Regulatory History

The limited entry fixed gear stacking program for sablefish (a catch share program) was developed and implemented in a series of actions (see Section 2.0 of the 2014 program review for details). Starting in the 1980s, the fixed gear sablefish fishery was managed using seasons (the “directed” fishery eventually came to be called the “primary” fishery).  In 1987, the sablefish allocation was divided between trawl and nontrawl fisheries.  As the fixed gear seasons became shorter, they were often called a “derby” or “Olympic” fishery.  Eventually, this annual fishery became the primary fixed gear sablefish fishery and the vast majority of the limited entry fixed gear sablefish allocation was dedicated to this fishery.  Eight-five percent of the limited entry fixed gear sablefish allocation was allocated to the primary limited entry fixed-gear fishery, with the remainder going to the limited entry fixed-gear daily-trip-limit fishery

  The history leading up to this amendment is provided below: 

  • Amendment 6 to the groundfish fishery management plan(1994) established a license limited-entry program under which vessels needed to have longline or fishpot endorsed permits (fixed gear permits) in order to access the limited entry allocation for sablefish. 
  • Amendment 8considered establishing a traditional IFQ program for the limited entry fixed-gear sablefish primary fishery.  Consideration was halted when Congress imposed a moratorium on new IFQ programs in 1996. 
  • Amendment 9(1996) established a fixed-gear sablefish endorsement for limited entry permits.  This endorsement was required for limited-entry fixed-gear permitted vessels to access the primary fishery. 
  • A 1998 regulatory amendment established permit tiers for fixed-gear sablefish-endorsed vessels.  Permits were assigned to one of three tiers based on catch history.  The highest tier (Tier 1) received fishing opportunities in the form of cumulative limits that were 3.85 times the lowest tier (Tier 3); and the middle tier limits (Tier 2) were 1.75 times the lowest tier limits. 
  • Amendment 14 established the permit stacking program, which allowed up to three tier permits to be placed on a vessel and for the vessel to fish up to the combined limits for all three permits.  It also authorized extension of the season (once the Congressional moratorium on catch share programs was lifted).