These definitions are specific to the fisheries covered in subparts C through G of this part.
Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) means a harvest specification that is set below the overfishing limit to account for scientific uncertainty in the estimate of OFL, and other scientific uncertainty.
Active sampling unit means the portion of the groundfish fleet in which an observer coverage plan is being applied.
Address of Record means the business address a person has provided to NMFS for NMFS use in providing notice of agency actions and other business with that person.
Allocation. (See § 600.10 of this chapter)
Annual Catch Limit (ACL) is a harvest specification set equal to or below the ABC threshold in consideration of conservation objectives, socioeconomic concerns, management uncertainty and other factors. The ACL is a harvest limit that includes all sources of fishing-related mortality including landings, discard mortality, research catches, and catches in exempted fishing permit activities. Sector-specific annual catch limits can be specified, especially in cases where a sector has a formal, long-term allocation of the harvestable surplus of a stock or stock complex.
Annual Catch Target (ACT) is a management target set below the annual catch limit and may be used as an accountability measure in cases where there is great uncertainty in inseason catch monitoring to ensure against exceeding an annual catch limit. Since the annual catch target is a target and not a limit it can be used in lieu of harvest guidelines or strategically to accomplish other management objectives. Sector-specific annual catch targets can also be specified to accomplish management objectives.
Base permit means a sablefish-endorsed limited entry permit described at § 660.25(b)(3)(i), subpart C, registered for use with a vessel that meets the permit length endorsement requirements appropriate to that vessel, as described at § 660.25(b)(3) (iii), subpart C.
Biennial fishing period means a 24-month period beginning at 0001 local time on January 1 and ending at 2400 local time on December 31 of the subsequent year.
BMSY means the biomass level that produces maximum sustainable yield (MSY), as stated in the PCGFMP at Section 4.3.
Calendar day means the day beginning at 0001 hours local time and continuing for 24 consecutive hours.
Calendar year. (see "fishing year")
Catch, take, harvest. (See § 600.10 of this chapter)
Catch monitor means an individual that is certified by NMFS, is deployed to a first receiver, and whose primary duties include: monitoring and verification of the sorting of fish relative to Federal requirements defined in § 660.60(h)(6); documentation of the weighing of such fish relative to the requirements of § 660.13(b); and verification of first receivers' reporting relative to the requirements defined in § 660.113(b)(4).
Catch Monitor Program or Catch Monitor Program Office means the Catch Monitor Program Office of the West Coast Region, National Marine Fisheries Service.
Catch monitor provider means any person that is granted a permit by NMFS to provide certified catch monitors as required in § 660.140.
Change in partnership or corporation means the addition of a new shareholder or partner to the corporate or partnership membership. This definition of a "change" will apply to any person added to the corporate or partnership membership since November 1, 2000, including any family member of an existing shareholder or partner. A change in membership is not considered to have occurred if a member dies or becomes legally incapacitated and a trustee is appointed to act on his behalf, nor if the ownership of shares among existing members changes, nor if a member leaves the corporation or partnership and is not replaced. Changes in the ownership of publicly held stock will not be deemed changes in ownership of the corporation.
Closure or closed means, when referring to closure of a fishery or a closed fishery, that taking and retaining, possessing, or landing the particular species or species group covered by the fishing closure is prohibited. Unless otherwise announced in the FEDERAL REGISTER or authorized in this subpart, offloading must begin before the closure time.
Commercial fishing means:
(1) Fishing by a person who possesses a commercial fishing license or is required by law to possess such license issued by one of the states or the Federal Government as a prerequisite to taking, landing and/or sale of fish; or
(2) Fishing that results in or can be reasonably expected to result in sale, barter, trade or other disposition of fish for other than personal consumption.
Commercial harvest guideline means the fishery harvest guideline minus the estimated recreational catch. Limited entry and open access allocations are derived from the commercial harvest guideline.
Conservation area(s) means an enclosed geographic area defined by coordinates expressed in degrees latitude and longitude where NMFS may prohibit fishing with particular gear types. Conservation areas include Groundfish Conservation Areas (GCA), Essential Fish Habitat Conservation Areas (EFHCA) and Deep-sea Ecosystem Conservation Areas (DECA).
(1) Groundfish Conservation Area or GCA means a conservation area created or modified and enforced to control catch of groundfish or protected species. Regulations at § 660.60(c)(3) describe the various purposes for which NMFS may implement certain types of GCAs through routine management measures. Regulations at § 660.70 further describe and define coordinates for certain GCAs, including: Yelloweye Rockfish Conservation Areas; Cowcod Conservation Areas; waters encircling the Farallon Islands; and waters encircling the Cordell Banks. GCAs also include depth-based closures bounded by lines approximating depth contours, including Bycatch Reduction Areas or BRAs, or bounded by depth contours and lines of latitude, including, Block Area Closures or BACs, and Rockfish Conservation Areas or RCAs, which may be closed to fishing with particular gear types. BRA, BAC, and RCA boundaries may change seasonally according to conservation needs. Regulations at §§ 660.71 through 660.74, and § 660.76 define depth-based closure boundary lines with latitude/longitude coordinates. Regulations at § 660.11 describe commonly used geographic coordinates that define lines of latitude. Fishing prohibitions associated with GCAs are in addition to those associated with other conservation areas.
(i)
Block Area
Closures or BACs are defined at §
660.111.
(ii)
Bycatch Reduction Areas
or BRAs are conservation areas that apply to vessels using
midwater groundfish trawl gear during the Pacific whiting primary season, as
described at §§
660.60(d) and
660.131(c).
(iii)
Cordell Banks is
defined at §
660.70.
(iv)
Cowcod Conservation
Areas are defined at §
660.70.
(v)
Farallon Islands is
defined at §
660.70.
(vi)
Rockfish Conservation Areas or
RCAs. RCA restrictions are detailed in subparts D through G of this
part. RCAs may apply to a single gear type or to a group of gear types such as
"trawl RCAs" or "non-trawl RCAs." Specific latitude and longitude coordinates
for RCA boundaries that approximate the depth contours selected for trawl
non-trawl, and recreational RCAs are provided in §§
660.71 through
660.74. Also provided in
§§
660.71 through
660.74, are references to islands
and rocks that serve as reference points for the RCAs
(A)
Trawl (Limited Entry and Open
Access Non-groundfish Trawl Gears) RCAs. The trawl RCAs are intended
to protect a complex of species, such as overfished shelf rockfish species, and
have boundaries defined by specific latitude and longitude coordinates
approximating depth contours. Boundaries for the limited entry trawl RCA
throughout the year are provided in Table 1 (North) subpart D of this part
Boundaries for the open access non-groundfish trawl RCA throughout the year are
provided in Table 3 (South) subpart F of this part. Boundaries of the trawl
RCAs may be modified by NMFS inseason pursuant to §
660.60(c).
(B)
Non-Trawl (Limited Entry Fixed
Gear and Open Access Non-trawl Gears) RCAs. Non-trawl RCAs are
intended to protect a complex of species, such as overfished shelf rockfish
species, and have boundaries defined by specific latitude and longitude
coordinates approximating depth contours. Boundaries for the non-trawl RCA
throughout the year are provided in Table 2 (North) and Table 2 (South) of
subpart E of this part, and Table 3 (North) and Table 3 (South) of subpart F of
this part, and may be modified by NMFS inseason pursuant to §
660.60(c).
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