View Rule

With the rebuilt status of several groundfish stocks, the Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) has for several years been prioritizing increased access to the Non-Trawl Rockfish Conservation Area (RCA) and Cowcod Conservation Area (CCA), which are groundfish closed areas initially enacted to protect overfished rockfish species. This action was included on the Council’s list of priority actions under E.O. 13921. Currently, all but one species of rockfish has been declared rebuilt, and the remaining species (yelloweye rockfish) is projected to rebuild ahead of schedule. In accordance with a recommendation from the Council at their March 2023 meeting, and under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 1982, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) West Coast Region proposes to implement a suite of changes to non-trawl area management measures seaward of California and Oregon. Specifically, NMFS proposes to: 1) allow increased fishing access to the Non-Trawl RCA for the commercial groundfish limited entry fixed gear sector and vessels that gear switch under the Trawl Individual Fishing Quota program; 2) modify gear restrictions in the Non-Trawl RCA for all non-trawl commercial groundfish sectors; 3) open a portion of the Non-Trawl RCA for all non-trawl commercial groundfish sectors and the directed halibut fishery; 3) open the CCA seaward of California for all groundfish commercial and recreational non-trawl sectors, and 4) enable the use of Block Area Closures to mitigate groundfish catch for all non-trawl sectors. The purpose of this action to provide fishing access to healthy groundfish stocks for non-trawl groundfish fisheries and the directed halibut fishery while still meeting the conservation objectives of the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan.