Final rule · 2026-12566

Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries off West Coast States; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; Cordell Bank Groundfish Conservation Area Revisions

NMFS is issuing final regulations to remove the Cordell Bank Groundfish Conservation Area off central California for all groundfish fisheries and implement a new Groundfish Exclusion Area for all groundfish fisheries to protect sensitive habitat. The purpose of this action is to simplify regulatory complexity associated with overlapping fishery closures in the Cordell Bank area, and to increase fishing opportunities while still protecting the Cordell Bank ecosystem.