Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act Provisions; Fisheries Off West Coast States and in the Western Pacific; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; Annual Specifications; Pacific Whiting

This final rule establishes the 2004 fishery specifications for whiting in the U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and state waters off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California as authorized by the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP). This Federal Register document also serves to announces that the whiting resource is estimated to be above the target rebuilding biomass and will no longer have an overfished species status, and amends the final rule implementing the specifications and management measures for the 2004 fishing year, which were published March 9, 2004. These specifications include the allowable biological catch (ABC), optimum yield (OY), tribal allocation, and allocations for the non-tribal commercial sectors. The intended effect of this action is to establish allowable harvest levels of whiting based on the best available scientific information. NMFS is specifically seeking comments on changes to the ABC in this final rule. These changes are described below in the section of the preamble titled ABC/OY Recommendations.