Fisheries Off West Coast States; Coastal Pelagic Species Fisheries; Annual Specifications

الملخص

NMFS proposes a regulation to implement the annual harvest guideline (HG) and seasonal allocations for Pacific sardine in the U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off the Pacific coast for the fishing season of January 1, 2011, through December 31, 2011. This rule is proposed according to the Coastal Pelagic Species (CPS) Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The proposed 2011 maximum HG for Pacific sardine is 50,526 metric tons (mt), of which 4,200 mt would initially be set aside for potential use under an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP). The remaining 46,326 mt, constituting the initial commercial fishing HG, would be divided across the seasonal allocation periods in the following way: January 1-June 30--16,214 mt would be allocated for directed harvest with an incidental set-aside of 1,000 mt; July 1- September 14--18,530 mt would be allocated for directed harvest with an incidental set-aside of 1,000 mt; September 15-December 31--11,582 mt would be allocated for directed harvest with an incidental set-aside of 1,000 mt, plus an additional 2,000 mt set aside to buffer against reaching the total HG. This rule is intended to conserve and manage Pacific sardine off the West Coast.