Fisheries off West Coast States and in the Western Pacific; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; Annual Specifications and Management Measures; Trip Limit Adjustments; Correction

NMFS announces changes in the following trip limits for the Pacific Coast groundfish fisheries: limited entry groundfish trawl gear fisheries for minor slope rockfish, splitnose rockfish, DTS complex (Dover sole, thornyheads and sablefish), flatfish fisheries, widow rockfish, yellowtail rockfish, and the 'other fish' category; limited entry fixed gear fisheries for minor slope rockfish, splitnose rockfish, sablefish, minor nearshore rockfish, lingcod and the 'other fish' category; and open access fisheries for sablefish, minor nearshore rockfish, lingcod, and the 'other fish' category. Additionally, pink shrimp exempted trawl gear incidental groundfish landings limits are now listed in the open access trip limit table rather than just in the text at IV.C.(3) to ensure clarity. These actions, which are authorized by the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP), will allow fisheries access to healthy groundfish stocks, prevent fisheries that are approaching their OY from exceeding their OY, and protect overfished and depleted stocks. With this inseason trip limit adjustment, NMFS also announces that the States of Washington and Oregon are implementing a declaration requirement for limited entry trawl vessels intending to fish with midwater trawl gear in the Darkblotched Rockfish Conservation Area (DBCA) north of 40[deg]10' N. lat. This document also contains a correction to the limited entry trawl gear trip limit for canary rockfish south of 40[deg]10' N. lat. to reflect the closure in the south that was effective July 1, 2002.