2026 Pacific Whiting Catch Limits and Fishery Allocations
AI-generated summary for informational purposes only. Not legal advice. See the original source for the authoritative text.
This rule sets the 2026 U.S. catch limit for Pacific whiting off Washington, Oregon, and California and divides that limit among Tribal and non-Tribal fishing sectors. The adjusted U.S. total allowable catch is 280,744 metric tons, with 49,130.20 metric tons allocated to Treaty Tribes and 230,863.80 metric tons available to non-Tribal commercial fisheries after a 750 metric ton set-aside for research and incidental catch. Commercial fishing businesses, Tribal fisheries, processors, and coastal communities are directly affected. The rule gives each sector its 2026 operating limits, replaces lower interim allocations, and is intended to reduce overfishing risk while preserving treaty fishing rights and economic opportunity during the season.
AI-generated summary. May contain errors. Refer to official sources for legal decisions.
Key Changes
- Sets the adjusted 2026 U.S. Pacific whiting total allowable catch at 280,744 metric tons.
- Allocates 49,130.20 metric tons, or 17.5 percent of the U.S. total, to Treaty Tribes.
- Sets the non-Tribal harvest guideline at 230,863.80 metric tons and divides it among catcher/processor, mothership, and shorebased IFQ sectors.
Obligations
What this law requires
Treaty Tribal Pacific whiting fisheries must operate within the 2026 Tribal allocation of 49,130.20 metric tons of Pacific whiting.
Non-Tribal commercial Pacific whiting fisheries must operate within the 2026 non-Tribal Harvest Guideline of 230,863.80 metric tons after deduction of the Tribal allocation and research/incidental mortality set-aside.
The Catcher/Processor Co-op Program must not exceed its 2026 Pacific whiting sector allocation of 78,493.69 metric tons.
The Mothership Co-op Program must not exceed its 2026 Pacific whiting sector allocation of 55,407.31 metric tons.
The Shorebased Individual Fishing Quota Program must not exceed its 2026 Pacific whiting sector allocation of 96,962.80 metric tons.