A new final rule sets the 2009-2010 harvest specifications and management measures for groundfish caught in the U.S. exclusive economic zone off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California. The rule also revises rebuilding plans for four of the seven overfished rockfish species, consistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan. Together, the revisions to rebuilding plans and the 2009-2010 harvest specifications and management measures are intended to rebuild overfished stocks as soon as possible, taking into account the status and biology of the stocks, the needs of fishing communities, and the interaction of the overfished stocks within the marine environment.
For more information, contact Gretchen.Arentzen@noaa.gov.