NMFS announces the opening of directed fishing for sablefish with fixed gear managed under the Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) program. The season will open on 1200 hrs, Alaska local time (A.l.t.), March 15, 1998, and will close 1200 hrs, A.l.t., November 15, 1998. This period runs concurrently with the IFQ season for Pacific halibut announced by the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC). The IFQ halibut season will be announced by publication in the Federal Register.