🎣2025 Regulatory Changes for Pacific Halibut Fisheries Impacting Businesses
Pacific Halibut Fisheries of the West Coast; 2025 Catch Sharing Plan and Recreational Fishery Management Measures
Summary
This final rule approves changes to the Pacific Halibut Catch Sharing Plan (CSP) for the International Pacific Halibut Commission's (IPHC) regulatory Area 2A off Washington, Oregon, and California. In addition, the rule implements new management measures for the 2025 recreational fisheries in Area 2A, including the recreational fishery season open dates and subarea allocations for Area 2A. This action also adds a new inseason management provision that explicitly allows for the inseason transfer of anticipated uncaught recreational fishery allocation from the Northern California subarea to the South of Point Arena subarea. These actions are intended to conserve Pacific halibut, while providing additional angler opportunity to achieve the Area 2A allocation set by the IPHC.
Agencies
- Commerce Department
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Business Impact
$$$ - High
The regulation outlines mandatory compliance for businesses involved in the Pacific halibut fisheries, affecting their operational schedules and allocation management. It introduces specific measures for catch sharing and inseason management that need to be adhered to, directly impacting fishing practices, seasons, and market availability.