Pacific Halibut Fisheries of the West Coast; Management Measures for the 2024 Area 2A Pacific Halibut Directed Commercial Fishery

摘要

NMFS proposes to implement fishing periods and fishing period limits for the 2024 non-tribal directed commercial Pacific halibut fishery that operates south of Point Chehalis, WA, (lat. 46[deg]53.30' N) in the International Pacific Halibut Commission's regulatory Area 2A off Washington, Oregon, and California. The proposed action includes two 58-hour fishing periods. The first fishing period would begin at 8 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) on June 25, 2024, and close at 6 p.m. PDT on June 27, 2024. The second fishing period would start at 8 a.m. PDT on July 9, 2024, and close at 6 p.m. PDT on July 11, 2024. NMFS is also proposing four fishing period limits (i.e., vessel catch limits) across eight vessel size classes for both fishing periods. These actions are intended to conserve Pacific halibut and provide fishing opportunity where available.