NOAA Fisheries News Releases
NEWS RELEASE
July 22, 2005
Sheela McLean
(907) 586-7032
Halibut Fishing Area Changes
Officials at the Alaska Region of NOAA Fisheries have changed the fishing territory available to some commercial fishermen in the Bering Sea.
Today officials filed a final rule to amend the Pacific halibut regulations for waters in and off Alaska with the Office of the Federal Register.
The new rule allows individual fishing quota (IFQ) and western Alaska community development quota (CDQ) fishermen in International Pacific Halibut Commission regulatory area 4C to harvest all or part of their area 4C halibut IFQ or CDQ allocation in area 4D---but not the reverse. The rule does not allow area 4D IFQ or CDQ holders to harvest all or part of their area 4D halibut IFQ or CDQ allocation in area 4C.
"We wanted to spread the fishing effort now concentrated in 4C into a larger area," said Ron Berg. "We pushed the rule through so that IFQ and CDQ fishermen would have a reasonable opportunity to take advantage of favorable weather conditions in a limited fishing season," Berg added.
The public is encouraged to review the complete final rule when it is published in the Federal Register under Docket Number 050421110-5192-02. It will also be posted on the Alaska Region website at www.fakr.noaa.gov.
The applicable changes to the existing IFQ and CDQ regulations follow. "* * * * *" or "* * *" indicate that existing regulatory text has not changed.
In §679.7, paragraph (f)(4) is revised to read as follows:
§ 679.7 Prohibitions.
* * * * *(f) * * *
(4) Except as provided in §679.40(d), retain IFQ or CDQ halibut or IFQ or CDQ sablefish on a vessel in excess of the total amount of unharvested IFQ or CDQ, applicable to the vessel category and IFQ or CDQ regulatory area(s) in which the vessel is deploying fixed gear, and that is currently held by all IFQ or CDQ card holders aboard the vessel, unless the vessel has an observer aboard under subpart E of this part and maintains the applicable daily fishing log prescribed in the annual management measures published in the Federal Register pursuant to § 300.62 of this title and §679.5.
* * * * *
In §679.42, paragraph (a)(1) is revised to read as follows:
§ 679.42 Limitations on use of QS and IFQ.(a) * * *
(1) The QS or IFQ specified for one IFQ regulatory area must not be used in a different IFQ regulatory area, except:
(i) Notwithstanding § 679.4(d)(1), § 679.7(f)(4) and (f)(11), § 679.40(b)(1), (c)(3), and (e), from July 22 to November 15, 2005, all or part of the QS and IFQ specified for regulatory area 4C may be harvested in either Area 4C or Area 4D.
(ii) For the year 2006 and subsequent annual IFQ fishing seasons, all or part of the QS and IFQ specified for regulatory area 4C may be harvested in either Area 4C or Area 4D.
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NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) is dedicated to protecting and preserving our nation's living marine resources through scientific research, management, enforcement, and the conservation of marine mammals and other protected marine species and their habitat. To learn more about NOAA Fisheries in Alaska, please visit our website at www.fakr.noaa.gov