Lite reading? Proposed 2004 Groundfish Rules

[Pete]

Pacific Coast ­ Proposed Management Measures for the 2004 Pacific Groundfish Fishery

NMFS has announced the Jan- Feb 2004 groundfish management measures for the U.S. EEZ off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California, as well as proposed measures for the remainder of 2004. The objectives are to prevent overfishing, rebuild overfished species, minimize incidental catch and discards of overfished and depleted stocks, and provide equitable harvest opportunity for recreational and commercial sectors. The proposed rule, which published in the Federal Register on January 8, 2004, describes the rationale for 2004 measures, including trip limits, bag limits, size limits, and time/area closures. These measures are intended to protect overfished groundfish species while allowing harvesters some access to healthy groundfish stocks.

The proposed regulations and background documents are available at the Northwest Region’s Web site at http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/1sustfsh/gdfsh01.htm and at the Council's Web site at http://www.pcouncil.org . Comments on measures that will be in effect for the remainder of 2004 must be received no later than 5 p.m, local time on February 9, 2004. Send comments to D. Robert Lohn, Administrator, Northwest Region (Regional Administrator), NMFS, 7600 Sand Point Way NE., Bldg. 1, Seattle, WA 98115-0070, or fax to 206-526-6736, care of Yvonne deReynier. Comments will not be accepted if submitted via e-mail or Internet. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Yvonne deReynier or Becky Renko (Northwest Region), phone: 206-526-6140 or email: yvonne.dereynier@noaa.gov, becky.renko@noaa.gov or Svein Fougner (Southwest Region) phone: 562-980-4000; e-mail: svein.fougner@noaa.gov.

[ 01-21-2004, 12:50 PM: Message edited by: Pete ]