Fisheries Off West Coast States; West Coast Groundfish Fisheries; Amendment 31 to the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan

NMFS announces the approval of Amendment 31 to the Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council) Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP). Amendment 31 defines stocks that are in need of conservation and management, consistent with the provisions and guidelines of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Amendment 31 defines stocks for 14 species within the fishery management unit. These species were prioritized because they had stock assessments in 2021 or 2023. Amendment 31 is necessary for NMFS to make stock status determinations, which in turn will help prevent overfishing, rebuild overfished stocks, and achieve optimum yield. Amendment 31 is administrative in nature and does not change harvest levels or timing and location of fishing, nor does it revise the goals and objectives or the management frameworks of the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan.