IPHC Annual Management Measures (50 CFR Part 300)

Pacific Halibut fisheries; Catch Sharing Plan; 2024 Annual Mgmt Measures.pdf

Alaska Pacific Halibut Fisheries: Charter

IPHC Annual Management Measures (50 CFR Part 300)

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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 53 / Monday, March 18, 2024 / Rules and Regulations
Dated: February 6, 2024.
David P. Shaw,
Chief Copyright Royalty Judge.
David R. Strickler,
Copyright Royalty Judge.
Steve Ruwe,
Copyright Royalty Judge.

is accessible via the internet at the
Federal eRulemaking Portal at https://
www.regulations.gov, identified by
docket number NOAA–NMFS–2024–
0038.

[FR Doc. 2024–05704 Filed 3–15–24; 8:45 am]

For
Convention waters off Alaska, Kurt
Iverson, 907–586–7210; or, for
Convention waters off the U.S. West
Coast, Heather Fitch, 360–320–6549.
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Background

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 300
[Docket No. 240229–0065; RTID 0648–
XD690]

Pacific Halibut Fisheries; Catch
Sharing Plan; 2024 Annual
Management Measures
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Final rule.
AGENCY:

The Assistant Administrator
for Fisheries, National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, on behalf
of the International Pacific Halibut
Commission (IPHC), publishes as
regulations the 2024 annual
management measures governing the
Pacific halibut fishery that have been
recommended by the IPHC and accepted
by the Secretary of State, with the
concurrence of the Secretary of
Commerce. These measures are
intended to enhance the conservation of
Pacific halibut and further the goals and
objectives of the Pacific Fishery
Management Council (PFMC) and the
North Pacific Fishery Management
Council (NPFMC).
DATES: The IPHC’s 2024 annual
management measures became effective
March 9, 2024. The 2024 management
measures are effective until superseded.
ADDRESSES: Additional requests for
information regarding this action may
be obtained by contacting the
International Pacific Halibut
Commission, 2320 W Commodore Way,
Suite 300, Seattle, WA 98199–1287; or
Sustainable Fisheries Division, NMFS
Alaska Region, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau,
AK 99802; or Sustainable Fisheries
Division, NMFS West Coast Region,
1201 NE Lloyd Blvd., Suite 1100,
Portland, OR 97232. This final rule also

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SUMMARY:

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The IPHC has recommended
regulations that would govern the
Pacific halibut fishery in 2024, pursuant
to the Convention between Canada and
the United States for the Preservation of
the Halibut Fishery of the North Pacific
Ocean and Bering Sea (Convention),
signed at Ottawa, Ontario, on March 2,
1953, as amended by a Protocol
Amending the Convention (signed at
Washington, DC, on March 29, 1979).
As provided by the Northern Pacific
Halibut Act of 1982 (Halibut Act), the
Secretary of State, with the concurrence
of the Secretary of Commerce, may
accept or reject, on behalf of the United
States, regulations recommended by the
IPHC in accordance with the
Convention. 16 U.S.C. 773b. The
Secretary of State, with the concurrence
of the Secretary of Commerce, accepted
the 2024 IPHC regulations on March 9,
2024 thereby making them effective.
The Halibut Act provides the
Secretary of Commerce with the
authority and general responsibility to
carry out the requirements of the
Convention and the Halibut Act. The
PFMC and NPFMC may develop, and
the Secretary of Commerce may
implement, regulations governing
harvesting privileges among U.S.
fishermen in U.S. waters that are in
addition to, and not in conflict with,
approved IPHC regulations. The NPFMC
has exercised this authority in
developing halibut management
programs for three fisheries that harvest
halibut off Alaska: the subsistence,
sport, and commercial fisheries. The
PFMC has exercised this authority by
developing a catch sharing plan
governing the allocation of halibut and
management of sport and commercial
halibut fisheries on the U.S. West Coast.
The IPHC apportions catch limits for
the Pacific halibut fishery among
regulatory areas (Figure 1): Area 2A
(Oregon, Washington, and California),
Area 2B (British Columbia), Area 2C
(Southeast Alaska), Area 3A (Central
Gulf of Alaska), Area 3B (Western Gulf
of Alaska), and Area 4 (which is further
divided into 5 areas, 4A through 4E, in

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the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands of
Western Alaska).
Subsistence and sport halibut fishery
regulations for Alaska, and tribal, sport,
and directed commercial halibut fishery
regulations for Area 2A, are codified at
50 CFR part 300. Commercial halibut
fisheries off Alaska are subject to
regulations resulting from the
Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Program,
the Community Development Quota
(CDQ) Program (50 CFR part 679), and
the area-specific catch sharing plans for
Areas 2C, 3A, and Areas 4C, 4D, and 4E,
respectively.
The NPFMC implemented a catch
sharing plan among commercial IFQ
and CDQ halibut fisheries in IPHC
Regulatory Areas 4C, 4D, and 4E (Area
4, Western Alaska) through rulemaking,
and the Secretary of Commerce
approved the plan on March 20, 1996
(61 FR 11337). The Area 4 catch sharing
plan regulations are codified at 50 CFR
300.65. New annual regulations
pertaining to the Area 4 catch sharing
plan also may be implemented through
IPHC action, subject to acceptance by
the Secretary of State, with the
concurrence of the Secretary of
Commerce.
The NPFMC recommended and
NMFS implemented through
rulemaking a catch sharing plan for
commercial IFQ and guided sport
(charter) halibut fisheries in IPHC
Regulatory Areas 2C and 3A on January
13, 2014 (78 FR 75844, December 12,
2013). The Area 2C and 3A catch
sharing plan regulations are codified at
50 CFR 300.65. The catch sharing plan
defines an annual process for allocating
halibut between the commercial and
charter fisheries so that each sector’s
allocation varies in proportion to
halibut abundance, specifies a public
process for setting annual management
measures, and authorizes limited annual
leases of commercial IFQ for use in the
charter fishery as guided angler fish
(GAF).
The IPHC held its annual meeting in
Anchorage, Alaska, from January 22
through 26, 2024, and recommended a
number of changes to the previous IPHC
regulations (88 FR 14066, March 7,
2023). On March 9, 2024, the Secretary
of State, with the concurrence of the
Secretary of Commerce, accepted the
annual management measures,
including the following changes to
Section 5, Section 6, Section 9, Section
27, Section 28, and other Sections of the
2024 IPHC regulations:
1. New halibut catch limits in all
regulatory areas. The catch limits are
presented in two tables in Section 5.
They distinguish between limits
resulting from Commission decisions

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and limits that result from domestic
catch sharing plans that have been
developed by the respective United
States and Canada Governments;
2. The addition of a footnote to the
fishery limit table in Section 5, and a
new paragraph in Section 6. The
footnote and the new paragraph each
reference the Area 2A Pacific halibut
catch sharing plan, to clarify that the
plan includes provisions for in-season
reallocations of Pacific halibut
recreational fishery catch limits;
3. New commercial fishery season
dates and start time in Section 9;
4. New management measures in
Section 28 for Area 2C and Area 3A
guided sport fisheries;
5. Updates to fishery log requirements
for commercial fisheries in Section 19;
and
6. Minor technical corrections to
improve consistency and clarity
throughout the IPHC regulations.
Pursuant to regulations at 50 CFR
300.62, the 2024 IPHC annual
management measures are published in
the Federal Register in this action to
provide notice of their regulatory
effectiveness and to inform persons
subject to the regulations of their
restrictions and requirements. Because
the regulations published in this action
are applicable to the entire Convention
area, these regulations include some
provisions relating to and affecting
Canadian fishing and fisheries. In
separate actions, NMFS may implement
more restrictive regulations for the U.S.
halibut fishery or components of it;
therefore, anglers are advised to check
the current Federal and IPHC
regulations prior to fishing.
Catch Limits
The IPHC recommended to the
governments of Canada and the United
States fishery catch limits for 2024
totaling 28,860,000 pounds (lb) (13,091
metric tons (mt)). The IPHC refers to
catch limits as Fishery Constant
Exploitation Yield (FCEY), which are
derived from Total Constant
Exploitation Yield (TCEY) by directed
fisheries that are specified in the IPHC
regulations and are subject to areaspecific catch agreements among the
domestic parties. Coastwide, the 2024
FCEY decreased 3.3 percent from the
FCEY implemented in 2023. Except for
Area 2C, which increased by 1.4
percent, the FCEY in each regulatory
area decreased relative to the 2023 catch
limit. A description of the process the
IPHC used to set these catch limits
follows.
For the upcoming 2024 halibut fishing
year, the IPHC conducted its annual
stock assessment using a range of

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updated data sources as described in
detail in the IPHC overview of data
sources for the Pacific halibut stock
assessment, harvest policy, and related
analyses (IPHC–2024–AM100–10;
available at https://www.iphc.int). To
evaluate the Pacific halibut stock, the
IPHC uses an ‘‘ensemble’’ of 4 equally
weighted models: 2 long time-series
models incorporating data from 1888 to
the present and 2 short time-series
models incorporating data from 1992 to
the present. For each time-series, the
two models include data that are either
divided by four geographical regions or
aggregated into coastwide summaries.
These models incorporate data through
2023 from the IPHC Fishery
Independent Setline Survey (FISS); the
commercial halibut fishery; the NMFS
Eastern Bering Sea trawl survey; length
and weight-at-age and male/female sex
ratio estimates by region in the directed
commercial fisheries and in the FISS;
and age distribution information for
bycatch, sport, and sublegal discard
removals.
The results of the ensemble models
are integrated and incorporate
uncertainty in natural mortality rates,
environmental effects on recruitment,
and other structural and parameter
categories, consistent with practices in
place since 2012. The data and
assessment models used by the IPHC are
reviewed by the IPHC’s Scientific
Review Board, comprised of non-IPHC
scientists who provide an independent
scientific review of the data and stock
assessment to provide recommendations
to IPHC staff and the Commissioners.
The Scientific Review Board did not
identify any substantive errors in the
data or methods used in the 2023 stock
assessment. NMFS believes the IPHC’s
data and assessments models constitute
the best available science on the status
of the Pacific halibut resource.
The IPHC’s data, including the FISS,
indicate that the Pacific halibut stock
declined continuously from the late
1990s to around 2012, largely as a result
of decreasing size at a given age (sizeat-age), higher harvest rates in the early
2000s, and weaker recruitment than
observed during the 1980s. From about
2013 to 2016, there was a slight
increasing trend in the spawning
biomass, followed by a slight decline
continuing into the current assessment,
where the spawning biomass appears to
have stabilized. Overall, the spawning
biomass is estimated to be
approximately 174,000,000 lb (78,925
mt) at the beginning of 2024. The
spawning biomass is currently
estimated to be at 42 percent of its
unfished state, near the lowest level
observed since the 1970s. This estimate

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reflects updated calculations
recommended during stock assessment
external review and review by the
Scientific Review Board, as well as
developments in the IPHC Management
Strategy Evaluation.
The IPHC accounts for the total
mortality of halibut from all sources,
and employs a management procedure
that establishes a coastwide reference
level of fishing intensity so that the
Spawning Potential Ratio (SPR) is equal
to 43 percent. The reference fishing
intensity of F43 percent SPR (i.e., F
value) would allow a level of fishing
intensity that is expected to result in
approximately 43 percent of the
spawning biomass per recruit compared
to an unfished stock (i.e., no fishing
mortality). Lower F percentages would
be expected to result in higher fishing
intensity.
The IPHC harvest decision table
(Table 3 in IPHC–2024–AM100–12;
available at https://www.iphc.int)
provides a comparison of the relative
risk of a decrease in stock biomass,
stock status, or fishery metrics for a
range of fishing intensities for 2024. The
harvest decision table employs two
metrics of fishing mortality: (1) the
TCEY, which includes harvests and
incidental discard mortality from
directed commercial fisheries; mortality
estimates from sport, subsistence, and
personal use; and estimates of nondirected discard mortality of halibut
over 26 inches (66.0 centimeters (cm))
(O26); and (2) Total Mortality, which
includes all the above sources of
mortality, plus estimates of non-directed
discard mortality of halibut less than 26
inches (66.0 cm) (U26). Although U26
halibut mortality is factored into the
stock assessment and harvest strategy
calculations, there is currently no
reliable tool for describing the annual
coastwide distribution of U26 halibut.
For 2024, the IPHC adopted a TCEY
totaling 35,280,000 lb (16,003 mt)
coastwide. This corresponds to a fishing
intensity of approximately F52 percent,
which is more conservative than the F43
percent reference level of fishing
intensity used to establish TCEYs in
years prior to 2023. The 2024 TCEY is
1,690,000 lb (767 mt), or 4.6 percent,
less than the TCEY adopted in 2023.
In making its recommendation, the
IPHC considered likely stock status and
uncertainties, as well as the significant
social and economic impacts of catch
limits among areas. The IPHC noted in
2023 that a recent change in the
treatment of the natural mortality rate,
from the previously assumed value of
0.15 to an estimated value of to 0.21 in
the short regional model, and its effect
on the full ensemble, resulted in more

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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 53 / Monday, March 18, 2024 / Rules and Regulations
optimistic projections due to the
increase in the estimated productivity of
the stock. The IPHC noted that despite
the positive outlook for the long-term
status of the stock, the near term fishery
will rely heavily on a single year class
(2012), and also noted that the FISS and
commercial fishery catch rates have
been very low for two consecutive years
and are currently at the lowest rates
observed in 30 years.
At a coastwide TCEY of 35,280,000 lb
(16,003 mt), the IPHC considered the
probability that the spawning biomass
will decrease from 2025 to 2027 relative
to 2024. Specifically, the IPHC
estimated a 40 percent probability of
stock decline through 2024, and the
same 40 percent probability of stock
decline through 2026. The IPHC noted
that if the recent reference level of
fishing intensity were adopted, the
probability of a spawning biomass
decline was 74 percent by 2024 and 72
percent by 2026. The factors that the
IPHC considered in making their TCEY
recommendations are described in the
2024 Annual Meeting Report (IPHC–
2024–AM100–R; available at https://
www.iphc.int), and the key
recommendations are briefly
summarized here.
This final rule does not establish the
combined commercial and recreational
catch limit for Area 2B (British
Columbia), which is subject to
rulemaking by the Canada and British
Columbia Governments. However, the
IPHC’s recommendation for the Area 2B
catch limit is directly related to the
current and future U.S. catch limits
established by this final rule and is
therefore discussed herein. The IPHC
recommended a 2024 TCEY of 6,470,000
(2,935 mt) for Area 2B, which equates to

18.3 percent of the total coastwide
TCEY and is a 4.6 percent reduction
from 2023. The IPHC made this
recommendation after considering
recent harvests in Area 2B, the equal 4.6
percent reduction recommended for the
total U.S. areas, and similar factors
associated with the stock conditions,
commercial fishery and FISS
performance, and stock assessment
results described above in the 2024
Annual Meeting Report (IPHC–2024–
AM100–R; available at https://
www.iphc.int).
The IPHC adopted an allocation to
Area 2A that would provide a TCEY of
1,650,000 lb (748 mt) with a combined
commercial, tribal, and recreational
FCEY catch limit of 1,470,000 (667 mt).
The IPHC noted that the United States
Government recognizes its trust
responsibility to the 13 treaty tribes in
IPHC Regulatory Area 2A that depend
upon Pacific halibut. As such, the U.S.
Commissioners have consistently
supported a TCEY of 1,650,000 lb for
Regulatory Area 2A since 2019. This
allocation reflects the needs of West
Coast Pacific halibut users, with
minimal impact on the larger Pacific
halibut biomass that is distributed to the
north, and it remains a small fraction of
the IPHC Region 2 allocation. Stock
assessment scientists at the IPHC have
affirmed that under the current status of
the Pacific halibut stock, a higher TCEY
for Regulatory Area 2A than what may
be indicated by the modeled stock
distribution will not create a
conservation concern.
After the allocations for Areas 2A and
2B are accounted for, the IPHC
apportioned the remaining TCEY to the
Alaska regulatory areas (Areas 2C
through Area 4) after considering the

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distribution of harvestable biomass of
halibut based on the FISS, as well as
2023 harvest rates, the
recommendations from the IPHC’s
advisory bodies, public input, and
social and economic factors. All Alaska
areas decreased in TCEY relative to
2023 (see table 1). The largest decreases
were in Areas 4B (¥8.1 percent) and 4A
(¥6.9 percent), while Areas 2C, 3A, 3B,
and 4CDE received decreases ranging
from ¥1 to ¥6.0 percent, relative to
2023. The IPHC determined that the
2024 catch limit recommendations are
consistent with its conservation
objectives for the halibut stock and its
management objectives for the halibut
fisheries.
The IPHC also considered the catch
sharing plan for Area 4CDE developed
by the NPFMC in its TCEY
recommendation. The Area 4CDE catch
limit is determined by subtracting
estimates of the Area 4CDE subsistence
harvests, commercial discard mortality,
and non-directed discard mortality of
halibut over 26 inches (66.0 cm) from
the area TCEY. When the resulting Area
4CDE catch limit is greater than
1,657,600 lb (752.87 mt), a direct
allocation of 80,000 lb (36.29 mt) is
made to Area 4E to provide CDQ
fishermen in that area with additional
harvesting opportunity. After this
80,000 lb (36.29 mt) allocation is
deducted from the catch limit, the
remainder is divided among Areas 4C,
4D, and 4E according to the percentages
specified in the catch sharing plan.
Those percentages are 46.43 percent
each to 4C and 4D and 7.14 percent to
4E. For 2024, the IPHC recommended a
catch limit for Area 4CDE of 2,060,000
(934 mt).

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TABLE 1—PERCENT CHANGE IN TCEY MORTALITY LIMITS FROM 2023 TO 2024 BY IPHC REGULATORY AREA
Regulatory area

2023 Total
mortality limit
(lb)

2A .........................................................................................................
2B .........................................................................................................
2C ........................................................................................................
3A .........................................................................................................
3B .........................................................................................................
4A .........................................................................................................
4B .........................................................................................................
4CDE ...................................................................................................
Coastwide ............................................................................................

1,650,000 (748
6,780,000 (3,075
5,850,000 (2,654
12,080,000 (5,479
3,670,000 (1,665
1,730,000 (785
1,360,000 (617
3,850,000 (1,746
36,970,000 (16,769

Commercial Halibut Fishery Opening
and Closing Dates and Opening Time
The IPHC considers advice from the
IPHC’s two advisory bodies, as well as
direct testimony from the public, when
selecting opening and closing dates and

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times for the commercial halibut
fishery. The 2024 commercial halibut
fishery opening date for all IPHC
regulatory areas is March 15, 2024. The
closing date for the commercial halibut
fisheries in all IPHC regulatory areas is
December 7, 2024. These commercial

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2024 Total
mortality limit
(lb)
mt)
mt)
mt)
mt)
mt)
mt)
mt)
mt)
mt)

1,650,000 (748
6,470,000 (2,935
5,790,000 (2,626
11,360,000 (5,153
3,450,000 (1,565
1,610,000 (730
1,250,000 (567
3,700,000 (1,678
35,280,000 (16,003

Change from
2023
(percent)
mt)
mt)
mt)
mt)
mt)
mt)
mt)
mt)
mt)

0.0
¥4.6
¥1.0
¥6.0
¥6.0
¥6.9
¥8.1
¥3.9
¥4.6

season dates are a slight change from the
season dates adopted by the IPHC in
2023. The season opening of March 15
is similar to the mid-March opening
common in the years prior to 2021,
while the closing date of December 7 is
consistent with the closing dates from

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2021 through 2023, representing an
extension of time beyond the midNovember closing common in the years
prior to 2021. The extended season
maintains harvesting and market
flexibility that stakeholders have
identified as important during the
current period of uncertainty. The
season dates allow for the anticipated
time required to fully harvest the
commercial halibut catch limits,
seasonal holidays, and adequate time for
IPHC staff to review the complete record
of 2024 commercial catch data for use
in the stock assessment process. The
IPHC also considered the time required
for the administrative tasks that are
linked to halibut regulations developed
independently by the domestic partners
when establishing these season dates.
The IPHC also changed the time of
day for opening the 2024 fishery from
12:00, which was in place in previous
years, to 06:00 for 2024. This change
was in response to recommendations
from the IPHC advisory bodies, which
noted that allowing a full day of fishing
on March 15 facilitates access to
markets and improves fishing efficiency
and opportunity.

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Area 2A Catch Sharing Plan
The NMFS West Coast Region
published a proposed rule, with public
comments accepted for 30 days, to
approve the Pacific halibut catch
sharing plan for Area 2A off
Washington, Oregon, and California and
implement annual management
measures for the Area 2A sport fishery,
as recommended by the PFMC in the
catch sharing plan. These annual
management measures include sport
fishery subarea allocations and
management measures that are not
implemented through the IPHC. NMFS
will address any comments received in
a final rule.
NMFS West Coast Region will
separately publish a proposed rule for
annual management measures for the
Area 2A non-tribal directed commercial
fishery. Management measures will
included vessel catch limits, as well as
fishing periods that fall within the
coastwide commercial season dates set
forth in Section 9 of the IPHC
regulations. Public comments will be
accepted and NMFS will address any
comments received in a final rule.
Once published, the proposed and
final rules for Area 2A will be available
on the NMFS West Coast Region’s
website at https://www.fisheries.
noaa.gov/west-coast/commercialfishing/pacific-halibut-fishing-westcoast and also at https://
www.regulations.gov.

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The IPHC added a footnote to Section
5 and a new paragraph to Section 6 of
the 2024 IPHC regulations that allow for
in-season transfer of sport fishery
allocations. These clarifying
modifications mirror changes to the
Area 2A catch sharing plan adopted by
the PFMC at their November 2023
meeting.
Catch Sharing Plan for Area 2C and
Area 3A
In 2014, NMFS implemented a catch
sharing plan for Area 2C and Area 3A.
The catch sharing plan defines an
annual process for allocating halibut
between the charter and commercial
fisheries in Area 2C and Area 3A and
establishes allocations for each fishery.
Under the catch sharing plan, the IPHC
adopted combined catch limits (CCL) for
the commercial and charter halibut
fisheries in Area 2C and Area 3A. Each
CCL includes estimates of discard
mortality for each fishery. The catch
sharing plan was implemented to
achieve the halibut fishery management
goals of the NPFMC. More information
is provided in the final rule
implementing the catch sharing plan (78
FR 75844, December 12, 2013).
Implementing regulations for the catch
sharing plan are at 50 CFR 300.65. The
Area 2C and Area 3A catch sharing plan
allocations are located in tables 1
through 4 of subpart E of 50 CFR part
300. To allow additional flexibility for
individual commercial and charter
fishery participants, the catch sharing
plan also authorizes annual transfers of
commercial halibut IFQ as GAF to
charter halibut permit holders for
harvest in the charter fishery. Pacific
halibut that are retained by charter
vessel anglers as GAF are not subject to
the annual charter halibut management
measures specified in the 2024 IPHC
regulations. Under the catch sharing
plan regulations, charter vessel anglers
may use GAF to harvest up to two
halibut of any size per day. Complete
GAF regulations for the catch sharing
plan are at 50 CFR 300.65.
At its January 2024 meeting, the IPHC
adopted a CCL of 4,420,000 (2,005 mt)
for Area 2C. Following the catch sharing
plan allocations in tables 1 and 3 of
subpart E of 50 CFR part 300, the charter
fishery is allocated 810,000 (367 mt) of
the CCL, and the remainder of the CCL,
3,610,000 lb (1,637 mt), is allocated to
the commercial fishery. Discard
mortality in the amount of 110,000 lb
(50 mt) was deducted from the
commercial allocation to obtain the
commercial catch limit of 3,500,000 lb
(1,587 mt). The commercial allocation
(including discard mortality) increased
by 50,000 lb (23.7 mt), or 1.4 percent,

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from the 2023 allocation of 3,560,000 lb
(1,615 mt). The 2023 Area 2C charter
allocation of 810,000 lb (367 mt) is
10,000 lb (4.5 mt), or 1.2 percent more
than the 2023 charter allocation of
800,000 lb (363 mt).
The IPHC adopted a CCL of
10,000,000 lb (4,536 mt) for Area 3A.
Following the catch sharing plan
allocations in tables 2 and 4 of subpart
E of 50 CFR part 300, the charter fishery
is allocated 1,890,000 lb (857 mt) of the
CCL and the remainder of the CCL,
8,100,000 lb (3,674 mt), is allocated to
the commercial fishery. Discard
mortality in the amount of 540,000 lb
(245 mt) was deducted from the
commercial allocation to obtain the
commercial catch limit of 7,560,000 lb
(3,429 mt). The commercial allocation
(including discard mortality) decreased
by 320,000 lb (145 mt), or 3.5 percent,
from the 2023 allocation of 8,420,000 lb
(3,819 mt). The charter allocation
remained equal to the 2023 allocation.
Charter Halibut Management Measures
for Area 2C and Area 3A
Guided sport (charter) halibut anglers
are managed under different regulations
than unguided recreational halibut
anglers in Areas 2C and 3A in Alaska.
According to Federal regulations at 50
CFR 300.61, a charter vessel angler
means a person, paying or non-paying,
receiving sport fishing guide services for
halibut. Sport fishing guide services
means assistance, for compensation or
with the intent to receive compensation,
to a person who is sport fishing, to take
or attempt to take halibut by
accompanying or physically directing
the sport fisherman in sport fishing
activities during any part of a charter
vessel fishing trip. A charter vessel
fishing trip is the time period between
the first deployment of fishing gear into
the water from a charter vessel by a
charter vessel angler and the offloading
of one or more charter vessel anglers or
any halibut from that vessel. The
regulations described below apply only
to charter vessel anglers receiving sport
fishing guide services during a charter
vessel fishing trip for halibut in Area 2C
or Area 3A. These regulations do not
apply to unguided recreational anglers
in any regulatory area in Alaska, nor to
charter vessel anglers in areas other than
Areas 2C and 3A.
To provide recommendations for
annual management measures intended
to limit charter harvest to the charter
catch allocation, the NPFMC formed the
Charter Halibut Management Committee
(Committee) as a stakeholder advisory
body. The Committee is composed of
representatives from the charter fishing
industry in Areas 2C and 3A who

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provide input on the preferred range of
charter management measures each
year. In October 2023, the Committee
began their annual process by
requesting analysis of management
measures that would result in charter
halibut removals within the range of
expected allocations for each area. In
addition, this annual analysis, which is
prepared by the Alaska Department of
Fish Game (ADFG), includes
information about charter harvests in
the prior year. The Analysis of
Management Options for the Area 2C
and 3A Charter Halibut Fisheries for
2024 (charter halibut analysis) is
available at https://www.npfmc.org/.
After reviewing the charter halibut
analysis, the Committee made
conservative recommendations for
preferred management measures to the
NPFMC for 2024. These
recommendations were intended to
provide equitable harvest opportunity
across charter business arrangements
and maintain total charter harvests
within the 2024 allocations for both
Areas 2C and 3A. The NPFMC
considered the charter halibut analysis,
the recommendations of the Committee,
and public testimony to develop its
recommendation to the IPHC. The
NPFMC has used this process to select
and recommend annual management
measures to the IPHC since 2012.
The IPHC recognizes the role of the
NPFMC to develop policy and
regulations that allocate the Pacific
halibut resource among fishermen in
and off Alaska and that NMFS has
developed numerous regulations to
support the NPFMC’s goals of limiting
the charter halibut harvest to the charter
catch allocation. The IPHC’s adopted
recommendations are consistent with
the recommendations of the NPFMC
and the Committee. The IPHC
determined that limiting charter
harvests by implementing the
management measures discussed below
would meet conservation and allocation
objectives.
Management Measures for Charter
Vessel Fishing in Area 2C
For 2024 in Area 2C, the IPHC
adopted the continuation of a one-fish
daily bag limit that has been in effect
each year for charter vessel anglers since
the catch sharing plan was implemented
in 2014. This bag limit is combined with
day of the week closures that prohibit
the retention of Pacific halibut by
charter vessel anglers on all Fridays
from July 19 to September 13, 2024, and
size limits on all retained halibut. Size
limits have proven effective in limiting
the number and pounds of retained
halibut.

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For 2024, the size limits employ
different reverse slot limits for two
specific periods. From February 1
through July 14, a person on board a
charter vessel (as referred to in 50 CFR
300.65) and fishing in Area 2C is
prohibited from taking or possessing
any halibut, with head on, that is greater
than 40 inches (101.6 cm) and less than
80 inches (203.2 cm). From July 15
through December 31, the lower range of
the slot limit is reduced from 40 inches
(101.6 cm) to 36 inches (91.4 cm); the
upper range of 80 inches (203.2 cm)
remains the same. All charter halibut
size limits referenced in this document
are measured in a straight line from the
tip of the lower jaw with mouth closed,
passing over the pectoral fin, to the
extreme end of the middle of the tail.
Although the 2024 Area 2C charter
halibut allocation is 10,000 lb greater
than the 2023 allocation, the above
management measures are more
restrictive than the measures
implemented in 2023. To develop these
measures, the Committee, the NPFMC,
and IPHC considered the ADFG analysis
that evaluated the performance of prior
years’ measures, as well as projections
of halibut fishing effort for 2024. With
the above management measures in
place, the projected charter harvest is
expected to meet the 810,000 lb. charter
halibut allocation for Area 2C.
Management Measures for Charter
Vessel Fishing in Area 3A
For 2024, the IPHC adopted the
following management measures for
Area 3A: 1) a two-fish daily bag limit
that allows one fish of any size and a 28inch (71.1 cm) maximum size limit for
the other halibut; 2) a one-trip per day
limit for charter halibut permits and
charter vessels for the entire season; and
3) a prohibition on halibut retention by
charter vessel anglers on all
Wednesdays.
The Area 3A management measures
for 2024 are less conservative than those
imposed in 2023. The NPFMC and IPHC
considered information on charter
removals in 2023 and for previous years,
the projections of charter harvest in
2024, and the 2024 charter allocation.
With this information, the NPFMC and
IPHC determined that less restrictive
management measures in Area 3A,
relative to the 2023 measures, were
appropriate to limit charter removals to
the 2024 charter allocation. The
projected charter harvest for 2024 under
the combination of recommended
measures is 1,880,000 lb (852.8 mt),
which is 10,000 lb (4.5 mt) and 0.5
percent below the charter allocation.
In addition to the daily bag and size
limits noted above, the NPFMC

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19279

recommended and the IPHC adopted a
closure on charter vessel anglers
retaining halibut on all Wednesdays.
Retention of GAF halibut is allowed on
charter vessels on Wednesdays, but all
other halibut that are caught while
fishing on a charter vessel on
Wednesdays must be released. The day
of week closures in Area 3A effectively
decrease the charter halibut harvest to
help stay within the allocation.
In Area 3A, charter halibut permits
and charter vessels in 2024 are
authorized for use to catch and retain
halibut on one charter halibut fishing
trip per day. If no halibut are retained
during a charter vessel fishing trip, the
charter halibut permit and charter vessel
may be used to take an additional trip
to catch and retain halibut that day.
These regulations have been in place
each year since 2016 and have proven
effective in controlling halibut harvests.
For purposes of the trip limit in Area
3A in 2024, a charter vessel fishing trip
will end when any angler or halibut is
offloaded, or at the end of the calendar
day, whichever comes first. A charter
halibut permit or charter vessel may
conduct overnight trips since charter
vessel anglers may retain a bag limit of
halibut on two calendar days. But a
charter halibut permit or charter vessel
cannot be used to begin another
overnight trip until the day after the
previous charter vessel fishing trip ends.
As noted above, GAF are exempt from
charter halibut management measures,
including trip limits. Therefore, a
charter halibut permit and a charter
vessel may be used to harvest GAF on
a second charter vessel fishing trip in a
day, but only if exclusively GAF are
harvested on that trip.
Other Regulatory Amendments
Logbook Requirements
To reflect current and future
conditions in the commercial halibut
fisheries and to add clarity to the
regulations that require the logging of
these fishing activities, the IPHC
adopted several changes to Section 19 of
the IPHC regulations to:
(1) Align regulations between United
States and Canada fisheries to clarify
that logs not collected by the IPHC
during the fishing season, or otherwise
not made available to the IPHC, must be
submitted to the agency within 30 days
following the end of the season;
(2) Require that fishing locations and
fishing activity be recorded using
latitude and longitude for each day and
set of gear. Formerly, the regulations
allowed Pacific halibut operators to note
their fishing location by naming a

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direction and distance from a point of
land;
(3) Update the names and types of
logbooks that are eligible for use to
record fishing activity;
(4) Require that writing in the logs be
clear and legible;
(5) Clarify that in Alaska, NMFS
electronic groundfish logbooks may be
used to record halibut harvests,
provided the logbooks have been
approved by NMFS; and
(6) Clarify that electronic IPHC
logbooks may be used to record halibut
harvests, provided the logbooks have
been approved by the IPHC.
Both items (5) and (6) above address
third-party electronic logbooks that may
be developed and become available for
use by Pacific halibut fishing vessel
operators in the future. The addition of
these paragraphs in section 19 ensures
that NMFS and IPHC data collections
are maintained and existing datasharing agreements between the
agencies are supported as new forms of
logbooks become available.
International Pacific Halibut
Commission Fishery Regulations 2024
(Annual Management Measures)
The following annual management
measures for the 2024 Pacific halibut
fishery are those recommended by the
IPHC and accepted by the Secretary of
State, with the concurrence of the
Secretary of Commerce.

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1. Short Title
These Regulations may be cited as the
International Pacific Halibut
Commission (IPHC) Fishery Regulations
(2024).
2. Application
(1) These Regulations apply to
persons and vessels fishing for Pacific
halibut in, or possessing Pacific halibut
taken from, the maritime area as defined
in Section 3.
(2) Sections 3 to 8 and 29 apply
generally to all Pacific halibut fishing.
(3) Sections 9 to 22 apply to
commercial fishing for Pacific halibut.
(4) Section 23 applies to Indigenous
fisheries in British Columbia.
(5) Section 24 applies to customary
and traditional fishing in Alaska.
(6) Sections 25 to 28 apply to
recreational (also called sport) fishing
for Pacific halibut.
(7) These Regulations do not apply to
fishing operations authorized or
conducted by the Commission for
research purposes.
3. Definitions
(1) In these Regulations,
(a) ‘‘authorized officer’’ means any
State, Federal, or Provincial officer

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authorized to enforce these Regulations
including, but not limited to, the
National Marine Fisheries Service
(NOAA Fisheries), Department of
Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), Alaska
Wildlife Troopers (AWT), United States
Coast Guard (USCG), Washington
Department of Fish and Wildlife
(WDFW), the Oregon State Police (OSP),
and California Department of Fish and
Wildlife (CDFW);
(b) ‘‘authorized clearance personnel’’
means an authorized officer of the
United States of America, an authorized
representative of the Commission, or a
designated fish processor;
(c) ‘‘authorized representative of the
Commission’’ means any IPHC
employee or contractor authorized to
perform any task described in these
Regulations.
(d) ‘‘charter vessel’’ outside of Alaska
waters means a vessel used for hire in
recreational (sport) fishing for Pacific
halibut, but not including a vessel
without a hired operator, and in Alaska
waters means a vessel used while
providing or receiving recreational
(sport) fishing guide services for Pacific
halibut;
(e) ‘‘commercial fishing’’ means
fishing, the resulting catch of which is
sold or bartered; or is intended to be
sold or bartered, other than (i)
recreational (sport) fishing; (ii) treaty
Indian ceremonial and subsistence
fishing as referred to in Section 23; (iii)
Indigenous groups fishing in British
Columbia as referred to in Section 24;
and (iv) customary and traditional
fishing as referred to in Section 25 and
defined by and regulated pursuant to
NOAA Fisheries regulations published
at 50 CFR part 300;
(f) ‘‘Commission’’ or ‘‘IPHC’’ means
the International Pacific Halibut
Commission;
(g) ‘‘daily bag limit’’ means the
maximum number of Pacific halibut a
person may take in any calendar day
from Convention waters;
(h) ‘‘fishing’’ means the taking,
harvesting, or catching of fish, or any
activity that can reasonably be expected
to result in the taking, harvesting, or
catching of fish, including specifically
the deployment of any amount or
component part of gear anywhere in the
maritime area;
(i) ‘‘fishing period limit’’ means the
maximum amount of Pacific halibut that
may be retained and landed by a vessel
during one fishing period;
(j) ‘‘land’’ or ‘‘offload’’ with respect to
Pacific halibut, means the removal of
Pacific halibut from the catching vessel;
(k) ‘‘permit’’ means a Pacific halibut
fishing license issued by NOAA
Fisheries;

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(l) ‘‘maritime area,’’ in respect of the
fisheries jurisdiction of a Contracting
Party, includes without distinction areas
within and seaward of the territorial sea
and internal waters of that Party;
(m) ‘‘net weight’’ of a Pacific halibut
means the weight of Pacific halibut that
is without gills and entrails, head-off,
washed, and without ice and slime. If a
Pacific halibut is weighed with the head
on or with ice and slime, the required
conversion factors for calculating net
weight are a 2 percent deduction for ice
and slime and a 10 percent deduction
for the head;
(n) ‘‘operator,’’ with respect to any
vessel, means the owner and/or the
master or other individual on board and
in charge of that vessel;
(o) ‘‘overall length’’ of a vessel means
the horizontal distance, rounded to the
nearest foot, between the foremost part
of the stem and the aftermost part of the
stern (excluding bowsprits, rudders,
outboard motor brackets, and similar
fittings or attachments);
(p) ‘‘person’’ includes an individual,
corporation, firm, or association;
(q) ‘‘regulatory area’’ means an IPHC
Regulatory Area referred to in Section 4;
(r) ‘‘setline gear’’ means one or more
stationary, buoyed, and anchored lines
with hooks attached;
(s) ‘‘sport fishing’’ or ‘‘recreational
fishing’’ means all fishing other than i)
commercial fishing; ii) treaty Indian
ceremonial and subsistence fishing as
referred to in Section 23; iii) Indigenous
groups fishing in British Columbia as
referred to in Section 24; and iv)
customary and traditional fishing as
referred to in Section 25 and defined in
and regulated pursuant to NOAA
Fisheries regulations published in 50
CFR part 300;
(t) ‘‘tender’’ means any vessel that
buys or obtains fish directly from a
catching vessel and transports it to a
port of landing or fish processor;
(u) ‘‘total constant exploitation yield
(TCEY)’’ means the mortality comprised
of Pacific halibut from directed fisheries
and that from non-directed fisheries
greater than 26 inches (66 cm) in length;
(v) ‘‘VMS transmitter’’ means a NOAA
Fisheries-approved vessel monitoring
system transmitter that automatically
determines a vessel’s position and
transmits it to a NOAA Fisheriesapproved communications service
provider.1
(2) In these Regulations, all bearings
are true and all positions are determined
by the most recent charts issued by the
1 Call NOAA Enforcement Division, Alaska
Region, at 907–586–7225 between the hours of 0800
and 1600 local time for a list of NOAA Fisheriesapproved VMS transmitters and communications
service providers.

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United States National Ocean Service or
the Canadian Hydrographic Service.
4. IPHC Regulatory Areas
The following areas within the IPHC
Convention waters shall be defined as
IPHC Regulatory Areas for the purposes
of the Convention (see Figure 1):
(1) IPHC Regulatory Area 2A includes
all waters off the states of California,
Oregon, and Washington;
(2) IPHC Regulatory Area 2B includes
all waters off British Columbia;
(3) IPHC Regulatory Area 2C includes
all waters off Alaska that are east of a
line running 340° true from Cape
Spencer Light (58°11′56″ N latitude,
136°38′26″ W longitude) and south and
east of a line running 205° true from
said light;
(4) IPHC Regulatory Area 3A includes
all waters between Area 2C and a line
extending from the most northerly point
on Cape Aklek (57°41′15″ N latitude,

155°35′00″ W longitude) to Cape Ikolik
(57°17′17″ N latitude, 154°47′18″ W
longitude), then along the Kodiak Island
coastline to Cape Trinity (56°44′50″ N
latitude, 154°08′44″ W longitude), then
140° true;
(5) IPHC Regulatory Area 3B includes
all waters between Area 3A and a line
extending 150° true from Cape Lutke
(54°29′00″ N latitude, 164°20′00″ W
longitude) and south of 54°49′00″ N
latitude in Isanotski Strait;
(6) IPHC Regulatory Area 4A includes
all waters in the Gulf of Alaska west of
Area 3B and in the Bering Sea west of
the closed area defined in Section 10
that are east of 172°00′00″ W longitude
and south of 56°20′00″ N latitude;
(7) IPHC Regulatory Area 4B includes
all waters in the Bering Sea and the Gulf
of Alaska west of IPHC Regulatory Area
4A and south of 56°20′00″ N latitude;
(8) IPHC Regulatory Area 4C includes
all waters in the Bering Sea north of

IPHC Regulatory Area 4A and north of
the closed area defined in Section 10
which are east of 171°00′00″ W
longitude, south of 58°00′00″ N latitude,
and west of 168°00′00″ W longitude;
(9) IPHC Regulatory Area 4D includes
all waters in the Bering Sea north of
IPHC Regulatory Areas 4A and 4B, north
and west of IPHC Regulatory Area 4C,
and west of 168°00′00″ W longitude;
and
(10) IPHC Regulatory Area 4E
includes all waters in the Bering Sea
north and east of the closed area defined
in Section 10, east of 168°00′00″ W
longitude, and south of 65°34′00″ N
latitude.
5. Mortality and Fishery Limits
(1) The Commission has adopted the
following distributed mortality (TCEY)
limits:
Distributed mortality limits
(TCEY)
(net weight)

IPHC regulatory area

Tonnes
(t)

Million pounds
(Mlb)

Area 2A (California, Oregon, and Washington) ..................................................................................................
Area 2B (British Columbia) ..................................................................................................................................
Area 2C (southeastern Alaska) ...........................................................................................................................
Area 3A (central Gulf of Alaska) .........................................................................................................................
Area 3B (western Gulf of Alaska) ........................................................................................................................
Area 4A (eastern Aleutians) ................................................................................................................................
Area 4B (central and western Aleutians) ............................................................................................................
Areas 4CDE (Bering Sea) ...................................................................................................................................

748
2,935
2,626
5,153
1,565
730
567
1,678

1.65
6.47
5.79
11.36
3.45
1.61
1.25
3.70

Total ..............................................................................................................................................................

16,003

35.28

(2) The fishery limits resulting from
the IPHC-adopted distributed mortality
(TCEY) limits and the existing

Contracting Party catch sharing
arrangements are as follows, recognizing

that each Contracting Party may
implement more restrictive limits:
Fishery limits
(net weight)

IPHC regulatory area

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Tonnes
(t)
Area 2A (California, Oregon, and Washington) ..................................................................................................
Non-treaty directed commercial (south of Pt. Chehalis) ..............................................................................
Non-treaty incidental catch in salmon troll fishery .......................................................................................
Non-treaty incidental catch in sablefish fishery (north of Pt. Chehalis) .......................................................
Treaty Indian commercial .............................................................................................................................
Treaty Indian ceremonial and subsistence (year-round) .............................................................................
Recreational—Washington ...........................................................................................................................
Recreational—Oregon ..................................................................................................................................
Recreational—California ...............................................................................................................................
Area 2B (British Columbia) (combined commercial and recreational) ................................................................
Commercial fishery .......................................................................................................................................
Recreational fishery ......................................................................................................................................
Area 2C (southeastern Alaska) (combined commercial and guided recreational) .............................................
Commercial fishery (includes 3.50 Mlb landings and 0.11 Mlb discard mortality) ......................................
Guided recreational fishery (includes landings and discard mortality) ........................................................
Area 3A (central Gulf of Alaska) (combined commercial and guided recreational) ...........................................
Commercial fishery (includes 7.56 Mlb landings and 0.54 Mlb discard mortality) ......................................
Guided recreational fishery (includes landings and discard mortality) ........................................................
Area 3B (western Gulf of Alaska) ........................................................................................................................
Area 4A (eastern Aleutians) ................................................................................................................................

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667
113
20
23
224
9
132
129
17
2,522
2,145
376
2,005
1,637
367
4,536
3,674
857
1,352
581

Million pounds
(Mlb) *
1.47
* 249,338
* 44,001
* 50,000
* 494,280
* 20,220
* 290,158
* 283,784
* 38,220
5.56
4.73
0.83
4.42
3.61
0.81
10.00
8.10
1.89
2.98
1.28

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Fishery limits
(net weight)
IPHC regulatory area
Tonnes
(t)

Million pounds
(Mlb) *

Area 4B (central and western Aleutians) ............................................................................................................
Areas 4CDE .........................................................................................................................................................
Area 4C (Pribilof Islands) .............................................................................................................................
Area 4D (northwestern Bering Sea) .............................................................................................................
Area 4E (Bering Sea flats) ..................................................................................................................................

494
934
417
417
100

1.09
2.06
0.92
0.92
0.22

Total .......................................................................................................................................................

13,091

28.86

* Allocations resulting from the IPHC Regulatory Area 2A Catch Share Plan are listed in pounds.
** In IPHC Regulatory Area 2A, the USA (NOAA Fisheries) may take in-season action to reallocate the recreational fishery limits between
Washington, Oregon, and California after determining that such action will not result in exceeding the overall IPHC Regulatory Area 2A recreational fishery limit and that such action is consistent with any domestic catch sharing plan. Any such reallocation will be announced by the
USA (NOAA Fisheries) and published in the Federal Register.

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6. In-Season Actions
(1) The Commission is authorized to
establish or modify regulations during
the season after determining that such
action:
(a) will not result in exceeding the
fishery limit established preseason for
each IPHC Regulatory Area;
(b) is consistent with the Convention
between Canada and the United States
of America for the Preservation of the
Halibut Fishery of the Northern Pacific
Ocean and Bering Sea, and applicable
domestic law of either Canada or the
United States of America; and
(c) is consistent, to the maximum
extent practicable, with any domestic
catch sharing plans or other domestic
allocation programs developed by the
governments of Canada or the United
States of America.
(2) In-season actions may include, but
are not limited to, establishment or
modification of the following:
(a) closed areas;
(b) fishing periods;
(c) fishing period limits;
(d) gear restrictions;
(e) recreational (sport) bag limits;
(f) size limits; or
(g) vessel clearances.
(3) In-season changes will be effective
at the time and date specified by the
Commission.
(4) The Commission will announce
in-season actions under this Section by
providing notice to major Pacific halibut
processors; Federal, State, United States
of America treaty Indian, and Provincial
fishery officials; and the media.
(5) Notwithstanding paragraphs (3)
and (4) of this Section, in IPHC
Regulatory Area 2A the USA (NOAA
Fisheries) may take in-season action to
reallocate the recreational fishery limits
between Washington, Oregon, and
California after determining that such
action will not result in exceeding the
overall IPHC Regulatory Area 2A
recreational fishery limit and that such

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action is consistent with any domestic
catch sharing plan. Any such
reallocation will be announced by the
USA (NOAA Fisheries) and published
in the Federal Register.
7. Careful Release of Pacific Halibut
(1) All Pacific halibut that are caught
and are not retained shall be
immediately released outboard of the
roller and returned to the sea with a
minimum of injury by:
(a) hook straightening;
(b) cutting the gangion near the hook;
or
(c) carefully removing the hook by
twisting it from the Pacific halibut with
a gaff.
(2) Except that paragraph (1) shall not
prohibit the possession of Pacific
halibut on board a vessel that has been
brought aboard to be measured to
determine if the applicable size limit of
the Pacific halibut is met and, if not
legal-sized, is promptly returned to the
sea with a minimum of injury.
8. Retention of Tagged Pacific Halibut
(1) Nothing contained in these
Regulations prohibits any vessel at any
time from retaining and landing a
Pacific halibut that bears a Commission
external tag at the time of capture, if the
Pacific halibut with the tag still attached
is reported at the time of landing and
made available for examination by an
authorized representative of the
Commission or by an authorized officer.
(2) After examination and removal of
the tag by an authorized representative
of the Commission or an authorized
officer, the Pacific halibut:
(a) may be retained for personal use;
or
(b) may be sold only if the Pacific
halibut is caught during commercial
Pacific halibut fishing and complies
with the other commercial fishing
provisions of these Regulations.
(3) Any Pacific halibut that bears a
Commission external tag will not count

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against commercial fishing period
limits, Individual Vessel Quota (IVQ),
Individual Transferable Quota (ITQ),
Community Development Quota (CDQ),
or Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ), and
are not subject to size limits in these
regulations, but should still be recorded
in the landing record.
(4) Any Pacific halibut that bears a
Commission external tag will not count
against recreational (sport) daily bag
limits or possession limits, may be
retained outside of recreational (sport)
fishing seasons, and are not subject to
size limits in these regulations.
(5) Any Pacific halibut that bears a
Commission external tag will not count
against daily bag limits, possession
limits, or fishery limits in the fisheries
described in Section 22(1)(c), Section
23, or Section 24.
9. Commercial Fishing Periods
(1) The fishing periods for each IPHC
Regulatory Area apply where the fishery
limits specified in Section 5 have not
been taken.
(2) Unless the Commission specifies
otherwise, commercial fishing for
Pacific halibut in all IPHC Regulatory
Areas may begin no earlier in the year
than 06:00 local time on 15 March.
(3) All commercial fishing for Pacific
halibut in all IPHC Regulatory Areas
shall cease for the year at 23:59 local
time on 7 December.
(4) Regulations pertaining to the nontribal directed commercial fishing 2
periods in IPHC Regulatory Area 2A
will be promulgated by NOAA Fisheries
and published in the Federal Register.
This fishery will occur between the
dates and times listed in paragraphs (2)
and (3) of this Section.
(5) Notwithstanding paragraph (4) of
this Section, an incidental catch
2 The non-tribal directed commercial fishery is
restricted to waters that are south of Point Chehalis,
Washington, (46°53.30′ N latitude) under
regulations promulgated by NOAA Fisheries and
published in the Federal Register.

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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 53 / Monday, March 18, 2024 / Rules and Regulations
fishery 3 is authorized during the
sablefish seasons in IPHC Regulatory
Area 2A in accordance with regulations
promulgated by NOAA Fisheries. This
fishery will occur between the dates and
times listed in paragraphs (2) and (3) of
this Section.
(6) Notwithstanding paragraph (4) of
this Section, an incidental catch fishery
is authorized during salmon troll
seasons in IPHC Regulatory Area 2A in
accordance with regulations
promulgated by NOAA Fisheries. This
fishery will occur between the dates and
times listed in paragraphs (2) and (3) of
this Section.
10. Closed Area
All waters in the Bering Sea north of
55°00′00″ N latitude in Isanotski Strait
that are enclosed by a line from Cape
Sarichef Light (54°36′00″ N latitude,
164°55′42″ W longitude) to a point at
56°20′00″ N latitude, 168°30′00″ W
longitude; thence to a point at 58°21′25″
N latitude, 163°00′00″ W longitude;
thence to Strogonof Point (56°53′18″ N
latitude, 158°50′37″ W longitude); and
then along the northern coasts of the
Alaska Peninsula and Unimak Island to
the point of origin at Cape Sarichef
Light are closed to Pacific halibut
fishing and no person shall fish for
Pacific halibut therein or have Pacific
halibut in his/her possession while in
those waters except in the course of a
continuous transit across those waters.
All waters in Isanotski Strait between
55°00′00″ N latitude and 54°49′00″ N
latitude are closed to Pacific halibut
fishing.
11. Closed Periods

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(1) No person shall engage in fishing
for Pacific halibut in any IPHC
Regulatory Area other than during the
fishing periods set out in Section 9 in
respect of that area.
(2) No person shall land or otherwise
retain Pacific halibut caught outside a
fishing period applicable to the IPHC
Regulatory Area where the Pacific
halibut was taken.
(3) Subject to paragraphs (7), (8), (9),
and (10) of Section 17, these Regulations
do not prohibit fishing for any species
of fish other than Pacific halibut during
the closed periods.
(4) Notwithstanding paragraph (3), no
person shall have Pacific halibut in his/
her possession while fishing for any
3 The incidental fishery during the directed, fixed
gear sablefish season is restricted to waters that are
north of Point Chehalis, Washington, (46°53.30′ N
latitude) under regulations promulgated by NOAA
Fisheries at 50 CFR 300.63. Landing restrictions for
Pacific halibut retention in the fixed gear sablefish
fishery can be found at 50 CFR 660.231.

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other species of fish during the closed
periods.
(5) No vessel shall retrieve any Pacific
halibut fishing gear during a closed
period if the vessel has any Pacific
halibut on board.
(6) A vessel that has no Pacific halibut
on board may retrieve any Pacific
halibut fishing gear during the closed
period after the operator notifies an
authorized officer or an authorized
representative of the Commission prior
to that retrieval.
(7) After retrieval of Pacific halibut
gear in accordance with paragraph (6),
the vessel shall submit to a hold
inspection at the discretion of the
authorized officer or an authorized
representative of the Commission.
(8) No person shall retain any Pacific
halibut caught on gear retrieved in
accordance with paragraph (6).
(9) No person shall possess Pacific
halibut on board a vessel in an IPHC
Regulatory Area during a closed period
unless that vessel is in continuous
transit to or within a port in which that
Pacific halibut may be lawfully sold.
12. Application of Commercial Fishery
Limits
(1) Notwithstanding the fishery limits
described in Section 5, regulations
pertaining to the division of the IPHC
Regulatory Area 2A fishery limit
between the non-tribal directed
commercial fishery and the incidental
catch fishery as described in paragraphs
(5) and (6) of Section 9 will be
promulgated by NOAA Fisheries and
published in the Federal Register.
(2) Notwithstanding the fishery limits
described in Section 5, the IPHC
Regulatory Area 2A non-tribal directed
commercial fishery will close when
NOAA Fisheries determines and
announces in the Federal Register that
the fishery limit has been or is projected
to be reached, or on the date when
fishing must cease as specified in
Section 9, whichever is earlier.
(3) Notwithstanding the fishery limits
described in Section 5, the commercial
fishing in IPHC Regulatory Area 2B will
close only when all Individual Vessel
Quota (IVQ) and Individual Transferable
Quota (ITQ) assigned by DFO are taken,
or on the date when fishing must cease
as specified in Section 9, whichever is
earlier.
(4) Notwithstanding the fishery limits
described in Section 5, IPHC Regulatory
Areas 2C, 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and
4E will each close only when all
Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) and all
Community Development Quota (CDQ)
issued by NOAA Fisheries have been
taken, or on the date when fishing must

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19283

cease as specified in Section 9,
whichever is earlier.
(5) Notwithstanding the fishery limits
described in Section 5, the total
allowable catch of Pacific halibut that
may be taken in the IPHC Regulatory
Area 4E directed commercial fishery is
equal to the combined annual fishery
limits specified for the IPHC Regulatory
Areas 4D and 4E CDQ fisheries and any
IPHC Regulatory Area 4D IFQ received
by transfer by a CDQ organization. The
annual IPHC Regulatory Area 4D fishery
limit will decrease by the equivalent
amount of CDQ and IFQ received by
transfer by a CDQ organization taken in
IPHC Regulatory Area 4E in excess of
the annual IPHC Regulatory Area 4E
fishery limit.
(6) Notwithstanding the fishery limits
described in Section 5, the total
allowable catch of Pacific halibut that
may be taken in the IPHC Regulatory
Area 4D directed commercial fishery is
equal to the combined annual fishery
limits specified for IPHC Regulatory
Areas 4C and 4D. The annual IPHC
Regulatory Area 4C fishery limit will
decrease by the equivalent amount of
Pacific halibut taken in IPHC Regulatory
Area 4D in excess of the annual IPHC
Regulatory Area 4D fishery limit.
13. Fishing in IPHC Regulatory Area 2A
(1) No person shall fish for Pacific
halibut from a vessel, nor land or retain
Pacific halibut on board a vessel, used
for commercial fishing in IPHC
Regulatory Area 2A, unless issued a
permit valid for fishing in IPHC
Regulatory Area 2A by NOAA Fisheries
according to 50 CFR 300 Subpart E.
(2) It shall be unlawful for any vessel
to retain more Pacific halibut than
authorized by that vessel’s permit in any
fishing period for which a fishing period
limit is announced by NOAA Fisheries
in the Federal Register.
(3) The operator of any vessel that
fishes for Pacific halibut during a
fishing period when fishing period
limits are in effect must, upon
commencing an offload of Pacific
halibut to a commercial fish processor,
completely offload all Pacific halibut on
board said vessel to that processor and
ensure that all Pacific halibut is
weighed and reported on State fish
tickets.
(4) The operator of any vessel that
fishes for Pacific halibut during a
fishing period when fishing period
limits are in effect must, upon
commencing an offload of Pacific
halibut other than to a commercial fish
processor, completely offload all Pacific
halibut on board said vessel and ensure
that all Pacific halibut are weighed and
reported on State fish tickets.

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(5) The provisions of paragraph (4) are
not intended to prevent retail over-theside sales to individual purchasers so
long as all the Pacific halibut on board
is ultimately offloaded and reported.
(6) Fishing period limits in IPHC
Regulatory Area 2A will be promulgated
by NOAA Fisheries and published in
the Federal Register and apply only to
the non-tribal directed commercial
Pacific halibut fishery referred to in
paragraph (4) of Section 9.

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14. Fishing in IPHC Regulatory Areas 4D
and 4E
(1) Section 14 applies only to any
person fishing for, or any vessel that is
used to fish for, IPHC Regulatory Area
4E Community Development Quota
(CDQ) Pacific halibut, IPHC Regulatory
Area 4D CDQ Pacific halibut, or IPHC
Regulatory Area 4D Individual Fishing
Quota (IFQ) received by transfer by a
CDQ organization provided that the
total annual Pacific halibut catch of that
person or vessel is landed at a port
within IPHC Regulatory Areas 4E or 4D.
(2) A person may retain Pacific
halibut taken with setline gear that are
smaller than the size limit specified in
Section 18, provided that no person may
sell or barter such Pacific halibut.
(3) The manager of a CDQ
organization that authorizes persons to
harvest Pacific halibut in the IPHC
Regulatory Area 4E or 4D CDQ fisheries
or IFQ received by transfer by a CDQ
organization must report to the
Commission the total number and
weight of undersized Pacific halibut
taken and retained by such persons
pursuant to paragraph (2) of this
Section. This report, which shall
include data and methodology used to
collect the data, must be received by the
Commission prior to 1 November of the
year in which such Pacific halibut were
harvested.
15. Vessel Clearance in IPHC Regulatory
Area 4
(1) The operator of any vessel that
fishes for Pacific halibut in IPHC
Regulatory Areas 4A, 4B, 4C, or 4D must
obtain a vessel clearance before fishing
in any of these areas, and before the
landing of any Pacific halibut caught in
any of these areas, unless specifically
exempted in paragraphs (10), (13), (14),
(15), or (16).
(2) An operator obtaining a vessel
clearance required by paragraph (1)
must obtain the clearance in person
from the authorized clearance personnel
and sign the IPHC form documenting
that a clearance was obtained, except
that when the clearance is obtained via
VHF radio referred to in paragraphs (5),
(8), and (9), the authorized clearance

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personnel must sign the IPHC form
documenting that the clearance was
obtained.
(3) The vessel clearance required
under paragraph (1) prior to fishing in
IPHC Regulatory Area 4A may be
obtained only at Nazan Bay on Atka
Island, Dutch Harbor, or Akutan,
Alaska, from the authorized clearance
personnel.
(4) The vessel clearance required
under paragraph (1) prior to fishing in
IPHC Regulatory Area 4B may only be
obtained at Nazan Bay on Atka Island or
Adak, Alaska, from the authorized
clearance personnel.
(5) The vessel clearance required
under paragraph (1) prior to fishing in
IPHC Regulatory Area 4C or 4D may be
obtained only at St. Paul or St. George,
Alaska, from the authorized clearance
personnel by VHF radio and allowing
the person contacted to confirm visually
the identity of the vessel.
(6) The vessel operator shall specify
the specific regulatory area in which
fishing will take place.
(7) Before unloading any Pacific
halibut caught in IPHC Regulatory Area
4A, a vessel operator may obtain the
clearance required under paragraph (1)
only in Dutch Harbor or Akutan, Alaska,
by contacting the authorized clearance
personnel.
(8) Before unloading any Pacific
halibut caught in IPHC Regulatory Area
4B, a vessel operator may obtain the
clearance required under paragraph (1)
only in Nazan Bay on Atka Island or
Adak, by contacting the authorized
clearance personnel by VHF radio or in
person.
(9) Before unloading any Pacific
halibut caught in IPHC Regulatory Areas
4C and 4D, a vessel operator may obtain
the clearance required under paragraph
(1) only in St. Paul, St. George, Dutch
Harbor, or Akutan, Alaska, either in
person or by contacting the authorized
clearance personnel. The clearances
obtained in St. Paul or St. George,
Alaska, can be obtained by VHF radio
and allowing the person contacted to
confirm visually the identity of the
vessel.
(10) Any vessel operator who
complies with the requirements in
Section 16 for possessing Pacific halibut
on board a vessel that was caught in
more than one regulatory area in IPHC
Regulatory Area 4 is exempt from the
clearance requirements of paragraph (1)
of this Section, provided that:
(a) the operator of the vessel obtains
a vessel clearance prior to fishing in
IPHC Regulatory Area 4 in either Dutch
Harbor, Akutan, St. Paul, St. George,
Adak, or Nazan Bay on Atka Island by
contacting the authorized clearance

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personnel. The clearance obtained in St.
Paul, St. George, Adak, or Nazan Bay on
Atka Island can be obtained by VHF
radio and allowing the person contacted
to confirm visually the identity of the
vessel. This clearance will list the areas
in which the vessel will fish; and
(b) before unloading any Pacific
halibut from IPHC Regulatory Area 4,
the vessel operator obtains a vessel
clearance from Dutch Harbor, Akutan,
St. Paul, St. George, Adak, or Nazan Bay
on Atka Island by contacting the
authorized clearance personnel. The
clearance obtained in St. Paul or St.
George can be obtained by VHF radio
and allowing the person contacted to
confirm visually the identity of the
vessel. The clearance obtained in Adak
or Nazan Bay on Atka Island can be
obtained by VHF radio.
(11) Vessel clearances shall be
obtained between 0600 and 1800, local
time.
(12) No Pacific halibut shall be on
board the vessel at the time of the
clearances required prior to fishing in
IPHC Regulatory Area 4.
(13) Any vessel that is used to fish for
Pacific halibut only in IPHC Regulatory
Area 4A and lands its total annual
Pacific halibut catch at a port within
IPHC Regulatory Area 4A is exempt
from the clearance requirements of
paragraph (1).
(14) Any vessel that is used to fish for
Pacific halibut only in IPHC Regulatory
Area 4B and lands its total annual
Pacific halibut catch at a port within
IPHC Regulatory Area 4B is exempt
from the clearance requirements of
paragraph (1).
(15) Any vessel that is used to fish for
Pacific halibut only in IPHC Regulatory
Areas 4C or 4D or 4E and lands its total
annual Pacific halibut catch at a port
within IPHC Regulatory Areas 4C, 4D,
4E, or the closed area defined in Section
10, is exempt from the clearance
requirements of paragraph (1).
(16) Any vessel that carries a NOAA
Fisheries observer, a NOAA Fisheries
electronic monitoring system, or a
transmitting VMS transmitter while
fishing for Pacific halibut in IPHC
Regulatory Areas 4A, 4B, 4C, or 4D and
until all Pacific halibut caught in any of
these IPHC Regulatory Areas is landed,
is exempt from the clearance
requirements of paragraph (1) of this
Section, provided that:
(a) the operator of the vessel complies
with NOAA Fisheries’ observer or
electronic monitoring regulations
published at 50 CFR Subpart E, or vessel
monitoring system regulations
published at 50 CFR 679.28(f)(3), (4) and
(5); and

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(b) the operator of the vessel notifies
NOAA Fisheries Office for Law
Enforcement at 800–304–4846 (select
option 1 to speak to an Enforcement
Data Clerk) between the hours of 0600
and 0000 (midnight) local time within
72 hours before fishing for Pacific
halibut in IPHC Regulatory Areas 4A,
4B, 4C, or 4D and receives a VMS
confirmation number.
16. Fishing Multiple Regulatory Areas
(1) Except as provided in this Section,
no person shall possess at the same time
on board a vessel Pacific halibut caught
in more than one IPHC Regulatory Area.
(2) Pacific halibut caught in more than
one of the IPHC Regulatory Areas 2C,
3A, 3B, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, or 4E may be
possessed on board a vessel at the same
time only if:
(a) authorized by NOAA Fisheries
regulations published at 50 CFR
679.7(f)(4); and
(b) the operator of the vessel identifies
the regulatory area in which each
Pacific halibut on board was caught by
separating Pacific halibut from different
areas in the hold, tagging Pacific
halibut, or by other means.

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17. Fishing Gear
(1) No person shall fish for Pacific
halibut using any gear other than hook
and line gear,
(a) except that a person may retain
Pacific halibut taken with longline or
single trap gear if such retention is
authorized by DFO as defined by Pacific
Fishery Regulations and Conditions of
Licence; or
(b) except that a person may retain
Pacific halibut taken with longline or
single pot gear if such retention is
authorized by NOAA Fisheries
regulations published at 50 CFR part
679.
(2) No person shall possess Pacific
halibut taken with any gear other than
hook and line gear,
(a) except that a person may possess
Pacific halibut taken with longline or
single trap gear if such retention is
authorized by DFO as defined by Pacific
Fishery Regulations and Conditions of
Licence; or
(b) except that a person may possess
Pacific halibut taken with longline or
single pot gear if such possession is
authorized by NOAA Fisheries
regulations published at 50 CFR part
679.
(3) No person shall possess Pacific
halibut while on board a vessel carrying
any trawl nets.
(4) All gear marker buoys carried on
board or used by any United States of
America vessel used for Pacific halibut

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fishing shall be marked with one of the
following:
(a) the vessel’s State license number;
or
(b) the vessel’s registration number.
(5) The markings specified in
paragraph (4) shall be in characters at
least four inches in height and one-half
inch in width in a contrasting color
visible above the water and shall be
maintained in legible condition.
(6) All gear marker buoys carried on
board or used by a Canadian vessel used
for Pacific halibut fishing shall be:
(a) floating and visible on the surface
of the water; and
(b) legibly marked with the
identification plate number of the vessel
engaged in commercial fishing from
which that setline is being operated.
(7) No person on board a vessel used
to fish for any species of fish anywhere
in IPHC Regulatory Area 2A during the
72-hour period immediately before the
fishing period for the non-tribal directed
commercial fishery shall catch or
possess Pacific halibut anywhere in
those waters during that Pacific halibut
fishing period unless, prior to the start
of the Pacific halibut fishing period, the
vessel has removed its gear from the
water and has either:
(a) made a landing and completely
offloaded its catch of other fish; or
(b) submitted to a hold inspection by
an authorized officer.
(8) No vessel used to fish for any
species of fish anywhere in IPHC
Regulatory Area 2A during the 72-hour
period immediately before the fishing
period for the non-tribal directed
commercial fishery may be used to
catch or possess Pacific halibut
anywhere in those waters during that
Pacific halibut fishing period unless,
prior to the start of the Pacific halibut
fishing period, the vessel has removed
its gear from the water and has either:
(a) made a landing and completely
offloaded its catch of other fish; or
(b) submitted to a hold inspection by
an authorized officer.
(9) No person on board a vessel used
to fish for any species of fish anywhere
in IPHC Regulatory Areas 2B, 2C, 3A,
3B, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, or 4E during the 72hour period immediately before the
opening of the Pacific halibut fishing
season shall catch or possess Pacific
halibut anywhere in those areas until
the vessel has removed all of its gear
from the water and has either:
(a) made a landing and completely
offloaded its entire catch of other fish;
or
(b) submitted to a hold inspection by
an authorized officer.
(10) No vessel used to fish for any
species of fish anywhere in IPHC

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Regulatory Areas 2B, 2C, 3A, 3B, 4A,
4B, 4C, 4D, or 4E during the 72-hour
period immediately before the opening
of the Pacific halibut fishing season may
be used to catch or possess Pacific
halibut anywhere in those areas until
the vessel has removed all of its gear
from the water and has either:
(a) made a landing and completely
offloaded its entire catch of other fish;
or
(b) submitted to a hold inspection by
an authorized officer.
(11) Notwithstanding any other
provision in these Regulations, a person
may retain, possess and dispose of
Pacific halibut taken with trawl gear
only as authorized by Prohibited
Species Donation regulations of NOAA
Fisheries.
18. Size Limits
(1) No person shall take or possess
any Pacific halibut that:
(a) with the head on, is less than 32
inches (81.3 cm) as measured in a
straight line, passing over the pectoral
fin from the tip of the lower jaw with
the mouth closed, to the extreme end of
the middle of the tail, as illustrated in
Figure 2; or
(b) with the head removed, is less
than 24 inches (61.0 cm) as measured
from the base of the pectoral fin at its
most anterior point to the extreme end
of the middle of the tail, as illustrated
in Figure 2.
(2) No person on board a vessel
fishing for, or tendering, Pacific halibut
in any IPHC Regulatory Area shall
possess any Pacific halibut that has had
its head removed, except that Pacific
halibut frozen at sea with its head
removed may be possessed on board a
vessel by persons in IPHC Regulatory
Areas 2B, 2C, 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D,
and 4E if authorized by Federal
regulations.
(3) The size limit in paragraph (1)(b)
will not be applied to any Pacific
halibut that has had its head removed
after the operator has landed the Pacific
halibut.
19. Logs
(1) The operator of any U.S. vessel
fishing for Pacific halibut that has an
overall length of 26 feet (7.9 meters) or
greater shall maintain an accurate log of
Pacific halibut fishing operations.
(2) The operator of a vessel fishing in
waters in and off Alaska must use one
of the following logbooks:
(a) IPHC Pacific halibut logbook (or
logbook previously provided by IPHC)
or IPHC-approved electronic equivalent;
(b) catcher vessel longline and pot
gear Daily Fishing Logbook, or catcher/
processor longline and pot gear Daily

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Cumulative Production Logbook, in
electronic or paper form, provided or
approved by NOAA Fisheries;
(c) hook-and-line logbook provided by
Alaska Longline Fishermen’s
Association; or
(d) Alaska Department of Fish and
Game (ADFG) longline-pot logbook.
(3) The operator of a vessel fishing in
IPHC Regulatory Area 2A must use
either:
(a) IPHC Pacific halibut logbook (or
logbook previously provided by IPHC)
or IPHC-approved electronic equivalent;
(b) Oregon Department of Fish and
Wildlife (ODFW) Fixed Gear Logbook;
or
(c) Pacific Coast Groundfish non-trawl
logbook provided by NOAA Fisheries.
(4) The logbooks referred to in
paragraphs (2) and (3) must include the
following information:
(a) the name of the vessel and the
State (ADFG, WDFW, ODFW, or CDFW)
or Tribal ID number;
(b) the date(s) upon which the fishing
gear is set or retrieved;
(c) the latitude and longitude
coordinates for each set;
(d) the number of skates deployed or
retrieved, and number of skates lost; and
(e) the total weight or number of
Pacific halibut retained for each set.
(5) The logbooks referred to in
paragraphs (2) and (3) shall be:
(a) maintained on board the vessel;
(b) updated not later than 24 hours
after 0000 (midnight) local time for each
day fished and prior to the offloading or
sale of Pacific halibut taken during that
fishing trip;
(c) retained for a period of two years
by the owner or operator of the vessel;
(d) open to inspection by an
authorized officer or an authorized
representative of the Commission upon
demand;
(e) kept on board the vessel when
engaged in Pacific halibut fishing,
during transits to port of landing, and
until the offloading of all Pacific halibut
is completed; and
(f) submitted to the Commission
within 30 days of the season closing
date if not previously collected by an
authorized representative of the
Commission or otherwise made
available to the Commission.
(6) The log referred to in paragraph (1)
does not apply to the incidental Pacific
halibut fishery during the salmon troll
season in IPHC Regulatory Area 2A
defined in paragraph (6) of Section 9.
(7) The operator of any Canadian
vessel fishing for Pacific halibut shall
maintain an accurate record in the
British Columbia Integrated Groundfish
Fishing Log.
(8) The log referred to in paragraph (7)
must include the following information:

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(a) the name of the vessel and the
DFO vessel registration number;
(b) the date(s) upon which the fishing
gear is set and retrieved;
(c) the latitude and longitude
coordinates for each set;
(d) the number of skates deployed or
retrieved, and number of skates lost; and
(e) the total weight or number of
Pacific halibut retained for each set.
(9) The log referred to in paragraph (7)
shall be:
(a) maintained on board the vessel;
(b) retained for a period of two years
by the owner or operator of the vessel;
(c) open to inspection by an
authorized officer or an authorized
representative of the Commission upon
demand;
(d) kept on board the vessel when
engaged in Pacific halibut fishing,
during transits to port of landing, and
until the offloading of all Pacific halibut
is completed;
(e) submitted to the DFO within seven
days of offloading; and
(f) submitted to the Commission
within seven days of the final offload if
not previously collected by an
authorized representative of the
Commission.
(10) No person shall make a false
entry in a log referred to in this Section.
(11) Writing in a log referred to in this
Section shall be clear and legible.
20. Receipt and Possession of Pacific
Halibut
(1) No person shall receive Pacific
halibut caught in IPHC Regulatory Area
2A from a United States of America
vessel that does not have on board the
permit required by Section 13(1).
(2) No person shall possess on board
a vessel a Pacific halibut other than
whole or with gills and entrails
removed, except that this paragraph
shall not prohibit the possession on
board a vessel of:
(a) Pacific halibut cheeks cut from
Pacific halibut caught by persons
authorized to process the Pacific halibut
on board in accordance with NOAA
Fisheries regulations published at 50
CFR part 679;
(b) fillets from Pacific halibut
offloaded in accordance with this
Section that are possessed on board the
harvesting vessel in the port of landing
up to 1800 local time on the calendar
day following the offload 4; and
(c) Pacific halibut with their heads
removed in accordance with Section 18.
(3) No person shall offload Pacific
halibut from a vessel unless the gills
4 DFO has more restrictive regulations; therefore,
Section 20 paragraph (2)(b) does not apply to fish
caught in IPHC Regulatory Area 2B or landed in
British Columbia.

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and entrails have been removed prior to
offloading.5
(4) It shall be the responsibility of a
vessel operator who lands Pacific
halibut to continuously and completely
offload at a single offload site all Pacific
halibut on board the vessel.
(5) A registered buyer (as that term is
defined in regulations promulgated by
NOAA Fisheries and codified at 50 CFR
part 679) who receives Pacific halibut
harvested in Individual Fishing Quota
(IFQ) and Community Development
Quota (CDQ) fisheries in IPHC
Regulatory Areas 2C, 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B,
4C, 4D, and 4E, directly from the vessel
operator that harvested such Pacific
halibut must weigh all the Pacific
halibut received and record the
following information on Federal catch
reports: date of offload; name of vessel;
vessel number (State, Tribal or Federal,
not IPHC vessel number); scale weight
obtained at the time of offloading,
including the scale weight (in pounds)
of Pacific halibut purchased by the
registered buyer, the scale weight (in
pounds) of Pacific halibut offloaded in
excess of the IFQ or CDQ, the scale
weight of Pacific halibut (in pounds)
retained for personal use or for future
sale, and the scale weight (in pounds) of
Pacific halibut discarded as unfit for
human consumption. All Pacific halibut
harvested in IFQ or CDQ fisheries in
Areas IPHC Regulatory 2C, 3A, 3B, 4A,
4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E, must be weighed
with the head on and the head-on
weight must be recorded on Federal
catch reports as specified in this
paragraph, unless the Pacific halibut is
frozen at sea and exempt from the headon landing requirement at Section 18(2).
(6) The first recipient, commercial
fish processor, or buyer in the United
States of America who purchases or
receives Pacific halibut directly from the
vessel operator that harvested such
Pacific halibut must weigh and record
all Pacific halibut received and record
the following information on State fish
tickets: the date of offload; vessel
number (State or Federal, not IPHC
vessel number) or Tribal ID number;
total weight obtained at the time of
offload including the weight (in pounds)
of Pacific halibut purchased; the weight
(in pounds) of Pacific halibut offloaded
in excess of the IFQ, CDQ, or fishing
period limits; the weight of Pacific
halibut (in pounds) retained for
personal use or for future sale; and the
weight (in pounds) of Pacific halibut
discarded as unfit for human
consumption. All Pacific halibut
5 DFO did not adopt this regulation; therefore,
Section 20 paragraph (3) does not apply to fish
caught in IPHC Regulatory Area 2B.

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lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with RULES1

Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 53 / Monday, March 18, 2024 / Rules and Regulations
harvested in fisheries in IPHC
Regulatory Areas 2A, 2C, 3A, 3B, 4A,
4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E must be weighed
with the head on and the head-on
weight must be recorded on State fish
tickets as specified in this paragraph,
unless the Pacific halibut is frozen at sea
and exempt from the head-on landing
requirement at Section 18(2).
(7) For Pacific halibut landings made
in Alaska, the requirements as listed in
paragraphs (5) and (6) can be met by
recording the information in the
Interagency Electronic Reporting
Systems, eLandings, in accordance with
NOAA Fisheries regulation published at
50 CFR part 679.
(8) The master or operator of a
Canadian vessel that was engaged in
Pacific halibut fishing must weigh and
record all Pacific halibut on board said
vessel at the time offloading commences
and record on Provincial fish tickets or
Federal catch reports: the date; locality;
name of vessel; the name(s) of the
person(s) from whom the Pacific halibut
was purchased; and the scale weight
obtained at the time of offloading of all
Pacific halibut on board the vessel
including the pounds purchased,
pounds in excess of Individual Vessel
Quota (IVQ) or Individual Transferable
Quota (ITQ), pounds retained for
personal use, and pounds discarded as
unfit for human consumption. All
Pacific halibut must be weighed with
the head on and the head-on weight
must be recorded on the Provincial fish
tickets or Federal catch reports as
specified in this paragraph, unless the
Pacific halibut is frozen at sea and
exempt from the head-on landing
requirement at Section 18(2).
(9) No person shall make a false entry
on a State or Provincial fish ticket or a
Federal catch or landing report referred
to in paragraphs (5), (6), and (8) of this
Section.
(10) A copy of the fish tickets or catch
reports referred to in paragraphs (5), (6),
and (8) shall be:
(a) retained by the person making
them for a period of three years from the
date the fish tickets or catch reports are
made; and
(b) open to inspection by an
authorized officer or an authorized
representative of the Commission.
(11) No person shall possess any
Pacific halibut taken or retained in
contravention of these Regulations.
(12) When Pacific halibut are landed
to other than a commercial fish
processor, the records required by
paragraph (6) shall be maintained by the
operator of the vessel from which that
Pacific halibut was caught, in
compliance with paragraph (10).

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19287

(13) No person shall tag Pacific
halibut unless the tagging is authorized
by IPHC or by a Federal or State agency.

the applicable fishery limit specified in
Section 5 is taken, whichever occurs
first.

21. Supervision of Unloading and
Weighing
(1) The unloading and weighing of
Pacific halibut may be subject to the
supervision of authorized officers to
assure the fulfillment of the provisions
of these Regulations.
(2) The unloading and weighing of
Pacific halibut may be subject to
sampling by an authorized
representative of the Commission.

23. Indigenous Groups Fishing for Food,
Social and Ceremonial Purposes in
British Columbia

22. Fishing by United States Indian
Tribes
(1) Pacific halibut fishing in IPHC
Regulatory Area Subarea 2A–1 by
members of United States treaty Indian
tribes located in the State of Washington
shall be regulated under regulations
promulgated by NOAA Fisheries and
published in the Federal Register:
(a) Subarea 2A–1 includes the usual
and accustomed fishing areas for Pacific
Coast treaty tribes off the coast of
Washington and all inland marine
waters of Washington north of Point
Chehalis (46°53.30′ N lat.), including
Puget Sound. Boundaries of a tribe’s
fishing area may be revised as ordered
by a United States Federal court;
(b) Section 13(1) does not apply to
commercial fishing for Pacific halibut in
Subarea 2A–1 by Indian tribes; and
(c) ceremonial and subsistence fishing
for Pacific halibut in Subarea 2A–1 is
permitted with hook and line gear from
1 January through 31 December.
(2) In IPHC Regulatory Area 2C, the
Metlakatla Indian Community has been
authorized by the United States
Government to conduct a commercial
Pacific halibut fishery within the
Annette Islands Reserve. Fishing
periods for this fishery are announced
by the Metlakatla Indian Community
and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Landings in this fishery are accounted
with the commercial landings for IPHC
Regulatory Area 2C.
(3) Section 7 (careful release of Pacific
halibut), Section 17 (fishing gear),
except paragraphs (7) and (8) of Section
17, Section 18 (size limits), Section 19
(logs), and Section 20 (receipt and
possession of Pacific halibut) apply to
commercial fishing for Pacific halibut
by Indian tribes.
Regulations in paragraph (3) of this
Section that apply to State fish tickets
apply to Tribal tickets that are
authorized by WDFW and ADFG.
(5) Commercial fishing for Pacific
halibut is permitted with hook and line
gear between the dates specified in
Section 9 paragraphs (2) and (3), or until

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(1) Fishing for Pacific halibut for food,
social and ceremonial purposes by
Indigenous groups in IPHC Regulatory
Area 2B shall be governed by the
Fisheries Act of Canada and regulations
as amended from time to time.
24. Customary and Traditional Fishing
in Alaska
(1) Customary and traditional fishing
for Pacific halibut in IPHC Regulatory
Areas 2C, 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and
4E shall be governed pursuant to
regulations promulgated by NOAA
Fisheries and published in 50 CFR part
300.
(2) Customary and traditional fishing
is authorized from 1 January through 31
December.
25. Recreational (Sport) Fishing for
Pacific Halibut—General
(1) No person shall engage in
recreational (sport) fishing for Pacific
halibut using gear other than a single
line with no more than two hooks
attached; or a spear.
(2) Any size limit promulgated under
IPHC or domestic regulations shall be
measured in a straight line passing over
the pectoral fin from the tip of the lower
jaw with the mouth closed, to the
extreme end of the middle of the tail as
depicted in Figure 2.
(3) Any Pacific halibut brought aboard
a vessel and not immediately returned
to the sea with a minimum of injury will
be included in the daily bag limit of the
person catching the Pacific halibut.
(4) No person may possess Pacific
halibut on a vessel while fishing in a
closed area.
(5) No Pacific halibut caught by
recreational (sport) fishing shall be
offered for sale, sold, traded, or bartered.
(6) No Pacific halibut caught in
recreational (sport) fishing shall be
possessed on board a vessel when other
fish or shellfish aboard said vessel are
destined for commercial use, sale, trade,
or barter.
(7) The operator of a charter vessel
shall be liable for any violations of these
Regulations committed by an angler on
board said vessel. In Alaska, the charter
vessel guide, as defined in 50 CFR
300.61 and referred to in 50 CFR 300.65,
300.66, and 300.67, shall be liable for
any violation of these Regulations
committed by an angler on board a
charter vessel.

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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 53 / Monday, March 18, 2024 / Rules and Regulations

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26. Recreational (Sport) Fishing for
Pacific Halibut—IPHC Regulatory Area
2A
(1) The Commission shall determine
and announce closing dates to the
public for any area in which the fishery
limits promulgated by NOAA Fisheries
are estimated to have been taken.
(2) When the Commission has
determined that a subquota under
paragraph (7) of this Section is
estimated to have been taken, and has
announced a date on which the season
will close, no person shall recreational
(sport) fish for Pacific halibut in that
area after that date for the rest of the
year, unless a reopening of that area for
recreational (sport) Pacific halibut
fishing is scheduled in accordance with
the Catch Sharing Plan for IPHC
Regulatory Area 2A, or announced by
the Commission.
(3) No person shall fish for Pacific
halibut from a vessel, nor land or retain
Pacific halibut on board a vessel, used
as a charter vessel in IPHC Regulatory
Area 2A, unless issued a permit valid
for fishing in IPHC Regulatory Area 2A
by NOAA Fisheries according to 50 CFR
300 Subpart E.
(4) In California, Oregon, or
Washington, no person shall fillet,
mutilate, or otherwise disfigure a Pacific
halibut in any manner that prevents the
determination of minimum size or the
number of fish caught, possessed, or
landed.
(5) The possession limit on a vessel
for Pacific halibut in the waters off the
coast of Washington is the same as the
daily bag limit. The possession limit for
Pacific halibut on land in Washington is
two daily bag limits.
(6) The possession limit on a vessel
for Pacific halibut caught in the waters
off the coast of Oregon is the same as the
daily bag limit. The possession limit for
Pacific halibut on land in Oregon is
three daily bag limits.
(7) The possession limit on a vessel
for Pacific halibut caught in the waters
off the coast of California is one daily
bag limit. The possession limit for
Pacific halibut on land in California is
one daily bag limit.
(8) Specific regulations describing
fishing periods, fishery limits, fishing
dates, and daily bag limits are
promulgated by NOAA Fisheries and
published in the Federal Register.
27. Recreational (Sport) Fishing for
Pacific Halibut—IPHC Regulatory Area
2B
(1) In all waters off British
Columbia: 6 7
6 DFO could implement more restrictive
regulations for the recreational (sport) fishery,

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(a) the recreational (sport) fishing
season will open on 1 February;
(b) the recreational (sport) fishing
season will close when the recreational
(sport) fishery limit allocated by DFO is
taken, or 31 December, whichever is
earlier; and
(c) the daily bag limit is two (2)
Pacific halibut of any size per day, per
person, and may be increased to a daily
bag limit of three (3) Pacific halibut per
day, per person on or after 1 August.
This provision shall remain in effect
through 2025, unless extended by a vote
of the Commission.
(2) In British Columbia, no person
shall fillet, mutilate, or otherwise
disfigure a Pacific halibut in any
manner that prevents the determination
of minimum size or the number of fish
caught, possessed, or landed.
(3) The possession limit for Pacific
halibut in the waters off the coast of
British Columbia is three Pacific
halibut.6 7
28. Recreational (Sport) Fishing for
Pacific Halibut—IPHC Regulatory Areas
2C, 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E
(1) In Convention waters in and off
Alaska: 8 9
(a) the recreational (sport) fishing
season is from 1 February to 31
December;
(b) the daily bag limit is two Pacific
halibut of any size per day per person
unless a more restrictive bag limit
applies in Commission regulations or
Federal regulations at 50 CFR 300.65;
(c) no person may possess more than
two daily bag limits;
(d) no person shall possess on board
a vessel, including charter vessels and
pleasure craft used for fishing, Pacific
halibut that have been filleted,
mutilated, or otherwise disfigured in
any manner, except that each Pacific
halibut may be cut into no more than 2
ventral pieces, 2 dorsal pieces, and 2
cheek pieces, with a patch of skin on
each piece, naturally attached. Either
one dorsal piece or one ventral piece
from one Pacific halibut on board may
be consumed;
therefore anglers are advised to check the current
Federal or Provincial regulations prior to fishing.
7 For regulations on the experimental recreational
fishery implemented by DFO check the current
Federal or Provincial regulations.
8 NOAA Fisheries could implement more
restrictive regulations for the recreational (sport)
fishery or components of it, therefore, anglers are
advised to check the current Federal or State
regulations prior to fishing.
9 Under regulations promulgated by NOAA
Fisheries at 50 CFR 300.66(u), it is unlawful for any
person to be a charter vessel guide of a charter
vessel on which one or more charter vessel anglers
are catching and retaining Pacific halibut in both
IPHC Regulatory Areas 2C and 3A during one
charter vessel fishing trip.

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(e) Pacific halibut in excess of the
possession limit in paragraph (1)(c) of
this Section may be possessed on a
vessel that does not contain recreational
(sport) fishing gear, fishing rods, hand
lines, or gaffs;
(f) Pacific halibut harvested on a
charter vessel fishing trip in IPHC
Regulatory Areas 2C or 3A must be
retained on board the charter vessel on
which the Pacific halibut was caught
until the end of the charter vessel
fishing trip as defined at 50 CFR 300.61;
(g) guided angler fish (GAF), as
described at 50 CFR 300.65, may be
used to allow a charter vessel angler to
harvest additional Pacific halibut up to
the limits in place for unguided anglers,
and are exempt from the requirements
in paragraphs (2) and (3) of this Section;
and
(h) if there is an annual limit on the
number of Pacific halibut that may be
retained by a charter vessel angler as
defined at 50 CFR 300.61, for purposes
of enforcing the annual limit, each
charter vessel angler must:
(1) maintain a nontransferable harvest
record in the angler’s possession if
retaining a Pacific halibut for which an
annual limit has been established. Such
harvest record must be maintained
either on the angler’s State of Alaska
recreational (sport) fishing license, an
ADFG approved electronic harvest
record, or on a Sport Fishing Harvest
Record Card obtained, without charge,
from ADFG offices, the ADFG website,
or fishing license vendors;
(2) immediately upon retaining a
Pacific halibut for which an annual
limit has been established, permanently
and legibly record the date, location
(IPHC Regulatory Area), and species of
the catch (Pacific halibut) on the harvest
record; and
(3) record the information required by
paragraph 1(h)(2) on any duplicate or
additional recreational (sport) fishing
license issued to the angler, duplicate
electronic harvest record, or any
duplicate or additional Sport Fishing
Harvest Record Card obtained by the
angler for all Pacific halibut previously
retained during that year that were
subject to the harvest record reporting
requirements of this Section.
(2) For guided recreational (sport)
fishing (as referred to in 50 CFR 300.65)
in IPHC Regulatory Area 2C:
(a) no person on board a charter vessel
(as referred to in 50 CFR 300.65) shall
catch and retain more than one Pacific
halibut per calendar day; and
(b) no person on board a charter
vessel (as referred to in 50 CFR 300.65)
shall catch and retain from, 1 February
to 14 July, any Pacific halibut that with
head on is greater than 40 inches (101.6

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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 53 / Monday, March 18, 2024 / Rules and Regulations
end of the middle of the tail. If a person
recreational (sport) fishing on a charter
vessel in IPHC Regulatory Area 3A
retains only one Pacific halibut in a
calendar day, that Pacific halibut may
be of any length;
(c) a ‘‘charter halibut permit’’ (as
referred to in 50 CFR 300.67) may only
be used for one charter vessel fishing
trip in which Pacific halibut are caught
and retained per calendar day. A charter
vessel fishing trip is defined at 50 CFR
300.61 as the time period between the
first deployment of fishing gear into the
water by a charter vessel angler (as
defined at 50 CFR 300.61) and the
offloading of one or more charter vessel
anglers or any Pacific halibut from that
vessel. For purposes of this trip limit, a
charter vessel fishing trip ends at 2359
(Alaska local time) on the same calendar
day that the fishing trip began, or when
any anglers or Pacific halibut are
offloaded, whichever comes first;
(d) a charter vessel on which one or
more anglers catch and retain Pacific

cm) and less than 80 inches (203.2 cm),
and from 15 July to 31 December, any
Pacific halibut that with head on is
greater than 36 inches (91.4 cm) and less
than 80 inches (203.2 cm), as measured
in a straight line, passing over the
pectoral fin from the tip of the lower jaw
with mouth closed, to the extreme end
of the middle of the tail; and
(c) no person on board a charter vessel
may catch and retain Pacific halibut on
any Friday from 19 July to 13
September.
(3) For guided recreational (sport)
fishing (as referred to in 50 CFR 300.65)
in IPHC Regulatory Area 3A:
(a) no person on board a charter vessel
(as referred to in 50 CFR 300.65) shall
catch and retain more than two Pacific
halibut per calendar day;
(b) at least one of the retained Pacific
halibut must have a head-on length of
no more than 28 inches (71.1 cm) as
measured in a straight line, passing over
the pectoral fin from the tip of the lower
jaw with mouth closed, to the extreme
181l'

l40'W

17D"W

19289

halibut may only make one charter
vessel fishing trip per calendar day. A
charter vessel fishing trip is defined at
50 CFR 300.61 as the time period
between the first deployment of fishing
gear into the water by a charter vessel
angler (as defined at 50 CFR 300.61) and
the offloading of one or more charter
vessel anglers or any Pacific halibut
from that vessel. For purposes of this
trip limit, a charter vessel fishing trip
ends at 2359 (Alaska local time) on the
same calendar day that the fishing trip
began, or when any anglers or Pacific
halibut are offloaded, whichever comes
first; and
(e) no person on board a charter vessel
may catch and retain Pacific halibut on
any Wednesday.
29. Previous Regulations Superseded
These Regulations shall supersede all
previous regulations of the Commission,
and these Regulations shall be effective
each succeeding year until superseded.
t30"W

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ao·

55•

so·

45•

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1:,~m!d states OfAmetica

40°N

AK-Alaska
BC. British Columbia
WA - Washington

Russian federauott EEZ

c=:HighSaas

oR .. Qregon
CA - California

- - - .. Maritime- Boundary
170"E

180"

170"W

160-W

1so·w

f30"W

120°w

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18MRR1

ER18MR24.000

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Figure 1. IPHC Regulatory Areas for the Pacific halibut fishery.

19290

Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 53 / Monday, March 18, 2024 / Rules and Regulations

- - - - 24 inches (61.0 cm) with head off - - ~
32 inches (81.3 cm) with head on
Length measured in a straight line, passing over the pectoral fin from the tip of
the lower jaw with the mouth closed, to the extreme end of the middle of the tail

.[~. -~-- . . . . . .~:~2
- ~ ·

..

~

Figure 2. Minimum commercial size.

lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with RULES1

IPHC Regulations
These IPHC annual management
measures are a product of an agreement
between the United States and Canada
and are published in the Federal
Register to provide notice of their
effectiveness and content. Pursuant to
Section 4 of the Northern Pacific
Halibut Act of 1982, 16 U.S.C. 773b, the
Secretary of State, with the concurrence
of the Secretary of Commerce, may only
accept or reject these recommendations
of the IPHC. These regulations become
effective when such acceptance and
concurrence occur. The notice-andcomment and delay-in-effectiveness
date provisions of the Administrative
Procedure Act (APA), 5 U.S.C. 553(b)
and (d), are inapplicable to IPHC
management measures because these
regulations involve a foreign affairs
function of the United States, 5 U.S.C.
553(a)(1). The Secretary of State has no
discretion to modify the
recommendations of the IPHC. The
additional time necessary to comply
with the notice-and-comment and
delay-in-effectiveness requirements of
the APA would disrupt coordinated
international conservation and
management of the halibut fishery
pursuant to the Convention and the
Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 1982.
The publication of these regulations
in the Federal Register provide the
affected public with notice that the

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IPHC management measures are in
effect. Furthermore, no other law
requires prior notice and public
comment for this rule. Because 5 U.S.C.
553 or any other law does not require
prior notice and an opportunity for
public comment for this notice of the
effectiveness of the IPHC’s 2024
management measures, the analytical
requirements of the Regulatory
Flexibility Act, 5 U.S.C. 601 et seq., are
not applicable. This final rule is exempt
from review under Executive Order
12866.
The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
requires consideration of the impact of
recordkeeping and other information
collection burdens imposed on the
public. Alaska state law establishes
information collection requirements
regarding harvest records for individual
recreational anglers. See Alaska Admin.
Code tit. 5, § 75.006(a) (2023). This final
rule contains no new recordkeeping
requirements beyond those contained in
existing Alaska State or Federal law and
therefore involves no additional
collection of information burden.
Moreover, because there is, at present,
no annual limit on the number of Pacific
halibut that may be retained by a charter
vessel angler as defined at 50 CFR
300.61, the recordkeeping requirements
referenced in section 29(1)(h) of the
IPHC’s Annual Management Measures
do not apply during 2024.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 773 et seq.

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Dated: March 11, 2024.
Samuel D. Rauch, III,
Deputy Assistant Administer for Regulatory
Programs, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024–05481 Filed 3–15–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 622
[Docket No. 231101–0256; RTID 0648–
XD766]

Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of
Mexico, and South Atlantic; 2024
Recreational Fishing Season and
Closure Date for Blueline Tilefish in the
South Atlantic
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Temporary rule; recreational
fishing season.
AGENCY:

NMFS announces the 2024
recreational fishing season for blueline
tilefish in South Atlantic Federal
waters. Announcing the length of the
recreational season is part of the
accountability measures (AMs) for the
recreational sector. The recreational
season opens on May 1, 2024, and
NMFS has projected that recreational

SUMMARY:

E:\FR\FM\18MRR1.SGM

18MRR1

ER18MR24.001

Classification


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