Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries Off West Coast States; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; Biennial Specifications and Management Measures; Inseason Adjustments

This final rule takes two actions: It establishes the 2007 harvest specifications for Pacific whiting (whiting) in the U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and state waters off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California; and, it announces inseason changes to management measures in the commercial and recreational Pacific Coast groundfish fisheries. These actions are authorized by the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The 2007 whiting harvest specifications include the level of the acceptable biological catch (ABC), optimum yield (OY), tribal allocation, and allocations for the non-tribal commercial whiting sectors, and are intended to establish allowable harvest levels of whiting based on the best available scientific information. The inseason changes to fishery management measures are intended to allow fisheries to access more abundant groundfish stocks while protecting overfished and depleted species, and to reduce possible confusion to the public over differing state and Federal regulations.