Rule2024-16866
Fisheries Off West Coast States; Modification of the West Coast Salmon Fisheries; Inseason Actions #1 Through #3
Primary source
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Published
July 31, 2024
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
NMFS announces three inseason actions for the 2024-2025 ocean salmon fishing season. These inseason actions modify the commercial salmon troll fisheries in the area from the U.S./Canada border to the Oregon/California border.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 147 (Wednesday, July 31, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 147 (Wednesday, July 31, 2024)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 61355-61356]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-16866]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 660
[Docket No. 240514-0137; RTID 0648-XE075]
Fisheries Off West Coast States; Modification of the West Coast
Salmon Fisheries; Inseason Actions #1 Through #3
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Inseason modification of 2024-2025 management measures.
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SUMMARY: NMFS announces three inseason actions for the 2024-2025 ocean
salmon fishing season. These inseason actions modify the commercial
salmon troll fisheries in the area from the U.S./Canada border to the
Oregon/California border.
DATES: The effective dates for these inseason actions are set out in
this document under the heading ``Inseason Actions'' and the actions
remain in effect until the dates identified or until superseded.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anna Heeter, 425-606-1814,
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#5d1c33333c7315383829382f1d33323c3c733a322b"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="54153a3a357a1c3131203126143a3b35357a333b22">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The annual management measures for the 2024 and early 2025 ocean
salmon fisheries (89 FR 44553, May 21, 2024) govern the commercial and
recreational fisheries in the area from the U.S./Canada border to the
U.S./Mexico border, effective from 0001 hours Pacific Daylight Time
(PDT), May 16, 2024, until the effective date of the 2025 management
measures, as published in the Federal Register. NMFS is authorized to
implement inseason management actions to modify fishing seasons and
quotas as necessary to provide fishing opportunity while meeting
management objectives for the affected species (50 CFR 660.409).
Inseason actions in the salmon fishery may be taken directly by NMFS
(50 CFR 660.409(a)--Fixed inseason management provisions) or upon
consultation with the Chairman of the Pacific Fishery Management
Council (Council), and the appropriate State Directors (50 CFR
660.409(b)--Flexible inseason management provisions).
Management of the salmon fisheries is divided into two geographic
areas: north of Cape Falcon (NOF) (U.S./Canada border to Cape Falcon,
OR), and south of Cape Falcon (SOF) (Cape Falcon, OR, to the U.S./
Mexico border). The action described in this document affects the NOF
commercial salmon troll fisheries and SOF recreational fisheries, as
set out under the heading ``Inseason Actions'' below.
Consultation with the Council Chairperson on these inseason actions
occurred on May 16, 2024, and on June 18, 2024. These consultations
included representatives from NMFS, Washington Department of Fish and
Wildlife, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and California
Department of Fish and Wildlife. Representatives from the Salmon
Advisory Subpanel and Salmon Technical Team were also present. A
Council representative was present on May 16, 2024, and June 18, 2024.
These inseason actions were announced on NMFS' telephone hotline
and U.S. Coast Guard radio broadcast on the date of the consultations
(50 CFR 660.411(a)(2)).
Inseason Actions
Inseason Action #1
Description of the action: Inseason action #1 modifies the NOF
ocean salmon troll commercial fishery from the U.S./Canada border to
Cape Falcon, OR.
Effective dates: Inseason action #1 takes effect for the following
areas and dates, and remains in effect until superseded.
<bullet> Effective 12:30 p.m. Thursday, May 16, 2024, for the ocean
salmon troll commercial fishery, the landing and possession limit for
the entire area between Cape Falcon and the U.S./Canada border is
increased from 150 Chinook salmon per vessel per landing week (Thursday
through Wednesday) to 225 Chinook salmon per vessel per landing week
(Thursday through Wednesday).
<bullet> Effective 12:30 p.m. Thursday, May 16, 2024, for the ocean
salmon troll commercial fishery, the landing and possession limit in
the area between the U.S./Canada border and the Queets River is
increased from 60 Chinook salmon per vessel per landing week (Thursday-
Wednesday) to 70 Chinook salmon per vessel per landing week (Thursday
through Wednesday).
<bullet> Effective 12:30 p.m. Thursday, May 16, 2024, for the ocean
salmon troll commercial fishery, the landing and possession limit in
the area between the Queets River and Leadbetter Point is increased
from 150 Chinook salmon per vessel per landing week (Thursday through
Wednesday) to 225 Chinook salmon per vessel per landing week (Thursday
through Wednesday).
<bullet> Effective 12:30 p.m. Thursday, May 16, 2024, for the ocean
salmon troll commercial fishery, the landing and possession limit in
the area between Leadbetter Point and Cape Falcon is increased from 60
Chinook salmon per vessel per landing week (Thursday through Wednesday)
to 80 Chinook salmon per vessel per landing week (Thursday through
Wednesday).
Reason and authorization for the action: Due to lower than
anticipated catch rates, this action will result in increased fishing
interest and allow greater access to the quota for the area without
exceeding it.
The NMFS West Coast Regional Administrator (RA) considered the 2024
[[Page 61356]]
abundance forecasts for Chinook salmon stocks, the timing of the
actions relative to the length of the season, and determined that this
inseason action is necessary to meet management and conservations goals
for the 2024-2025 management measures. This inseason action modified
quotas and/or fishing seasons under 50 CFR 660.409(b)(1)(i).
Inseason Action #2
Description of the action: Inseason action #2 modifies the SOF
recreational ocean salmon fishery in the Klamath Management Zone (KMZ)
between Humbug Mountain and the Oregon/California border. All salmon
harvested in the recreational ocean salmon fishery between Humbug
Mountain and the Oregon/California border through October 31, 2024,
must be landed north of the Oregon/California border.
Effective dates: Inseason action #2 takes effect at 12:30 p.m. on
Thursday, May 16, 2024, and remains in effect through October 31, 2024.
Reason and authorization for the action: The closure of commercial
and recreational ocean salmon fisheries in California in 2024 presented
a scenario in the KMZ between Humbug Mountain and Latitude 40[deg]10' N
(California KMZ) where recreational fishing opportunity is open on the
Oregon side of the KMZ but not on the California side of the KMZ, in
order to protect California Chinook salmon and coho salmon. An
enforcement concern was subsequently identified, in that the original
2024-2025 rules do not expressly prohibit landing salmon in the closed
area. Allowing California vessels to land salmon in California would
hinder enforcement efforts, as it might not be possible to determine
whether landed fish were caught legally in Oregon or caught unlawfully
within the closed area, thereby undermining the original intent of the
closure. This inseason action clarifies that salmon may not be caught
or landed within the closed area. With full closures in California
there are not sufficient monitoring programs in place to adequately
sample and estimate salmon landings brought into California from Oregon
which could compromise managers ability to assess fishing impacts
against conservation objectives. This inseason action would clarify
that landing of salmon in California is prohibited to address the
enforcement and monitoring concerns discussed above.
The RA considered port access issues and the need to monitor
landings to assess fishing impacts, and determined that this inseason
action was necessary to meet management and conservation objectives.
These inseason action clarifies landing boundaries under 50 CFR
660.409(b)(1)(v).
Inseason Action #3
Description of the action: Inseason action #3 modifies the NOF
commercial ocean salmon fishery. The area between the U.S./Canada
border and Cape Falcon is closed.
Effective dates: Inseason action #3 takes effect at 11:59 p.m. on
Wednesday, June 19, 2024, and remains in effect through June 30, 2024,
at 11:59 p.m.
Reason and authorization for the action: Inseason action #3 is
necessary to avoid exceeding the NOF quota for Chinook salmon. The RA
considered the 2024 abundance forecasts for Chinook salmon stocks, the
catch rates and anticipated effort relative to the remaining quota, and
determined that this inseason action is necessary to meet management
and conservations goals for the 2024-2025 management measures. This
inseason action modifies fishing seasons under 50 CFR 660.409(b)(1)(i).
All other restrictions and regulations remain in effect as
announced for the 2024 ocean salmon fisheries (89 FR 44553, May 21,
2024).
The states and tribes manage the fisheries in state waters adjacent
to the areas of the U.S. exclusive economic zone (3-200 nautical miles;
5.6-370.4 kilometers) off the coasts of the States of Washington,
Oregon, and California consistent with these Federal actions. As
provided by the inseason notice procedures at 50 CFR 660.411, actual
notice of the described regulatory actions was given, prior to the time
the actions became effective, by telephone hotline numbers 206-526-6667
and 800-662-9825, and by U.S. Coast Guard Notice to Mariners broadcasts
on Channel 16 VHF-FM and 2182 kHz.
Classification
NMFS issues these actions pursuant to section 305(d) of the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA). These
actions are authorized by 50 CFR 660.409, which was issued pursuant to
section 304(b) of the MSA, and is exempt from review under Executive
Order 12866.
Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(3)(B), there is good cause to waive
prior notice and an opportunity for public comment on this action, as
notice and comment would be impracticable and contrary to the public
interest. Prior notice and opportunity for public comment on this
action was impracticable because NMFS had insufficient time to provide
for prior notice and the opportunity for public comment between the
time Chinook and coho salmon abundance, catch, and effort information
were developed and fisheries impacts were calculated, and the time the
fishery modifications had to be implemented in order to ensure that
fisheries are managed based on the best scientific information
available and consistent with the conservation objectives. As
previously noted, actual notice of the regulatory action was provided
to fishers through telephone hotlines and radio notifications. These
actions comply with the requirements of the annual management measures
for ocean salmon fisheries (88 FR 30235, May 11, 2023), the Pacific
Salmon Fishery Management Plan (FMP), and regulations implementing the
FMP under 50 CFR 660.409 and 660.411.
There is good cause under 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3) to waive the 30-day
delay in effective date, as a delay in effectiveness of this action
would allow fishing at levels inconsistent with the goals of the FMP
and the current management measures.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: July 26, 2024.
Lindsay Fullenkamp,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-16866 Filed 7-30-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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