Pacific Island Fisheries; Amendment 7 to the Fishery Ecosystem Plan for the American Samoa Archipelago and Final Rule; Discontinue Rebuilding Plan for American Samoa Bottomfish and Implement Annual Catch Limits and Accountability Measures for Fishing Years 2024-2026

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

NMFS and the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) manage the bottomfish fishery in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone ( i.e., Federal waters, generally 3-200 nautical miles (nmi) (6-345 kilometers (km)) around American Samoa under the FEP for the American Samoa Archipelago, as authorized by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). The 2019 stock assessment for the American Samoa bottomfish fishery indicated that the stock was overfished and experiencing overfishing. The fishery has therefore been managed under a rebuilding plan since 2022 (87 FR 25590, May 5, 2022). However, in September 2023 NMFS determined that none of the stocks in the fishery are overfished and were not overfished in the year in which the 2019 overfished determination was made or in any year since. Accordingly, NMFS is discontinuing the rebuilding plan, and implementing new ACLs and AMs to prevent overfishing and provide sustainable management for the fishery consistent with the FEP, the Magnuson-Stevens Act and implementing regulations.

NMFS is implementing the following single-species ACLs for each of the bottomfish management unit species (BMUS) assessed by the 2023 benchmark stock assessment for fishing years 2024, 2025 and 2026. The fishing year for American Samoa bottomfish begins on January 1 and ends on December 31.