Fisheries off West Coast States and in the Western Pacific; Coastal Pelagic Species Fisheries; Reallocation of Pacific Sardine

NMFS announces the reallocation of the remaining Pacific sardine harvest guideline in the exclusive economic zone off the Pacific coast. As of October 3, 2001, 72,306 metric tons (mt) of the 134,737 mt harvest guideline remains unharvested. The Coastal Pelagics Species Fishery Management Plan (FMP) requires that a review of the fishery be conducted 9 months after the beginning of the fishing season and any uncaught portion of the harvest guideline totaled and reallocated, with 50 percent allocated north and 50 percent allocated south of Pt. Piedras Blancas, CA; therefore, 36,153 mt is allocated to each area. The intended effect of this action is to ensure that a sufficient amount of the resource is available to all harvesters on the Pacific coast and to achieve optimum yield.