On January 11, 2011, NOAA Fisheries implemented a new fishery management system for the West Coast Groundfish Trawl Catch Share Program as specified in the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The trawl catch share program, also called the trawl rationalization program, consists of an Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) program for the shorebased trawl fleet and cooperative programs for the at-sea mothership and catcher/processor trawl fleets. The new catch shares system divides the total amount of an overall allowable catch or quota into shares (QS) controlled by individual fishermen or groups of fishermen (cooperatives). For the Shorebased trawl fishery, NOAA Fisheries issues quota pounds (QPs) at the beginning of each year to QS accounts, based on the sector allocation and QS holdings (expressed as %) for each QS permit owner.

Congress established the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF) to monitor the restoration and conservation of Pacific salmon and steelhead populations and their habitats. The states of Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, and Alaska and the Pacific Coastal and Columbia River tribes receive Congressional PCSRF appropriations from NOAA Fisheries Service each year. Project status and performance information on all PCSRF projects funded to date is housed in the database.

This feature class depicts the boundaries of Non-Trawl Rockfish Conservation Areas as defined in the Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries Off West Coast States; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; 2023-2024 Biennial Specifications and Management Measures; Inseason Adjustments (89 FR 22342, April 1, 2024)https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/04/01/2024-06775/magnuson-stevens-act-provisions-fisheries-off-west-coast-states-pacific-coast-groundfish-fishery?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdeliveryThe following descriptions highlight the cumulative adjustments incorporated in this feature class:November 2023 Inseason ActionBetween 42 N. lat. and 36 N. lat., the Non-Trawl RCA shoreward boundary has been extended to the State/Federal boundary.The 100-150 fm lines around Santa Barbara Island, San Nicolas Island, and Cortes and Tanner Banks will be part of the Non-Trawl RCA.March 2024 Inseason Action Between 37° 07' N. lat. and 36° N. lat., the Non-Trawl RCA shoreward boundary has been changed from the State/Federal boundary to the 50 fm depth contour. The feature class naming convention reflects the date (YYYYMMDD) that the RCAs were published in the Federal Register (FR).

This feature class depicts the boundaries of Non-Trawl Rockfish Conservation Areas as defined in the Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries Off West Coast States; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; 2023-2024 Biennial Specifications and Management Measures; Inseason Adjustments (89 FR 22342, April 1, 2024)https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/04/01/2024-06775/magnuson-stevens-act-provisions-fisheries-off-west-coast-states-pacific-coast-groundfish-fishery?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdeliveryThe following descriptions highlight the cumulative adjustments incorporated in this feature class:November 2023 Inseason ActionBetween 42 N. lat. and 36 N. lat., the Non-Trawl RCA shoreward boundary has been extended to the State/Federal boundary.The 100-150 fm lines around Santa Barbara Island, San Nicolas Island, and Cortes and Tanner Banks will be part of the Non-Trawl RCA.March 2024 Inseason Action Between 37° 07' N. lat. and 36° N. lat., the Non-Trawl RCA shoreward boundary has been changed from the State/Federal boundary to the 50 fm depth contour. The feature class naming convention reflects the date (YYYYMMDD) that the RCAs were published in the Federal Register (FR).

The Amendment 80 Program was adopted by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) in June 2006. The final rule implementing Amendment 80 published in the Federal Register on September 14, 2007. This action allocates several Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) non-pollock trawl groundfish species among trawl fishery sectors, and facilitate the formation of harvesting cooperatives in the non-American Fisheries Act (non-AFA) trawl catcher/processor sector. The Council adopted Amendment 80 to meet the broad goals of: (1) improving retention and utilization of fishery resources by the non-AFA trawl catcher/processor fleet by extending the groundfish retention standard (GRS) to non-AFA trawl catcher/processor vessels of all lengths; (2) allocating fishery resources among BSAI trawl harvesters in consideration of historic and present harvest patterns and future harvest needs; (3) authorizing the allocation of groundfish species to harvesting cooperatives and establishing a limited access privilege program (LAPP) for the non-AFA trawl catcher/processors to reduce potential GRS compliance costs, encourage fishing practices with lower discard rates, and improve the opportunity for increasing the value of harvested species; and (4) limiting the ability of non-AFA trawl catcher/processors to expand their harvesting capacity into other fisheries not managed under a LAPP. The groundfish species in the BSAI directly affected by Amendment 80 include: - Atka mackerel - Aleutian Islands Pacific ocean perch - Flathead sole - Pacific cod - Rock sole - Yellowfin sole In addition, Amendment 80 would modify the management of halibut and crab prohibited species catch (PSC) limits.

Beginning January 1, 2000, all vessels and processors wishing to participate in the non-CDQ Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) pollock fishery are required to have valid American Fisheries Act (AFA) permits on board the vessel or at the processing plant. AFA permits are required even for vessels and processors specifically named in the AFA, and are required in addition to any other Federal or State permits. AFA permits also may limit the take of non-pollock groundfish, crab, and prohibited species as governed by AFA "sideboard" provisions.

This spatial data represents eight Groundfish Exclusion Areas located in the Southern California Bight. These new Conservation Areas were were established in NOAA's Amendment 50 CFR Parts 300 and 660 [Docket No. 231117-0273] RIN 0648-BM28 Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; "The Groundfish Exclusion Areas (GEAs) are eight areas south of Point Conception intended to protect sensitive areas, including areas with coral and sea pens."1. Hidden Reef 2. West of Santa Barbara Island 3. Potato Bank 4. 107/118 Bank 5. Cherry Bank 6. Seamount 109 7. 43- Fathom Spot 8. Northeast Bank https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-50/chapter-VI/part-660/subpart-C/section-660.70#p-660.70(t) Federal Register/Vol. 88, No. 230/Friday, December 1, 2023 50 CFR Parts 300 and 660 Docket No. 231117-0273 RIN 0648-BM28 Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries Off West Coast States; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan; Amendment 32; Modifications to Non-Trawl Sector Area Management Measures https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2023-12-01/pdf/2023-25905.pdf The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) proposed these closed areas with a goal of protecting corals, sponges and sea pens from contact with groundfish fishing gear, should the Cowcod Conservation Areas (CCAs) be repealed. https://www.pcouncil.org/documents/2022/03/f-6-a-cdfw-report-1-propose-protection-areas-within-the-cowcod-conservation-area.pdf/

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council adopted the Central Gulf of Alaska Rockfish Program (Rockfish Program) on June 14, 2010, to replace the expiring Pilot Program. The Rockfish Program became effective in 2011 and fishing under it began in 2012. The rockfish fisheries are conducted in Federal waters near Kodiak, Alaska, by trawl and longline vessels. The Rockfish Program allocates harvest privileges to holders of License Limitation Program (LLP) groundfish licenses with a history of Central GOA rockfish legal landings in either 2000 through 2006, or the entry level trawl fishery in 2007, 2008, or 2009. The Rockfish Program assigns quota share (QS) to LLP licenses for rockfish primary and secondary species based on legal landings associated with that LLP. Primary rockfish species are northern rockfish, Pacific ocean perch, and pelagic shelf rockfish. Secondary rockfish species are Pacific cod, rougheye rockfish, shortraker rockfish, sablefish, and thornyhead rockfish. Each year, an LLP license holder assigns the LLP license with rockfish QS to a rockfish cooperative. Each rockfish cooperative receives an annual cooperative fishing quota (CQ), which is an amount of primary and secondary rockfish species the cooperative is able to harvest in that fishing year. Halibut Prohibited Species Catch (PSC) is also allocated to participants based on historic halibut mortality rates in the primary rockfish species fisheries. Shore-based processors receiving rockfish CQ must be located within the boundaries of the City of Kodiak. The rockfish cooperative fishing season is authorized May 1 through November 15 of each year. An entry level fishery starts January 1 of each year for harvesters who are directed fishing for rockfish primary species using longline gear only. Catcher/processor LLP license holders may opt-out of the Rockfish Program but are subject to certain sideboard limitations, which prevent rockfish eligible harvesters from increasing their participation in fisheries other than the Central GOA rockfish fisheries.

Management of the Alaska halibut fishery is based on an international agreement between Canada and the United States and is given effect by the Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 1982. Before fishing under the subsistence halibut regulations, fishermen must obtain a Subsistence Halibut Registration Certificate (SHARC). Special permits for community harvest, ceremonial, and educational purposes also are available to qualified Alaska communities and Alaska Native Tribes. Permit holders must comply with SHARC registration and reporting processes.

This geodatabase contains spatial data for NOAA's West Coast Region (WCR) Groundfish Conservation Areas (GCA). GCA's are conservation areas created or modified and enforced to control catch of groundfish or protected species (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-50/chapter-VI/part-660/subpart-C/section-660.11).The geodatabase contains the following feature datasets, each containing feature classes that depict the spatial representation of a GCA:YRCA - Yelloweye Rockfish Conservation AreasGEA -Groundfish Exclusion AreasCCA - Cowcod Conservation AreasRCA - Rockfish Conservation AreasWithin each feature dataset, the feature class naming convention reflects the 1) type of area (YRCA, GEA, CCA, or RCA), 2) the name of the area and 3) the date (YYYYMMDD) that the conservation area was published in the Federal Register (FR). For example GEA_Potato_Bank_20231201Version 1 Last Update: 12/2024