Fisheries Off West Coast States and in the Western Pacific; Western Pacific Crustacean Fisheries; 1998 Harvest Guideline

NMFS announces a 1998 harvest guideline of 286,000 lobsters (spiny and slipper lobsters combined) for the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) crustacean fishery, which opens on July 1, 1998. The harvest guideline applies to the entire NWHI; however, due to the potential for overexploitation of lobster populations at certain NWHI banks/areas, the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) is considering allocating the harvest guideline among specific areas or banks to ensure the long-term health of the lobster populations and stability of the fishery. The intent of this action is to prevent overfishing and achieve the objectives of the Fishery Management Plan for the Crustacean Fisheries of the Western Pacific Region (FMP).