Commerce Department Final Rule

2016-28153: Fisheries Off West Coast States; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan; Commercial Sablefish Fishing Regulations and Electronic Fish Tickets

Get alerted when the next rule lands

New rules open for comment on their own schedule. Pick how you want to hear about them — we email you when one appears.

Alert me on new Commerce Department rules or alert me on a subject

Publishing to members? Embed a live rule tracker on your own site — the proposed rules in your area and the comment deadlines closing on them, updating themselves. Free, one line of HTML.

Create a free account & build one →

Summary

This final rule revises fishery monitoring and equipment requirements for all commercial groundfish fisheries. In particular, it establishes a requirement for submitting electronic fish tickets (EFT) in the limited entry fixed gear fisheries and open access fisheries. This final rule also: revises administrative procedures for limited entry permits, providing greater flexibility and efficiencies for limited entry groundfish fishery participants; requires vessels registered to Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) to make an initial declaration report; and makes administrative changes and clarifying edits to improve consistency of the regulations with past Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) actions and with the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP). This action improves monitoring and administration of the limited entry sablefish primary fishery, and addresses unforeseen issues arising out of the evolution of commercial sablefish fisheries and subsequent regulations.

The agency’s own summary, as published.

What this changes

Amends 2 parts of the Code of Federal Regulations — the standing rules this notice rewrites.

Don't miss the comment window

One Click Politics alerts you on every deadline, hearing, and rule change.

See all rules with comments due soon →