Chafing gear

In April 2012, the Council recommended an alternative that would address industry concerns about the restrictiveness of the chafing gear regulations for the midwater trawl fishery. The Council reconsidered and reaffirmed its decision in November 2012. The proposed rule was published on March 19, 2014 and the public comment deadline was April 18, 2014.  On April 4, 2014, NMFS published a correction to the proposed chafing gear rule.   A final environmental assessment was published on November 4, 2014.  The final rule was published on December 2, 2014 with an effective date of January 1, 2015.