Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery

This interim final rule amends the regulations governing the Pacific coast groundfish limited-entry fishery to: (1) Clarify distinctions between holders, owners, and lessees of limited-entry permits in the Pacific coast groundfish fishery by adding definitions of these terms and making minor corrections consistent with the new definitions; (2) clarify that shrimp (including spot and ridgeback prawn) trawls, California halibut trawls, and California sea cucumber trawls are ``exempted gear''; (3) delete trip limits for groundfish taken in the pink shrimp and spot and ridgeback prawn trawl fisheries; (4) designate trip limits in the pink shrimp and spot and ridgeback prawn fisheries as ``routine'' management measures; (5) modify the method of calculating allocations for the ``open-access'' fishery; and (6) clarify that the sablefish ``regular'' season for nontrawl gear only applies to the limited-entry groundfish fishery. These actions are necessary to make the regulations implementing the Fishery Management Plan for the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery (FMP) consistent with Amendment 6 (limited entry) to the FMP, and to improve recordkeeping and enforcement of regulations in the Pacific coast groundfish fishery.