# 2026-19346: West Coast Groundfish Quotas Set for 2027-28 Season 2026-19346, Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries Off West Coast States; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan; Amendment 38; 2027-28 Biennial Specifications and Management Measures, is a Federal Register proposed rule from Commerce Department, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration published 2026-09-22, effective Comments must be received no later than October 22, 2026.; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-29). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-19346 - As of: 2026-09-29 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Document number: 2026-19346 - Title: Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries Off West Coast States; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan; Amendment 38; 2027-28 Biennial Specifications and Management Measures - Type: Proposed Rule - Agencies: Commerce Department; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - Citation: 91 FR 60238 - Published: 2026-09-22 - Effective: Comments must be received no later than October 22, 2026. - Comments close: 2026-10-22 - Significant: no - Touches household money: yes - Regulation identifier numbers: 0648-BO46 - Last updated: 2026-09-29 ## In one line West Coast Groundfish Quotas Set for 2027-28 Season ## Summary This new rule sets fishing limits and rules for groundfish off the West Coast for 2027-28, affecting fishermen in Washington, Oregon, and California. It removes rebuilding plans for two rockfish species and changes some fishing area closures to help balance fishing and conservation. Comments on these changes are open until October 22, 2026, so stakeholders have a chance to weigh in before the rules take effect. ## Abstract This rule proposes 2027-28 harvest specifications and management measures for groundfish caught in the U.S. exclusive economic zone seaward of Washington, Oregon, and California, consistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act or MSA) and the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (Groundfish FMP). This rule also includes proposed regulations to implement amendment 38 to the Groundfish FMP, which would remove rebuilding plan requirements for yelloweye rockfish and California quillback rockfish. Lastly, this rule includes proposed regulations to modify select fishery closures that apply to both groundfish and Pacific halibut. ## Effects PRIA read - 2027-28 West Coast groundfish limits: mixed, high. This proposed rule would set harvest limits and management measures for more than 90 groundfish stocks in the U.S. exclusive economic zone off Washington, Oregon, and California for the 2027-28 biennium. If finalized, commercial and recreational fishers in WA, OR, and CA would face the new annual c… - Yelloweye & quillback rebuilding removed: benefit, high. The rule would remove rebuilding-plan requirements for yelloweye rockfish and California quillback rockfish. As stated, ACLs for those two stocks would increase by more than 100 percent as a result of their rebuilt status (yelloweye was declared rebuilt in May 2026), which would open additional fis… - Canary rockfish ACL increased: benefit, medium. NMFS proposes an alternative harvest control rule for canary rockfish (coastwide) that sets ABC = ACL with P* 0.45 and removes the 40-10 reduction. This would increase the 2027 ACL by 37 metric tons and the 2028 ACL by 41 metric tons compared to the default rule and is described as providing meanin… - Chilipepper rockfish ACLs rise sharply: benefit, high. For chilipepper rockfish, NMFS proposes to use the default harvest control rule, which would raise the 2027 ACL by 1,020 metric tons and the 2028 ACL by 904 metric tons compared with the more conservative alternative the Council considered. The rule notes higher ACLs may enable new market opportuni… - Petrale sole ACLs modestly raised: benefit, medium. NMFS proposes a constant ABC = ACL of 2,489 mt for petrale sole in 2027-28 (the same as the 2026 emergency rule). That alternative would increase the ACL by 40 mt in 2027 and 66 mt in 2028 compared with the default harvest control rule, providing relief to commercial fishers. - Rougheye/blackspotted ACLs cut: cost, high. For rougheye/blackspotted rockfish, NMFS proposes a conservative alternative setting the ACL at 300 mt for both 2027 and 2028. That alternative would reduce the ACLs by 544 mt in 2027 and 527 mt in 2028 compared with the default harvest control rule. - Shortspine thornyhead ACL modestly raised: benefit, medium. NMFS proposes a constant ABC = ACL of 902 mt for shortspine thornyhead in 2027-28 (same as the 2026 emergency rule). This alternative would increase ACLs by 55 mt in 2027 and 46 mt in 2028 compared with the default rule, offering relief to trawl and non-trawl sectors. - Widow rockfish alternative ACL proposed: mixed, high. NMFS proposes an alternative ACL for widow rockfish of 6,238 metric tons applied over 2027-28. That proposed ACL would be about 40 percent lower than the 2026 ACL of 10,392 mt, but about 26 percent higher than the 2027 ACL under the default harvest control rule (4,596 mt), so it reduces the sudden… - Yellowtail north phased ACL increases: benefit, medium. For yellowtail rockfish north of 40°10' N lat., NMFS proposes a phase-in that sets ABC/ACL at 5,050 mt for 2027 and 4,730 mt for 2028 (one metric ton below the OFL for 2027). These values increase ACLs by 327 mt in 2027 and 190 mt in 2028 compared with the default harvest control rule and are inten… - Changes to some fishery area closures: mixed, low. The proposed rule would modify select fishery area closures that apply to both groundfish and Pacific halibut to better balance fishing opportunity and conservation. These area-closure changes would affect where commercial and recreational fishers can fish in the EEZ off Washington, Oregon, and Cal… ## Related documents - [2026-14204](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-14204): Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary; Delay of Effective Date, 2026-07-15 - [2026-14195](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-14195): Rescinding the Definition of “Harm” Under the Endangered Species Act, 2026-07-14 - [2026-07536](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-07536): Taking and Importing Marine Mammals; Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to Geophysical Surveys in the Gulf of America, 2026-04-17 - [2026-05599](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-05599): Deep Seabed Mining: Notice of Receipt of Applications for Deep Seabed Mining Exploration Licenses and Announcement of Public Comment Period…, 2026-03-23 - [2026-04256](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-04256): Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Spatial Fisheries Management; Amendment 15 to the 2006 Consolidated Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Fi…, 2026-03-04 - [2025-06746](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-06746): Rescinding the Definition of “Harm” Under the Endangered Species Act, 2025-04-17 ## Sources - [2026-19346 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/09/22/2026-19346/magnuson-stevens-act-provisions-fisheries-off-west-coast-states-pacific-coast-groundfish-fishery) - [2026-19346 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-09-22/pdf/2026-19346.pdf) ## Related - [Previous: 2026-19345, Airworthiness Directives; Bell Textron Canada Limited Helicopters](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-19345) - [Next: 2026-19349, Nonclinical Testing Terminology](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-19349) - [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-19346 (as of 2026-09-29).