The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announces the revision of a regulation that prohibits longline pot gear in the Bering Sea sablefish individual fishing quota (IFQ) and sablefish community development quota (CDQ) fisheries during the month of June. This revision removes the longline pot gear prohibition in the Bering Sea sablefish IFQ and sablefish CDQ fisheries during the month of June, effective 12 noon, Alaska local time, May 19, 2008, according to Robert D. Mecum, Acting Regional Administrator, Alaska Region, NMFS.
This action provides vessel operators using longline pot gear increased operational flexibility. It also may provide an opportunity to harvest additional amounts of the annual sablefish IFQ and sablefish CDQ allocations in the Bering Sea sablefish fishery.
This action is necessary to increase the efficiency of fishermen operating longline pot vessels in the BSAI and is issued pursuant to 50 CFR 679.24(c)(4).
This information bulletin only provides notice of a regulatory change. For the purposes of complying with the regulatory change, you are advised to see the actual text in the Code of Federal Regulations.
