Fisheries off West Coast States; the Highly Migratory Species Fishery; El Nino Pacific Loggerhead Conservation Area Closure

NMFS is reopening the Pacific Loggerhead Conservation Area (LCA) closure that became effective on June 1, 2024, because the sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the Southern California Bight (SCB) for the months of May and June 2024 indicate that SSTs have returned to normal or below normal and that El Ni[ntilde]o conditions are no longer present in the SCB. The LCA prohibits fishing with large-mesh drift gillnet (DGN) gear (>=14 inches mesh) off the coast of southern California east of the 120[deg] W meridian from June 1, 2024, through August 31, 2024. Based on recent observations of SSTs in the SCB along with the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) report related to changing El Ni[ntilde]o conditions, NMFS has determined that reopening the area is warranted.