§ 660.409 - Inseason actions.

§ 660.409 Inseason actions.

(a) Fixed inseason management provisions. NMFS is authorized to take the following inseason management actions annually, as appropriate.

(1) Automatic season closures based on quotas. When a quota for the commercial or the recreational fishery, or both, for any salmon species in any portion of the fishery management area is projected by the Regional Administrator to be reached on or by a certain date, NMFS will, by an inseason action issued under § 660.411, close the commercial or recreational fishery, or both, for all salmon species in the portion of the fishery management area to which the quota applies as of the date the quota is projected to be reached.

(2) Rescission of automatic closure. If a fishery is closed under a quota before the end of a scheduled season based on overestimate of actual catch, NMFS will reopen that fishery in as timely a manner as possible for all or part of the remaining original season provided NMFS finds that a reopening of the fishery is consistent with the management objectives for the affected species and the additional open period is no less than 24 hours. The season will be reopened by an inseason action issued under § 660.411.

(3) Adjustment for error in preseason estimates. NMFS may, by an inseason action issued under § 660.411, make appropriate changes in relevant seasons or quotas if a significant computational error or errors made in calculating preseason estimates of salmon abundance are identified, provided that such correction can be made in a timely manner to affect the involved fishery without disrupting the capacity to meet the objectives of the fishery management plan.

(b) Flexible inseason management provisions.

(1) The Regional Administrator will consult with the Chairman of the Council and the appropriate State Directors prior to taking any of the following flexible inseason management provisions, which include, but are not limited to, the following:

(i) Modification of quotas and/or fishing seasons.

(ii) Modification of the species that may be caught and landed during specific seasons and the establishment or modification of limited retention regulations.

(iii) Modification of recreational bag limits and recreational fishing days per calendar week.

(iv) Establishment or modification of gear restrictions.

(v) Modification of boundaries, including landing boundaries, and establishment of closed areas.

(2) Fishery managers must determine that any inseason adjustment in management measures is consistent with fishery regimes established by the U.S.-Canada Pacific Salmon Commission, conservation objectives and ACLs, conservation of the salmon resource, any adjudicated Indian fishing rights, and the ocean allocation scheme in the fishery management plan. All inseason adjustments will be based on consideration of the following factors:

(i) Predicted sizes of salmon runs.

(ii) Harvest quotas and hooking mortality limits for the area and total allowable impact limitations, if applicable.

(iii) Amount of commercial, recreational, and treaty Indian catch for each species in the area to date.

(iv) Amount of commercial, recreational, and treaty Indian fishing effort in the area to date.

(v) Estimated average daily catch per fisherman.

(vi) Predicted fishing effort for the area to the end of the scheduled season.

(vii) Other factors, as appropriate.

[61 FR 34572, July 2, 1996, as amended at 76 FR 81860, Dec. 29, 2011]