NOAA Fisheries has projected that 90 percent of the longfin squid Trimester II quota will be harvested by August 2, 2023. Therefore, effective 00:01 hr local time on August 2, 2023, vessels may not fish for, possess, or land more than 250 lb of longfin squid at any time per trip, and may only land longfin squid once per calendar day, through 24:00 hr local time on August 31, 2023. Vessels that enter port before 00:01 hr local time on August 2, 2023, may land and sell more than 250 lb of longfin squid from that trip.
Vessels issued a Tier 1 or Tier 2 longfin squid moratorium permit may possess more than 250 lb of longfin squid per trip, provided that the vessel: Declares into the directed Illex fishery via its vessel monitoring system; fishes in the Illex Squid Exemption Area (Figure 1); possesses more than 10,000 lb of Illex squid on board; and possesses less than 15,000 lb (Tier 1 longfin squid moratorium permit) or 5,000 lb (Tier 2 longfin squid moratorium permit) of longfin squid on board. All fishing gear must be stowed and rendered not available for immediate use once such a vessel is landward of the coordinates defining the Illex Squid Exemption Area.
Figure 1. Illex Squid Exemption Area Map
Also effective 00:01 hr local time on August 2, 2023 through 24:00 hr local time on August 31, 2023, federally permitted dealers may not purchase more than 250 lb of longfin squid from a federally permitted longfin squid vessel unless: The vessel enters port before 00:01 hr local time on August 2, 2023; or the vessel is vessel issued a Tier 1 or Tier 2 longfin squid moratorium permit and was on a declared Illex squid trip in the Illex Squid Exemption Area. The 2023 Trimester III quota for longfin squid will become available on September 1, 2023.
For more information, please read the notice as filed in the Federal Register.
This bulletin serves as a Small Entity Compliance Guide, complying with section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996.
