{"data":{"id":"us/50-cfr-660.715","jurisdiction":"us","citation":"50 CFR 660.715","heading":"Deep-set buoy gear fishery.","body":"(a) Gear configurations. Deep-set buoy gear (DSBG) configurations must conform to the following specifications:\n(1) Standard buoy gear (SBG). An individual piece of SBG must consist of a vertical monofilament mainline suspended from a buoy-array with a terminal weight. No more than three gangions with hooks may be attached to the mainline. No gangions with hooks may be attached at a depth shallower than 90 meters.\n(2) Linked buoy gear (LBG). An individual piece (section) of LBG must consist of a monofilament mainline that extends vertically from a buoy-array (either directly or from a minimum 50-foot (15.24-meter) extender) to a weight; then horizontally to a second weight; then vertically to a minimum 50-foot (15.24-meter) extender attached to a second buoy-array. No more than three gangions with hooks may be connected to each horizontal section of the mainline. No gangions with hooks may be attached at a depth shallower than 90 meters. Individual pieces may be linked together by the mainline. The links between each piece of LBG must be serviceable.\n(b) Additional gear configuration specifications. Use of SBG and LBG must conform with the following requirements:\n(1) Surface buoy flotation and strike detection array requirements. The surface buoy flotation and strike detection array must include a minimum of three buoys (a minimum 45-pound (20.41 kilogram) buoyancy non-compressible hard ball, a minimum 6-pound (2.72 kilogram) buoyancy buoy, and a strike detection buoy), with no more than 6 feet (1.83 meters) of line between adjacent buoys, all connected in-line by a minimum of 3/8 inch (9.53 millimeter) diameter line.\n(i) Buoys must be free of tether attachments (e.g., non-streamlined gear with loops and/or dangling components).\n(ii) SBG and terminal LBG buoy-arrays must include a locator flag, a radar reflector, and the buoy must be marked with a number clearly identifying the owner or operator of the vessel. The number may be either:\n(A) If required by applicable state law, the vessel's number, the commercial fishing license number, or buoy brand number; or\n(B) The vessel documentation number issued by the United States Coast Guard (USCG), or, for an undocumented vessel, the vessel registration number issued by the state.\n(2) Weight requirements. Weights must be a minimum of 3.6 kilograms.\n(3) Circle hook requirements. Circle hooks must be used that are a minimum size 16/0 with not more than 10 degrees offset.\n(4) Gear pieces and hook limitations. No more than 10 pieces of SBG or LBG, in total, may be deployed at one time, with no more than three hooks per piece.\n(c) Operational requirements. SBG and LBG must be fished in accordance with the following operational requirements.\n(1) Active tending. All pieces of gear must remain within 5 nautical miles (9.26 kilometers) of the vessel at all times, and the vessel may be no more than 3 nautical miles (5.56 kilometers) from the nearest piece of gear.\n(2) Fishing multiple gear types. Gear types other than DSBG may be used on the same trip when DSBG is used, as long as the requirement to actively tend DSBG (as described at paragraph (c)(1) of this section) is met. If multiple gear types, including gear other than DSBG, are used on the same trip as DSBG, catch must be tagged or marked to identify the gear used, including differentiating whether caught with SBG or LBG.\n(3) Timing of gear deployment and retrieval. Gear may not be deployed until local sunrise and must be onboard the vessel no later than 3 hours after local sunset.\n(4) Pre-trip notification. When requested by NMFS, DSBG vessel owners or operators are required to notify NMFS or the NMFS-designated observer provider at least 48 hours prior to departing on each fishing trip during which DSBG will be fished. The vessel owner or operator must communicate to the observer provider: the owner's or operator's name, contact information, vessel name, port of departure, estimated date and time of departure, and a telephone number at which the owner or operator may be contacted during the business day (Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Pacific Time) to indicate whether an observer will be required on the subject fishing trip. Contact information for the current observer provider can be obtained by calling the NMFS West Coast Region Sustainable Fisheries Division at (562) 980-4238.\n(5) Protected species workshops. When requested by NMFS, the operator of a vessel either registered to a limited entry DSBG permit or planning to fish under a DSBG endorsement must attend a workshop conducted by NMFS on mitigation, handling, and release techniques for protected species.\n(d) Geographic area restrictions. DSBG fishing is permitted throughout the management area defined in § 660.703 with the following area restrictions:\n(1) Federal waters offshore of California and Oregon only. Fishing with DSBG may not occur in Federal waters north of a line extending seaward from the Oregon/Washington border at north of 46°16′ N latitude.\n(2) Limited entry-only area. Except for vessels registered to a valid DSBG limited entry permit, fishing with DSBG may not occur in Federal waters within the Southern California Bight, which for this purpose is defined with a northern boundary of 34°26′54.96″ N latitude (i.e., Point Conception), a southern boundary of the U.S.-Mexico maritime border, and a western boundary of 120°28′18″ W longitude.\n(3) Linked buoy gear area restriction. Fishing with DSBG in a LBG configuration in waters north of the Northern Channel Islands to a line extending seaward from the Oregon/Washington border at 46°16′ N latitude may not occur shoreward of a line approximating the 400 meter depth contour, which is defined by straight lines connecting all of the following points in the order stated in the following table.\nTable 1 to Paragraph (d)(3)\nPoint ID Latitude Longitude\n1 46.274388 −124.410349\n2 46.075505 −124.813587\n3 45.968227 −124.739233\n4 45.785378 −124.721611\n5 45.731988 −124.755707\n6 45.676058 −124.662448\n7 45.635778 −124.733532\n8 45.627501 −124.621223\n9 45.421342 −124.428881\n10 45.368012 −124.524815\n11 45.219954 −124.426593\n12 45.169315 −124.502340\n13 45.192831 −124.640233\n14 45.073777 −124.601143\n15 45.122584 −124.728187\n16 45.063305 −124.719824\n17 45.012240 −124.512643\n18 44.827950 −124.645508\n19 44.789368 −124.722827\n20 44.703649 −124.815421\n21 44.529842 −124.804136\n22 44.507522 −124.883072\n23 44.415352 −124.858176\n24 44.208665 −124.994868\n25 43.942293 −124.974502\n26 43.795680 −124.685260\n27 43.579894 −124.645446\n28 43.232513 −124.799284\n29 43.226291 −124.883682\n30 42.905163 −124.913752\n31 42.753934 −124.866742\n32 42.748993 −124.751655\n33 42.520896 −124.747080\n34 42.463017 −124.822607\n35 41.824611 −124.517470\n36 41.428980 −124.513482\n37 41.156773 −124.396132\n38 40.801184 −124.492790\n39 40.681958 −124.550870\n40 40.602740 −124.480125\n41 40.622580 −124.645995\n42 40.546989 −124.700835\n43 40.400783 −124.585363\n44 40.370014 −124.431174\n45 40.344876 −124.507828\n46 40.269847 −124.446270\n47 40.279429 −124.657027\n48 40.117493 −124.304705\n49 40.041456 −124.285170\n50 40.042494 −124.155198\n51 39.965786 −124.231615\n52 39.808303 −124.097017\n53 39.540607 −123.943484\n54 39.528835 −123.992885\n55 38.911050 −123.982148\n56 38.491136 −123.647679\n57 38.256021 −123.526302\n58 38.228410 −123.438852\n59 38.073446 −123.533062\n60 37.844809 −123.404954\n61 37.740079 −123.192427\n62 37.623812 −123.050253\n63 37.394689 −122.920853\n64 37.323790 −122.940568\n65 37.189284 −122.863927\n66 36.968232 −122.527184\n67 37.005852 −122.408848\n68 36.945123 −122.425076\n69 36.781748 −122.055455\n70 36.806676 −121.905280\n71 36.680249 −122.025454\n72 36.531101 −121.993385\n73 36.371824 −122.014963\n74 36.315554 −122.101240\n75 36.166525 −121.760807\n76 36.033982 −121.623149\n77 35.584240 −121.366349\n78 35.165706 −121.033163\n79 34.865218 −120.993335\n80 34.929599 −121.074138\n81 34.693224 −120.962686\n82 34.541665 −120.838291\n83 34.315659 −120.541578\n84 34.268981 −120.379230","path":["Title 50—Wildlife and Fisheries","CHAPTER VI—FISHERY CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT, NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE","PART 660—FISHERIES OFF WEST COAST STATES","Subpart K—Highly Migratory Fisheries"],"source_url":"https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2026-08-25/title-50.xml","current_through":"2026-08-25","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-08-27T02:26:39Z","sha256":"8da97c302ddecee7ce3ccb5f4c02856b56114ac5fa75fc8432953d2adb60ac30","source_id":"us-cfr","stale":true,"prev":"us/50-cfr-660.714","next":"us/50-cfr-660.716"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}