Proposed Acceptable Biological Catch and Optimum Yield Specifications and Management Measures for the 2007-2008 Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery and Amendment 16-4: Rebuilding Plans for Seven Depleted Pacific Coast Groundfish Species. Final Environmental

摘要

The Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan establishes a framework authorizing the range and type of measures that may be used to manage groundfish fisheries, enumerates 18 objectives that management measures must satisfy (organized under three broad goals), and describes more specific criteria for determining the level of harvest that will provide the greatest overall benefit to the nation, or optimum yield. Fisheries subject to management measures include limited entry trawl fisheries, limited entry fixed gear (pot and longline) fisheries, and a variety of other fisheries catching groundfish, either as target species or incidentally, but not license limited under the management framework established in the Groundfish Fishery Management Plan. Allocations to tribal fisheries off Washington State are also identified. Seven groundfish species are currently declared overfished and measures to prevent overfishing and rebuild these overfished stocks are a central element of this action. Rebuilding plans for these species, which establish targets for long-term recovery, are re-evaluated and revised as part of the action. The proposed action establishes harvest guidelines for groundfish species, species groups, and geographic subunits, which for overfished (depleted) species are based on targets identified in the revised rebuilding plans. In order to constrain fisheries to these harvest guidelines, management measures for commercial and recreational fisheries are identified. Management measures considered for commercial fisheries include two-month cumulative landing limits for species, species groups, and geographic subunits for limited entry trawl and fixed gear sectors, and fisheries not license limited under the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan, and gear restrictions to reduce bycatch of overfished species and reduce habitat impacts. Management measures considered for recreational fisheries include bag limits, size limits, and fishing seasons; which vary by state. In addition, area closures based on depth and intended to reduce bycatch of species apply to both commercial and recreational fisheries that are likely to catch these species. These closures vary by geographic area and time of year.