Alaska Groundfish Harvest Specifications Final EIS.
Separate from the Final EIS for the Alaska Groundfish Harvest
Specifications, the Council and NMFS prepared the Alaska Groundfish
Programmatic Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (PSEIS). The
PSEIS evaluated alternative policies and objectives for the management
of the groundfish fisheries in the BSAI and GOA. The action analyzed in
the PSEIS is different from the action analyzed in the Alaska
Groundfish Harvest Specifications Final EIS, and as explained above
NMFS implements the harvest specifications consistent with the Final
EIS analyzing that action. In addition to the preparation of the
Harvest Specifications Final EIS, since the PSEIS the Council and NMFS
have prepared for FMP amendments and regulatory changes the appropriate
NEPA analyses to support the implementation of those specific FMP or
regulatory changes.
Finally, the Council and NMFS are now considering a new action to
revise the management policies and objectives for the groundfish
fisheries, as well as for all Council-managed fisheries, off Alaska.
The Council requested that NMFS initiate the development of a
Programmatic EIS to analyze alternatives for the revisions of policies,
objectives, and goals for all Council-managed fisheries in June of
2023. In 2024-2025, the Council and NMFS will decide on the direction
and structure of alternatives analyzed under a Programmatic EIS, and
NMFS will begin the NEPA scoping process. There will be multiple public
meetings, in addition to Council-hosted workshops, to support the
development and analysis of alternatives, and NMFS will work with
Alaska Native Tribes to ensure meaningful and timely government-to-
government consultation consistent with Executive Order 13175 and NOAA
Procedures for Government-to-Government Consultation with
[[Page 15513]]
Federally Recognized Indian Tribal Governments.
Classification
NMFS is issuing this final rule pursuant to section 305(d) of the
Magnuson-Stevens Act. Through previous actions, the FMP and regulations
are designed to authorize NMFS to take this action. See 50 CFR part
679. The NMFS Assistant Administrator has determined that the final
harvest specifications are consistent with the FMP and with the
Magnuson-Stevens Act and other applicable laws.
This final rule is exempt from review under Executive Order 12866
because it only implements annual catch limits in the GOA.
NMFS prepared an EIS for the Alaska groundfish harvest
specifications and alternative harvest strategies (see ADDRESSES) and
made it available to the public on January 12, 2007 (72 FR 1512). On
February 13, 2007, NMFS issued the ROD for the Final EIS identifying
the selected alternative (Alternative 2). NMFS prepared a SIR for this
action to provide a subsequent assessment of the action and to address
the need to prepare a Supplemental EIS (SEIS; 40 CFR 1501.11(b); Sec.
1502.9(d)(1)). Copies of the Final EIS, ROD, and annual SIRs for this
action are available from NMFS (see ADDRESSES). The Final EIS analyzes
the environmental, social, and economic consequences of the groundfish
harvest specifications and alternative harvest strategies on resources
in the action area. Based on the analysis in the Final EIS, NMFS
concluded that the preferred Alternative (Alternative 2) provides the
best balance among relevant environmental, social, and economic
considerations and allows for continued management of the groundfish
fisheries based on the most recent, best scientific information. The
preferred alternative is a harvest strategy in which TACs are set at a
level within the range of ABCs recommended through the Council harvest
specifications process by the Council's SSC. The sum of the TACs also
must achieve the OY specified in the FMP and regulations. While the
specific numbers that the harvest strategy produces may vary from year
to year, the methodology used for the preferred harvest strategy
remains constant.
The annual SIR evaluates the need to prepare a SEIS for the 2024
and 2025 groundfish harvest specifications. An SEIS must be prepared if
a major Federal action remains to occur and: (1) the agency makes
substantial changes to the proposed action that are relevant to
environmental concerns; or (2) significant new circumstances or
information exist relevant to environmental concerns and bearing on the
proposed action or its impacts (40 CFR 1502.9(d)(1)). After reviewing
the most recent, best available information, including the information
contained in the SIR and SAFE report, the Regional Administrator has
determined that (1) the 2024 and 2025 harvest specifications, which
were set according to the preferred harvest strategy, do not constitute
a substantial change in the action; and (2) the information presented
does not indicate that there are significant new circumstances or
information relevant to environmental concerns and bearing on the
proposed action or its impacts. Any new information and circumstances
do not present a seriously different picture of the likely
environmental harms of the action to occur--the implementation of these
harvest specifications--beyond what was considered in the Final EIS,
and the 2024 and 2025 harvest specifications will result in
environmental, social, and economic impacts within the scope of those
analyzed and disclosed in the Final EIS. Therefore, a SEIS is not
necessary to implement the 2024 and 2025 harvest specifications.
Section 604 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) (5 U.S.C. 604)
requires that, when an agency promulgates a final rule under 5 U.S.C.
553, after being required by that section or any other law, to publish
a general notice of proposed rulemaking, the agency shall prepare a
final regulatory flexibility analysis (FRFA). The following constitutes
the FRFA prepared for these final 2024 and 2025 harvest specifications.
Section 604 of the RFA describes the required contents of a FRFA:
(1) a statement of the need for, and objectives of, the rule; (2) a
statement of the significant issues raised by the public comments in
response to the initial regulatory flexibility analysis (IRFA), a
statement of the assessment of the agency of such issues, and a
statement of any changes made in the proposed rule as a result of such
comments; (3) the response of the agency to any comments filed by the
Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration in
response to the proposed rule, and a detailed statement of any change
made to the proposed rule in the final rule as a result of the
comments; (4) a description of and an estimate of the number of small
entities to which the rule will apply or an explanation of why no such
estimate is available; (5) a description of the projected reporting,
recordkeeping, and other compliance requirements of the rule, including
an estimate of the classes of small entities which will be subject to
the requirement and the type of professional skills necessary for
preparation of the report or record; and (6) a description of the steps
the agency has taken to minimize the significant economic impact on
small entities consistent with the stated objectives of applicable
statutes, including a statement of the factual, policy, and legal
reasons for selecting the alternative adopted in the final rule and why
each one of the other significant alternatives to the rule considered
by the agency that affect the impact on small entities was rejected.
A description of this action, its purpose, and its legal basis are
contained at the beginning of the preamble to this final rule and are
not repeated here.
NMFS published the proposed rule on December 7, 2023 (88 FR 85184).
NMFS prepared an IRFA to accompany the proposed action and included the
IRFA in the proposed rule. The comment period closed on January 8,
2024. No comments were received on the IRFA or on the economic impacts
of the rule more generally. The Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small
Business Administration did not file any comments on the proposed rule.
The entities directly regulated by this action are: (1) entities
operating vessels with groundfish Federal fishing permits (FFPs)
catching FMP groundfish in Federal waters; (2) all entities operating
vessels, regardless of whether they hold groundfish FFPs, catching FMP
groundfish in the State-waters parallel fisheries; and (3) all entities
operating vessels fishing for halibut inside 3 miles (5.6 km) of the
shore (whether or not they have FFPs).
For RFA purposes only, NMFS has established a small business size
standard for businesses, including their affiliates, whose primary
industry is commercial fishing (see 50 CFR 200.2). A business primarily
engaged in commercial fishing (NAICS code 11411) is classified as a
small business if it is independently owned and operated, is not
dominant in its field of operation (including its affiliates), and has
combined annual gross receipts not in excess of $11 million for all its
affiliated operations worldwide.
Using the most recent data available (2022), the estimated number
of directly regulated small entities includes approximately 677
individual CV and CP entities with gross revenues meeting the small
entity criteria. This includes an estimated 674 small CV entities and
[[Page 15514]]
3 small CP entities in the GOA groundfish sector. The determination of
entity size is based on vessel revenues and affiliated group revenues.
This determination also includes an assessment of fisheries cooperative
affiliations, although actual vessel ownership affiliations have not
been completely established. However, the estimate of these 677 CVs and
CPs may be an overstatement of the number of small entities because of
the complexity of analyzing the linkages and affiliations across these
vessels, particularly since many of them conduct operations in Federal
and State fisheries. The CVs had average gross revenues that varied by
gear type. Average gross revenues for hook-and-line CVs, pot gear CVs,
and trawl gear CVs are estimated to be $450,000, $860,000, and $1.38
million, respectively. Average gross revenues for hook-and-line CPs and
pot gear CPs are estimated to be $7.40 million and $6.87 million,
respectively. Trawl gear CP entity revenue data are confidential.
This final rule contains no information collection requirements
under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
This action implements the final 2024 and 2025 harvest
specifications, apportionments, and halibut PSC limits for the
groundfish fishery of the GOA. This action is necessary to establish
harvest limits for groundfish during the 2024 and 2025 fishing years
and is taken in accordance with the FMP prepared by the Council
pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens Act. The establishment of the final
harvest specifications is governed by the Council and NMFS's harvest
strategy for the catch of groundfish in the GOA. The harvest strategy
was selected previously from among five alternatives, with the
preferred alternative harvest strategy being one in which the TACs fall
within the range of ABCs recommended through the Council harvest
specifications process by the SSC. Under this preferred alternative
harvest strategy, TACs are recommended to NMFS by the Council,
utilizing recommendations from the AP, and are within the range of ABCs
recommended by the SSC. The sum of the TACs must achieve the OY
specified in the FMP. While the specific TAC numbers that the harvest
strategy produces may vary from year to year, the methodology used for
the preferred harvest strategy remains constant. This final action
implements the preferred alternative harvest strategy previously chosen
by the Council and NMFS to set TACs that fall within the range of ABCs
recommended through the Council harvest specifications process and as
recommended by the Council, after considerations from the Council's AP.
This TAC determination method is consistent with previous years.
The final 2024 and 2025 TACs associated with preferred harvest
strategy are those recommended by the Council in December 2023. OFLs
and ABCs for the species were based on recommendations prepared by the
Council's Plan Team, and reviewed and recommended by the Council's SSC.
The Council based its TAC recommendations on those of its AP, and those
recommendations are consistent with the SSC's OFL and ABC
recommendations. The sum of all TACs remains within the OY for the GOA
consistent with Sec. 679.20(a)(1)(i)(B).
The final 2024 and 2025 OFLs and ABCs are based on the best
available biological information, including projected biomass trends,
information on assumed distribution of stock biomass, and revised
technical methods to calculate stock biomass. The final 2024 and 2025
TACs are based on the best available biological and socioeconomic
information. The final 2024 and 2025 OFLs, ABCs, and TACs are
consistent with the biological condition of groundfish stocks as
described in the 2023 SAFE report, which is the most recent, completed
SAFE report, as well as the ecosystem and socioeconomic information
presented in the 2023 SAFE report (including the GOA ESR). Accounting
for the most recent information to set the final OFLs, ABCs, and TACs
is consistent with the objectives for this action, as well as National
Standard 2 of the Magnuson-Stevens Act (16 U.S.C. 1851(a)(2)) that
actions shall be based on the best scientific information available.
The SAFE report also includes information on the economic condition of
the groundfish fisheries off Alaska through the Economic Status Report.
Data are available through 2022.
Under this action, the final ABCs reflect harvest amounts that are
less than the specified overfishing levels. The final TACs are within
the range of final ABCs recommended by the SSC and do not exceed the
biological limits recommended by the SSC (the ABCs and overfishing
levels). For most species and species groups in the GOA, the Council
recommended, and NMFS sets, final TACs equal to final ABCs, which is
intended to maximize harvest opportunities in the GOA, unless other
conservation or management reasons support setting TAC amounts less
than the ABCs.
For the following species and species groups, the Council
recommended, and NMFS sets, TACs that are less than the ABCs for
pollock, Pacific cod, shallow-water flatfish in the Western GOA,
arrowtooth flounder in the Western GOA and SEO District, flathead sole
in the Western GOA, and other rockfish in the SEO District. These
specific reductions were reviewed and recommended by the Council's AP,
and the Council in turn adopted the AP's recommendations for the final
2024 and 2025 TACs.
Increasing TACs for some species may not result in increased
harvest opportunities for those species. This is due to a variety of
reasons. There may be a lack of commercial or market interest in some
species. Additionally, there are fixed, and therefore constraining, PSC
limits associated with the harvest of the GOA groundfish species that
can lead to an underharvest of flatfish TACs. For this reason, the
shallow-water flatfish, arrowtooth flounder, and flathead sole TACs in
the Western GOA are set to allow for harvest opportunities for these
target species while conserving the halibut PSC limit for use in other
fisheries, including other groundfish fisheries or the halibut IFQ
directed fishery. Similarly, the arrowtooth flounder TAC in the SEO
District is set lower than ABC to conserve halibut PSC limit for use in
other fisheries or because there is limited commercial interest in this
fishery. The other rockfish TAC in the SEO District is set to support
incidental catch in other fisheries. Finally, the TACs for two species
(pollock and Pacific cod) cannot be set equal to ABC, as the TAC must
be reduced to account for the State's GHLs in these fisheries. The W/C/
WYK Regulatory Area pollock combined TAC and the GOA Pacific cod TACs
are therefore set to account for the State's GHLs for the State waters
pollock and Pacific cod fisheries so that the ABCs are not exceeded.
Based upon the best available scientific data, and in consideration
of the Council's objectives of this action, there are no significant
alternatives to the final rule that have the potential to accomplish
the stated objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Act and any other
applicable statutes and that have the potential to minimize any
significant adverse economic impact of the final rule on small
entities. This action is economically beneficial to entities operating
in the GOA, including small entities. The action specifies TACs for
commercially valuable species in the GOA and allows for the continued
prosecution of the fishery, thereby creating the opportunity for
fishery revenue. After public process, during which the Council and
NMFS solicited input from stakeholders, the Council
[[Page 15515]]
concluded and NMFS likewise determines that these final harvest
specifications would best accomplish the stated objectives articulated
in the preamble for this final rule and in applicable statutes and
would minimize to the extent practicable adverse economic impacts on
the universe of directly regulated small entities.
Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3), the Assistant Administrator for
Fisheries, NOAA, finds good cause to waive the 30-day delay in the date
of effectiveness for this rule because delaying this rule is contrary
to the public interest. The Plan Team review of the 2023 SAFE report
occurred in November 2023, and, based on the 2023 SAFE report, the
Council considered and recommended the final harvest specifications in
December 2023. Accordingly, NMFS's review of the final 2024 and 2025
harvest specifications could not begin until after the December 2023
Council meeting and after the public comment period closed on January
8, 2024.
For all fisheries not currently closed because the TACs established
under the final 2023 and 2024 harvest specifications (88 FR 13238,
March 2, 2023) have not yet been reached, it is possible that they
would be closed prior to the expiration of a 30-day delayed
effectiveness period, because those fisheries have nearly reached those
previously set TACs. Some affected fisheries therefore could close
soon, as they are already close to reaching their TACs, and such
closures would cause unnecessary economic harm to the fisheries in the
cases where this final rule increases some of the groundfish TACs. If
implemented immediately, this final rule would allow these fisheries to
continue fishing, because some of the new TACs implemented by this rule
are higher than the TACs under which they are currently fishing.
In addition, immediate effectiveness of this action is required to
provide consistent management and conservation of fishery resources
based on the best available scientific information. This is
particularly pertinent for those species that have lower 2024 ABCs and
TACs than those established in the final 2023 and 2024 harvest
specifications (88 FR 13238, March 2, 2023). If implemented
immediately, this rule would ensure that NMFS can properly manage those
fisheries for which this rule sets lower 2024 ABCs and TACs, which are
based on the most recent biological information on the condition of
stocks. The changes between the proposed 2024 ABCs and TACs are
discussed earlier in the Changes from the Proposed 2024 and 2025
Harvest Specifications in the GOA section of this rule.
Certain fisheries, such as those for pollock, are intensive, fast-
paced fisheries. Other fisheries, such as those for sablefish,
flatfish, rockfish, Atka mackerel, skates, sharks, and octopuses, are
critical either as directed fisheries or as incidental catch in other
fisheries. Thus, for those species that have higher 2024 TACs than
under the final 2023 and 2024 harvest specifications (88 FR 13238,
March 2, 2023) than the TACs established by this final rule, there is
some risk of exceeding these TAC limits. U.S. fishing vessels have
demonstrated the capacity to catch the TAC allocations in many of these
fisheries. If the date of effectiveness of this rule were to be delayed
30 days and a TAC was reached during those 30 days, NMFS would be
required to close directed fishing or prohibit retention for the
applicable species. Such closures and unnecessary discards would cause
confusion to the industry and potential economic harm to fishermen,
undermining the intent of this rule. Waiving the 30-day delay in the
date of effectiveness allows NMFS to prevent this potential economic
harm that could occur, should the previously set 2024 TACs (as set
under the final 2023 and 2024 harvest specifications) be reached during
such a delay. In addition, determining which fisheries may close in
advance is nearly impossible because these fisheries are affected by
several factors, including fishing effort, weather, movement of fishery
stocks, and market price, which cannot be predicted. Furthermore, the
closure of one fishery has a cascading effect on other fisheries; the
closure would free up fishing vessels, allowing them to move from
closed fisheries to open fisheries, thereby increasing the fishing
capacity in those open fisheries, and potentially causing them to close
sooner.
In fisheries subject to declining sideboard limits, a failure to
implement the updated sideboard limits before the initial season's end
could deny the intended economic protection to the sectors that do not
have sideboards. Conversely, in fisheries with increasing sideboard
limits, economic benefit could be denied to the sideboard-limited
sectors.
If the final harvest specifications are not effective by March 15,
2024, which is the start of the 2024 Pacific halibut season as
specified by the IPHC, the fixed gear sablefish fishery will not begin
concurrently with the Pacific halibut IFQ season. This would result in
confusion for the industry and economic harm from unnecessary discard
of sablefish that are caught along with Pacific halibut, as both fixed
gear sablefish and Pacific halibut are managed under the same IFQ
program. Immediate effectiveness of these final 2024 and 2025 harvest
specifications will allow the sablefish IFQ fishery to begin
concurrently with the Pacific halibut IFQ season.
Finally, immediate effectiveness also provides the fishing industry
the earliest possible opportunity to plan and conduct its fishing
operations with respect to new information about TACs. Therefore, in
accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3), NMFS finds good cause to waive the
30-day delay in the date of effectiveness for this rule.
Small Entity Compliance Guide
Section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness
Act of 1996 states that, for each rule or group of related rules for
which an agency is required to prepare a FRFA, the agency shall publish
one or more guides to assist small entities in complying with the rule,
and shall designate such publications as ``small entity compliance
guides.'' The tables contained in this final rule are provided online
and serve as the plain language guide to assist small entities in
complying with this final rule as required by the Small Business
Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996. This final rule's primary
purpose is to announce the final 2024 and 2025 harvest specifications
and prohibited species bycatch allowances for the groundfish fisheries
of the GOA. This action is necessary to establish harvest limits and
associated management measures for groundfish during the 2024 and 2025
fishing years, and to accomplish the goals and objectives of the FMP.
This action affects all fishermen who participate in the GOA fisheries.
The specific OFL, ABC, TAC, and PSC amounts are provided in tables in
this final rule to assist the reader. This final rule also contains
plain language summaries of the underlying relevant regulations
supporting the harvest specifications and the harvest of groundfish in
the GOA that the reader may find helpful.
Information to assist small entities in complying with this final
rule is provided online. The OFL, ABC, TAC, and PSC tables are
individually available online at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/alaska/sustainable-fisheries/alaska-groundfish-harvest-specifications.
Explanatory information on the relevant regulations supporting the
harvest specifications is also found in footnotes to the tables.
Harvest specification changes are also available
[[Page 15516]]
from the same online source, which includes applicable Federal Register
notices, information bulletins, and other supporting materials. NMFS
will announce closures of directed fishing in the Federal Register and
information bulletins released by the Alaska Region. Affected fishermen
should keep themselves informed of such closures.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 773 et seq.; 16 U.S.C. 1540(f), 1801 et
seq.; 16 U.S.C. 3631 et seq.; Pub. L. 105-277; Pub. L. 106-31; Pub.
L. 106-554; Pub. L. 108-199; Pub. L. 108-447; Pub. L. 109-241; Pub.
L 109-479.
Dated: February 28, 2024.
Samuel D. Rauch, III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-04516 Filed 3-1-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
