Fisheries off West Coast States and in the Western Pacific

NMFS is consolidating six CFR parts into one new CFR part. The new part contains regulations implementing management measures for fisheries operating in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off West Coast and Western Pacific states. The domestic fisheries for groundfish and ocean salmon off the West Coast and for precious corals, crustaceans, bottomfish and seamount groundfish, and Pelagics of the Western Pacific will be managed under this new part. This final rule does not make substantive changes to the existing regulations; rather, it reorganizes management measures into a more logical and cohesive order, removes duplicative and outdated provisions, and makes editorial changes for readability, clarity, and to achieve uniformity in regulatory language. This final rule also amends references to Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) information-collection requirements to reflect the consolidation. The purpose of this final rule is to make the regulations more concise, better organized, and thereby easier for the public to use. This action is part of the President's Regulatory Reinvention Initiative.