The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued a final rule to establish harvest specifications and management measures for the 2025-26 Pacific Coast groundfish fishery. This rule sets limits on how much groundfish can be caught each year and revises management measures to prevent overfishing and help rebuild stock. Key changes include implementing a rebuilding plan for California quillback rockfish and updating allocation frameworks and fishing regulations. The rule also introduces a new permit system for the directed open access fishery and includes technical corrections and modifications to existing regulations.
Simple Explanation
The NOAA made new rules to help take care of fish in the ocean by setting limits on how many fish can be caught and by making plans to help fish that need a chance to grow more. These changes also include new rules about who can catch fish, and they fix little mistakes in older rules to make everything clearer.