NOAA adjusts rockfish and sablefish catches by exact latitude lines
Published Date: 8/20/2026
Rule
Summary
This final rule announces routine inseason adjustments to management measures in commercial groundfish fisheries. These inseason adjustments will increase sablefish trip limits in the limited entry (LE) and open access (OA) sectors north and south of 36[deg] North latitude (N lat.), and reduce vermilion/sunset rockfish sub-trip limits within the shelf rockfish complex in the LE and OA sectors south of 34[deg]27' N lat. This action is intended to allow commercial fishing vessels to access more abundant groundfish stocks while protecting overfished and depleted stocks.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
Sablefish Trip Limits Raised
Effective August 20, 2026, NMFS increases sablefish trip limits for limited-entry (LE) and open-access (OA) commercial sectors north and south of 36° N latitude. New limits: LE North 7,000 lb/week not to exceed 14,000 lb/2 months; LE South 4,000 lb/week; OA North 5,000 lb/week not to exceed 10,000 lb/2 months; OA South 3,200 lb/week not to exceed 9,600 lb/2 months. The agency projects these increases could allow about 183 metric tons more sablefish catch (about 4% of the 2026 landing target of 7,773 mt), expanding harvest opportunity and economic benefit for commercial fishers.
Vermilion/Sunset Sub-Limits Cut
Effective August 20, 2026, NMFS reduces vermilion/sunset rockfish sub-trip limits within the shelf rockfish complex for commercial non-trawl sectors south of 34°27' N latitude. New sub-trip limits: Limited Entry South (LES) 2,500 lb/2 months and Open Access South (OAS) 750 lb/2 months. NMFS projects these reductions will lower vermilion/sunset rockfish mortality to about 98.3 metric tons (98.3% of the 100 mt commercial non-trawl allocation) for 2026, helping avoid exceeding the allocation.
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