Fisheries Off West Coast States and in the Western Pacific; Coastal Pelagic Species Fishery; Amendment 9

NMFS issues this final rule to implement Amendment 9 to the Coastal Pelagic Species Fishery Management Plan (FMP), which was submitted by the Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) for review and approval by the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) and which was approved on March 22, 2001. Amendment 9 was prepared to provide for documentation of bycatch in the coastal pelagic species fishery (CPS), to ensure that a standardized reporting methodology to assess the amount and type of bycatch is in place, to put in place any necessary conservation and management measures to minimize bycatch, and to ensure that Indian fishing rights are implemented according to treaties between the U.S. and the tribes. The final rule implements Amendment 9 with respect to Indian fishing rights and codifies a provision in the FMP that authorizes the Regional Administrator, Southwest Region, to require observers on fishing vessels for scientific purposes should such observers be necessary. The intent of this final rule is to implement Amendment 9 and to codify the authorization to require observers.