679.23—Seasons.
(a) Groundfish, general.
Fishing for groundfish in the GOA and BSAI is authorized from 0001 hours, A.l.t., January 1, through 2400 hours, A.l.t., December 31, subject to the other provisions of this part, except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section.
(b) Time of groundfish openings and closures.
The time of all openings and closures of fishing seasons, other than the beginning and end of the calendar fishing year, is 1200 hours, A.l.t.
(c) GOA and BSAI trawl groundfish.
Notwithstanding other provisions of this part, fishing for groundfish with trawl gear in the GOA and BSAI is prohibited from 0001 hours, A.l.t., January 1, through 1200 hours, A.l.t., January 20.
(d) GOA groundfish seasons—
(1) Directed fishing for trawl rockfish.
Directed fishing for rockfish with trawl gear is authorized from 1200 hours, A.l.t., on the first day of the third quarterly reporting period of a fishing year through 2400 hours, A.l.t., December 31, subject to other provisions of this part.
(2) Directed fishing for pollock.
Subject to other provisions of this part, directed fishing for pollock in the Western and Central Regulatory Areas is authorized only during the following four seasons:
(3)
Directed fishing for Pacific cod (i) Hook-and-line, pot, or jig gear. Subject to other provisions of this part, directed fishing for Pacific cod with hook-and-line, pot, or jig gear in the Western and Central Regulatory Areas is authorized only during the following two seasons:
(ii) Trawl gear.
Subject to other provisions of this part, directed fishing for Pacific cod with trawl gear in the Western and Central Regulatory Areas is authorized only during the following two seasons:
(4)
Directed fishing for Pacific cod (applicable through December 31, 2002)—(i) Hook-and-line, pot, or jig gear. Subject to other provisions of this part, directed fishing for Pacific cod with hook-and-line, pot, or jig gear in the Western and Central Regulatory Areas is authorized only during the following two seasons:
(ii) Trawl gear.
Subject to other provisions of this part, directed fishing for Pacific cod with trawl gear in the Western and Central Regulatory Areas is authorized only during the following two seasons:
(5) Directed fishing for Pacific cod.
Directed fishing for Pacific cod in the Western and Central Regulatory Areas is prohibited.
(e) BSAI groundfish seasons—
(1) Directed fishing for arrowtooth flounder and Greenland turbot.
Directed fishing for arrowtooth flounder and Greenland turbot in the BSAI is authorized from 1200 hours, A.l.t., May 1, through 2400 hours, A.l.t., December 31, subject to the other provisions of this part.
(2) Directed fishing for pollock in the Bering Sea subarea by inshore, offshore
Subject to other provisions of this part, directed fishing for pollock by vessels catching pollock for processing by the inshore component, catcher/processors in the offshore component, and motherships in the offshore component in the Bering Sea subarea, directed fishing for pollock in the AI directed pollock fishery, or directed fishing for CDQ pollock in the BSAI is authorized only during the following two seasons:
(3) Directed fishing for Atka mackerel with trawl gear.
Subject to other provisions of this part, non-CDQ directed fishing for Atka mackerel with trawl gear in the Aleutian Islands subarea is authorized only during the following two seasons:
(4) CDQ fishing seasons.
(i) Halibut CDQ.
Fishing for CDQ halibut with fixed gear under an approved CDQ allocation may begin on the effective date of the allocation, except that CDQ fishing may occur only during the fishing periods specified in the annual management measures published in the Federal Register pursuant to § 300.62 of chapter III of this title.
(ii) Sablefish CDQ.
Fishing for CDQ sablefish with fixed gear under an approved CDQ allocation may begin on the effective date of the allocation, except that it may occur only during the IFQ fishing season specified in paragraph (g)(1) of this section.
(iii) Groundfish CDQ.
Fishing for groundfish CDQ species, other than CDQ pollock; hook-and-line, jig, or trawl CDQ Pacific cod; and fixed gear CDQ sablefish under subpart C of this part, is authorized from 0001 hours, A.l.t., January 1 through the end of each fishing year, except as provided under paragraph (c) of this section.
(iv)
Groundfish CDQ (applicable through December 31, 2002). Fishing for groundfish CDQ species, other than pollock CDQ; hook-and-line, jig, or trawl Pacific cod CDQ; and fixed gear sablefish CDQ under subpart C of this part, is authorized from 0001 hours, A.l.t., January 1 through the end of each fishing year, except as provided under paragraph (c) of this section.
(v)
Pollock CDQ and Pacific cod CDQ harvested with hook-and-line, jig or trawl gear (applicable through December 31, 2002). (A) Fishing for pollock CDQ is authorized under paragraph (e)(5) of this section.
(B)
Fishing for Pacific cod CDQ with hook-and-line, jig or trawl gear is authorized under paragraph (e)(6) of this section.
(5) Directed fishing for Pacific cod—
(i) Hook-and-line gear.
Subject to other provisions of this part, directed fishing for CDQ and non-CDQ Pacific cod with vessels equal to or greater than 60 ft (18.3 m) LOA using hook-and-line gear is authorized only during the following two seasons:
(ii) Trawl gear.
Subject to other provisions of this part, directed fishing for CDQ and non-CDQ Pacific cod with trawl gear in the BSAI is authorized only during the following three seasons:
(iii) Pot gear.
Subject to other provisions of this part, non-CDQ directed fishing for Pacific cod with vessels equal to or greater than 60 ft (18.3 m) LOA using pot gear in the BSAI is authorized only during the following two seasons:
(iv) Jig gear.
Subject to other provisions of this part, directed fishing for CDQ and non-CDQ Pacific cod with jig gear is authorized only during the following three seasons:
(f) IFQ halibut.
The fishing period(s) for IFQ halibut are established by the IPHC and are specified in the annual management measures published in the Federal Register pursuant to § 300.62 of chapter III of this title. Catches of halibut by fixed gear at times other than during the specified fishing periods must be treated as prohibited species as prescribed at § 679.21(b).
(g) IFQ sablefish.
(1)
Directed fishing for sablefish using fixed gear in any IFQ regulatory area may be conducted in any fishing year during the period specified by the Regional Administrator and announced by publication in the Federal Register. The Regional Administrator will take into account the opening date of the halibut season when determining the opening date for sablefish for the purposes of reducing bycatch and regulatory discards between the two fisheries.
(2)
Catches of sablefish by fixed gear during other periods may be retained up to the amounts provided for by the directed fishing standards specified at § 679.20 when made by an individual aboard the vessel who has a valid IFQ permit and unused IFQ in the account on which the permit was issued.
(3)
Catches of sablefish in excess of the maximum retainable bycatch amounts and catches made without IFQ must be treated in the same manner as prohibited species as defined at § 679.21(b).
| If you own or operate a catcher vessel and fish for groundfish with trawl gear in the* * * | You are prohibited from subsequently deploying trawl gear in the* * * | Until* * * |
|---|---|---|
| (1) BSAI while pollock or Pacific cod is open to directed fishing in the BSAI | Western and Central GOA regulatory areas | 1200 hours A.l.t. on the third day after the date of landing or transfer of all groundfish on board the vessel harvested in the BSAI, unless you are engaged in directed fishing for Pacific cod in the GOA for processing by the offshore component. |
| (2) Western GOA regulatory area while pollock or inshore Pacific cod is open to directed fishing in the Western GOA regulatory area | BSAI | 1200 hours A.l.t. on the third day after the date of landing or transfer of all groundfish on board the vessel harvested in the Western Regulatory Area of the GOA, unless you are participating in a CDQ fishery. |
| (3) Central GOA regulatory area while pollock or inshore Pacific cod is open to directed fishing in the Central GOA regulatory area | BSAI | 1200 hours A.l.t. on the second day after the date of landing or transfer of all groundfish on board the vessel harvested in the Central GOA regulatory area , unless you are participating in a CDQ fishery. |
(i) Catcher vessel exclusive fishing seasons for pollock.
Catcher vessels are prohibited from participating in directed fishing for pollock under the following conditions. Vessels less than 125 ft (38.1 m) LOA are exempt from this restriction when fishing east of 157°00′ W long. GOA and BSAI seasons are specified at § 679.23(d)(2) and § 679.23(e)(2).
Code of Federal Regulations
Code of Federal Regulations
672
[61 FR 31230, June 19, 1996]