Fisheries Off West Coast States; Coastal Pelagic Species Fisheries; Biennial Specifications; 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 Specifications for Pacific Mackerel

NMFS is implementing allowable harvest levels and harvest reference points, including the overfishing limit, acceptable biological catch, and annual catch limit, for Pacific mackerel in the exclusive economic zone off the U.S. West Coast (California, Oregon, and Washington) for the fishing seasons 2023-2024 and 2024-2025. The allowable harvest levels include a harvest guideline and annual catch target for the 2023-2024 fishing season of 7,871 metric tons (mt) and 6,871 mt, respectively and a harvest guideline and annual catch target for the 2024-2025 fishing season of 8,943 mt and 7,943 mt, respectively. If the fishery attains the annual catch target in either fishing season, the directed fishery will close, reserving the 1,000-mt difference between the harvest guideline and annual catch target as a set-aside for incidental landings in other Coastal Pelagic Species fisheries and other sources of mortality. This final rule is made pursuant to the Coastal Pelagic Species Fishery Management Plan and is intended to conserve and manage the Pacific mackerel stock off the U.S. West Coast.