Fisheries Off West Coast States; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; Extension of Emergency Action To Temporarily Remove 2021 Seasonal Processing Limitations for Pacific Whiting Motherships and Catcher-Processors

This temporary rule extends emergency measures that allow at- sea Pacific whiting processing vessels to operate as both a mothership and a catcher-processor during the 2021 Pacific whiting fishery. These emergency measures were originally authorized until November 10, 2021. This temporary rule extends the emergency measures through December 31, 2021. This action is necessary to ensure catcher vessels in the at- sea whiting sector are able to fully harvest sector allocations. Emergency measures under this extended temporary rule will allow catcher-processors to operate as motherships and replace mothership processing vessels that are unable to operate in the at-sea whiting sector during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and resulting high economic uncertainty in 2021.