Federal Register #2026-12108

Emergency Extension: Increased 2026 Harvest Limits for Pacific Coast Groundfish (Shortspine Thornyhead, Canary Rockfish, Petrale Sole)

This regulatory action by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), under the Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), extends emergency measures for the Pacific Coast groundfish fishery: - Increases 2026 harvest specifications and sector allocations for three key species: - Shortspine thornyhead - Canary rockfish - Petrale sole - Adjusts key management metrics for each species: - Overfishing limits (OFL) - Acceptable biological catch (ABC) - Annual catch limits (ACL) - Harvest guidelines (HG) - Tribal set-asides - Sector allocations (trawl, at-sea, shorebased, non-trawl) - Based on new catch-only projections showing higher biomass, allowing for increased harvests - Aims to alleviate economic losses for commercial and tribal fisheries in Washington, Oregon, and California - No OEMs, vendors, or procurement of products/services are involved, as this is a regulatory fisheries management action - Notable requirements include detailed allocation of catch limits by sector and species, with specific metric ton values for each category

Description

This temporary rule extends emergency measures that increase 2026 harvest specifications and sector allocations for shortspine thornyhead, canary rockfish, and petrale sole in the Pacific Coast groundfish fishery. The increase is based on new catch-only projections showing higher biomass available for harvest than previous stock assessments. The action aims to alleviate significant economic loss caused by restrictive annual catch limits. The emergency measures include increased overfishing limits, acceptable biological catch, annual catch limits, harvest guidelines, tribal set-asides, and sector allocations, effective through December 31, 2026.

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