NMFS requires gear marking on West Coast groundfish pot, longline gear
- Buoys and top 20 fathoms of vertical line must be marked
- Rule also lets vessels use a vertical line at one end only
- Manufactured colored line required from Jan 11, 2030
Photo: Wikimedia Commons - Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0Docket: NOAA-NMFS-2024-0045 · FR Doc: 2026-20873
What changed The rule revises the maximum untreated cotton twine size for closing escape panels from "not to exceed number 21" to "not to exceed number 30."
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) published a final rule on Oct 13 requiring gear-specific markings on buoys and lines used with pot and bottom longline gear in the Pacific Coast groundfish fishery, which it said is intended to help attribute marine animal entanglements to a specific fishery.
The rule requires marking on all buoys and on the top 20 fathoms (37 meters) of vertical line used with the two gear types off Washington, Oregon and California. Pot gear lines must be orange and blue, and bottom longline lines must be brown and blue, according to the rule.
The agency said the rulemaking is, in part, in response to increased rates of entanglement of humpback whales with Pacific coast fishing gear since 2014. The humpback whale is the animal most often entangled in gear associated with the fishery, the rule said.
Pot gear buoys must carry the capital letters GP, and bottom longline buoys must carry the capital letters GL, either on tags or marked directly on the buoy. NMFS added the option of marking buoys directly in response to public comments.
Temporary marking methods, such as paint or tape, are allowed until Jan 11, 2030. After that date, only manufactured line in the required colors will meet the requirement.
NMFS estimated an average compliance cost of $809 per respondent for the approximately 335 vessels that fish groundfish with the two gear types.
The rule also removes a requirement to use surface gear at both ends of a gear set. It limits surface line to 10 fathoms (18.3 meters) and raises the maximum cotton twine size for pot escape panels.
The single-line allowance takes effect on Oct 13, 2026. Most other provisions take effect on Jan 11, 2027. The rule was proposed in February 2026, and NMFS received 28 comment letters.