Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries off West Coast States; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; 2025 Pacific Whiting Tribal Allocation and 2025 Incidental Set-Aside

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

Proposed rule; request for comments.

NMFS issues this proposed rule to establish the 2025 Tribal allocation of Pacific whiting and set-aside of Pacific whiting for research and incidental mortality in non-groundfish fisheries. The proposed measures are intended to help prevent overfishing, achieve optimum yield, ensure that management measures are based on the best scientific information available, and provide for the implementation of Tribal treaty fishing rights.

Comments on this proposed rule must be received no later than April 30, 2025.

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A plain language summary of this proposed rule is available at https://www.regulations.gov/​docket/​NOAA-NMFS-2025-0002. You may submit comments on this document, identified by NOAA-NMFS-2025-0002, by any of the following methods:

Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Visit https://www.regulations.gov and type “NOAA-NMFS-2025-0002” in the Search box. Click on the “Comment” icon, complete the required fields, and enter or attach your comments. Instructions: Comments sent by any other method, to any other address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, may not be considered by NMFS. All comments received are a part of the public record and will generally be posted for public viewing on https://www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying information ( e.g., name, address, etc.), confidential business information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily by the sender will be publicly accessible. NMFS will accept anonymous comments (enter “N/A” in the required fields if you wish to remain anonymous).

Background information for this action and analytical documents for the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) are available at the NMFS West Coast Region website at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/​action/​2025-harvest-specifications-pacific-whiting-and-2025-tribal-allocation.

NEPA documents for this and other West Coast groundfish actions are also available at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/​west-coast/​laws-and-policies/​groundfish-actions-nepa-documents.

Additional background information for the Pacific Hake/Whiting Treaty can be found at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/​west-coast/​laws-policies/​pacific-hake-whiting-treaty.