Fisheries Off West Coast States; Coastal Pelagic Species Fisheries; Change to Start of Pacific Sardine Fishing Year

NMFS issues this final rule to change the starting date of the annual Pacific sardine fishery from January 1 to July 1. This changes the annual fishing season from one based on the calendar year to one based on a July 1 through the following June 30th schedule. No other changes to the annual allocation structure are being made and the existing seasonal allocation percentages will remain as specified in the FMP, as would the current quota roll-over provisions. This rule also establishes a one-time interim harvest allocation period from January 1, 2014 through June 30, 2014 to allow for continued fishing during the transition from a January to July start of the fishing season. The purpose of this final rule is to better align the timing of the research and science that is used in the annual stock assessments with the annual management schedule. To enable this transition in fishing years, this action also establishes a one-time interim harvest period for the 6 months from January 1, 2014, through June 30, 2014.