§ 665.269 - Annual Catch Limits (ACL).

§ 665.269 Annual Catch Limits (ACL).

Cross Reference

Link to an amendment published at 88 FR 88836, Dec. 26, 2023.

(a) General. The ACLs limiting the amount of precious coral that may be taken in any precious coral permit area during the fishing year are listed in paragraph (c) of this section. Only live coral is counted toward the ACL. The accounting period for each fishing year for all precious coral ACLs begins July 1 and ends June 30 of the following year.

(b) Reserves and reserve release. The ACL for exploratory area X–P–H will be held in reserve for harvest by vessels of the United States in the following manner:

(1) At the start of the fishing year, the reserve for the Hawaii exploratory areas will equal the ACL minus the estimated domestic annual harvest for that year.

(2) As soon as practicable after December 31 each year, the Regional Administrator will determine the amount harvested by vessels of the United States between July 1 and December 31 of the year that just ended on December 31.

(3) NMFS will release to TALFF an amount of Hawaii precious coral for each exploratory area equal to the ACL minus two times the amount harvested by vessels of the United States in that July 1–December 31 period.

(4) NMFS will publish in the Federal Register a notification of the Regional Administrator's determination and a summary of the information on which it is based as soon as practicable after the determination is made.

(c) Precious coral. In accordance with § 665.4, the ACLs for MHI precious coral permit areas for each fishing year are as follows:

Table 1 to Paragraph (c)

Type of coral bed	Area and coral group	2022–23 ACL (lb)	2023–24 ACL (lb)	2024–25 ACL (lb)
Established bed	Auau Channel—Black coral	5,512	5,512	5,512
	Makapuu Bed—Pink and red coral	2,205	2,205	2,205
	Makapuu Bed—Bamboo coral	551	551	551
Conditional Beds	180 Fathom Bank—Pink and red coral	489	489	489
	180 Fathom Bank—Bamboo coral	123	123	123
	Brooks Bank—Pink and red coral	979	979	979
	Brooks Bank—Bamboo coral	245	245	245
	Kaena Point Bed—Pink and red coral	148	148	148
	Kaena Point Bed—Bamboo coral	37	37	37
	Keahole Bed—Pink and red coral	148	148	148
	Keahole Bed—Bamboo coral	37	37	37
Exploratory Area	Hawaii—precious coral	2,205	2,205	2,205

Note 1 to § 665.269:

No fishing for coral is authorized in refugia.

Note 2 to § 665.269:

A moratorium on gold coral harvesting is in effect through June 30, 20232028.

[85 FR 26624, May 5, 2020, as amended at 88 FR 14082, Mar. 7, 2023; 88 FR 88836, Dec. 26, 2023]