Fisheries Off West Coast States; West Coast Salmon Fisheries; 2021 Management Measures

NOAA Fisheries is issuing a final rule to implement fishery management measures for the 2021 ocean salmon fisheries. Through this final rule, NMFS establishes fishery management measures for the 2021 ocean salmon fisheries off Washington, Oregon, and California and the 2022 salmon seasons opening earlier than May 16, 2022, under authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA).

Specific fishery management measures vary by fishery and by area, and establish fishing areas, seasons, quotas, legal gear, recreational fishing days and catch limits, possession and landing restrictions, and minimum lengths for salmon taken in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) (3-200 nautical miles (nmi)) (5.6-370.4 kilometers (km)) off Washington, Oregon, and California. The management measures are intended to prevent overfishing and to apportion the ocean harvest equitably among treaty Indian, non-Indian commercial, and recreational fisheries. The measures are also intended to allow a portion of the salmon runs to escape the ocean fisheries in order to provide for spawning escapement, comply with applicable law, and to provide fishing opportunity for inside fisheries (fisheries occurring in state waters).

Correcting Amendment

NOAA Fisheries is publishing a final rule to implement a correction to previously published management measures for the recreational ocean salmon fishery in the area from Pigeon Point, California, to the U.S./Mexico border (Monterey management area) to be consistent with the intent of the Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council). This action is necessary to correct an error in transcription of the ocean salmon management measures recommended by the Council in the development of the final rule published on May 14, 2021 (86 FR 26425). This error resulted in the omission of a recreational salmon fishery in the Monterey management area during the period May 16, 2021, through September 30, 2021.

The correcting amendment is effective May 24, 2021.