Fisheries in the Western Pacific; Western Pacific Bottomfish and Seamount Groundfish Fisheries; Guam Bottomfish Management Measures

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NMFS issues this final rule to implement Amendment 9 to the Fishery Management Plan for Bottomfish and Seamount Groundfish Fisheries of the Western Pacific Region (FMP) that prohibits large vessels, i.e., those 50 ft (15.2 m) or longer, from fishing for bottomfish in Federal waters within 50 nm (92.6 km) around Guam, and establishes Federal permitting and reporting requirements for these large bottomfish fishing vessels. This final rule is intended to maintain viable participation and bottomfish catch rates by small vessels in the fishery, to maintain traditional patterns of the bottomfish supply to local Guam markets, to provide for the collection of adequate fishery information for effective management, and to reduce the risk of local depletion of deepwater bottomfish stocks near Guam.