Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries off West Coast States; Vessel Movement, Monitoring, and Declaration Management for the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery

This rule revises reporting and monitoring provisions for vessels participating in the Pacific Coast groundfish fishery. This would: Increase the position transmission rate for certain vessels using NMFS type-approved vessel monitoring system units; allow midwater trawl vessels participating in the Pacific whiting fishery to change their landing declarations while at sea; exempt groundfish trawl vessels from observer coverage while testing authorized fishing gear; and allow shorebased Individual Fishing Quota fixed gear vessels to deploy pot gear in one management area while retrieving gear from another management area on a single trip. This action will increase monitoring efficiency and effectiveness, improve enforcement of restricted areas, and increase operational flexibility for groundfish fishery participants.