Control Date for Pacific Cod by Catcher Vessels Greater Than or Equal to 60 Feet Length Overall and Catcher/Processors Using Pot Gear in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area

Issuing agencies

Abstract

At the request of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council), this document announces a control date of August 1, 2023, that may be used to determine future participation in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) Pacific cod fishery by license limitation program (LLP) license holders, vessel owners and vessel operators of catcher/processors (C/Ps), and vessel owners and vessel operators of catcher vessels (C/Vs) greater than or equal to 60 ft (18.3 meters (m)) length overall (LOA), who participate in Federal groundfish fisheries with pot gear in the BSAI. This document is necessary to inform interested parties that the Council is considering a future action that may affect or limit the number of participants in this fishery and that participants should locate and preserve all fishing related documents. This control date corresponds to the date of publication of this advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR). This document provides notice to the public that any person participating in the applicable sector after the control date may not receive continued access to this fishery under a future management action. This document is intended to discourage speculative entry or fishing activity in this fishery while the Council considers whether and how access to the fishery may be further limited under a future management action.