Fisheries off West Coast States and in the Western Pacific; Bottomfish and Seamount Groundfish Fisheries; Amendment 5

Résumé

NMFS announces that the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) has submitted Amendment 5 to the Fishery Management Plan for Bottomfish and Seamount Groundfish of the Western Pacific Region (FMP) for Secretarial review. Amendment 5 would establish a limited access program for the Mau Zone bottomfish fishery in the eastern portion of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI). The Mau Zone, which is one of two bottomfish management subareas in the NWHI, encompasses an area between 161 deg.20' and 165 deg. 00' W. longitude in the U.S. exclusive economic zone around the Hawaiian Islands. This action is intended to conserve and support the long-term productivity of the bottomfish stocks by preventing the potential for excessive harvest capacity and to improve the low economic returns in the fishery.