Request for Comment on Amendment 30 for Pacific Coast Groundfish

NOAA Fisheries announces that the Pacific Fishery Management Council has submitted Amendment 30 to the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan to the Secretary of Commerce for review.

Today we published a notice of availability for Amendment 30 in the Federal Register. You may submit a formal comment on the proposed fishery management plan amendment through November 7, 2022.

If approved, Amendment 30 would:

1. Specify a shortbelly rockfish catch threshold to initiate Council review;
2. Extend the length of the limited entry fixed gear sablefish primary season;
3. Change the use of Rockfish Conservation Area boundaries;
4. Expand the use of Block Area Closures to control catch of groundfish; and
5. Correct the definition of Block Area Closures.

NOAA Fisheries also expects to request public comment on proposed regulations to implement Amendment 30 and the 2023-2024 harvest specifications in the near future.

Please visit our website for more information.