Pacific Halibut Fisheries of the West Coast; 2023 Catch Sharing Plan; Automatic Action

Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to the agency docket number / agency internal file number the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 50 CFR Part 300 [Docket No. 230331-0089; RTID 0648-XD229] AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Temporary rule; closure. SUMMARY: NMFS announces closure of the Pacific halibut recreational fishery in the California Coast subarea of the International Pacific Halibut Commission's regulatory Area 2A. The California Coast subarea will close on August 4, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. This action is intended to conserve Pacific halibut. DATES: Effective August 4, 2023, at 11:59 p.m., through November 15, 2023. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Heather Fitch, 360-320-6549, heather.fitch@noaa.gov . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On April 11, 2023, NMFS published a final rule approving changes to the Pacific halibut Area 2A Catch Sharing Plan and implementing recreational (sport) management measures for the 2023 Area 2A recreational fisheries ( 88 FR 21503 ), as authorized by the Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 1982 ( 16 U.S.C. 773-773(k) ). The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) 2023 Catch Sharing Plan provides a recommended framework for NMFS' annual management measures and subarea allocations based on the 2023 Area 2A Pacific halibut catch limit of 1,520,000 pounds (lb) (689 metric tons (mt)) set by the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC). The Area 2A catch limit and recreational fishery allocations were adopted by the IP…