Pacific Island Fisheries; Annual Catch Limit and Accountability Measure for Guam Bottomfish Management Unit Species

NMFS proposes to modify the annual catch limit (ACL) and accountability measures (AM) for Mariana bottomfish management unit species (MUS) in Guam. The proposed rule would increase the ACL from 31,000 pounds (lb) (14,061 kilograms (kg)) to 34,500 lb (15,649 kg), replace the in-season AM with a post-season overage adjustment if average catch from the most recent 3 years exceeds the ACL, and remove the higher performance standard that closes the fishery in Federal waters for any overage. The proposed rule considers the best available scientific, commercial, and other information about the fishery, and supports rebuilding of the fishery.