"This final rule would amend federal fishing permits (FFPs) and license limitation program licenses to require Pot and Hook-and-Line catcher/processors to have the same endoresements on those permits and licenses to catch Pacific cod in the State of Alaska parallel fishery as are required for them to participate in the federal fisheries. It would also prevent vessels from surrendering an FFP or removing endorsements on an FFP to avoid federal recordkeeping and reporting, vessel monitoring systems, and observer requirements"--Cover letter.
"This Environmental Assessment/Regulatory Impact Review/Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis evaluates the environmental effects, as well as costs and benefits, of different alternatives to modify fishery management regulations for the Community Development Quota (CDQ) fisheries conducted in the Bering Sea and Aleuitian Islands. Proposed changes to 50 CFR part 679 include revising CDQ regulations associated with fisheries observer coverage requirements, bycatch retention, vessel licensing, and reporting requirements to ensure that they are no more restrictive than the regulations in effect for comparable individual fishing quota fisheries and fisheries managed with cooperatives. These proposed changes are necessary to comply with the requirements of Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, as amended by the Coast Guard and Maritime Transporation Act of 2006"--Abstract.
This Environmental Assessment/Regulatory Impact Review/Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (EA/RIR/IRFA) evaluates the environmental impacts, costs and benefits, and small entity impacts of a proposed regulatory amendment to increase the maximum retainable amounts of selected groundfish in the arrowtooth flounder and Kamchatka flounder fishery in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). The purpose of the proposed amendment is to reduce the amount of regulatory discards of otherwise marketable groundfish in the developing arrowtooth and Kamchatka flounder fishery and to allow the Amendment 80 fleet to retain those regulatory discards thereby reducing waste. The proposed action also would revise regulations at 50 CFR part 679 to accommodate the North Pacific Fishery Management Council's removal of Kamchatka flounder from the arrowtooth flounder complex in the BSAI. This EA/RIR/IRFA addresses the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act, Presidential Executive Order 12866, and the Regulatory Flexibility Act.
"This action would establish regulations for the Secretary of Commerce to certify nations whose vessels are engaged in illegal, unreported, or unregulated (IUU) fishing activity or bycatch of protected living marine resources. These regulations are procedural and administrative in nature"--Cover letter.
"This action would amend the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (FMP) and federal regulations related to the Amendment 80 Program to establish a process for the owners of Amendment 80 vessels to replace eligible trawl catcher/processor vessels. The action is necessary to rectify the currently untenable disagreement among the FMP, implementing regulations, and a recent Court Order (Arctic Sole Seafoods, Inc. v. Gutierrez, Case No. 07-1676MJP; May 19, 2008) that vacated the specific regulatory provisions that preclude vessel replacement"--Abstract from Environmental Assessment; Portfolio comprised of three related PDF documents digitized and organized by: NOAA Office of Program Planning and Integration (PPI) National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) staff.
This action would modify the groundfish retention standard (GRS) program by removing certain regulatory requirements mandating minimum levels of groundfish retention and adding requirements for annual reports on groundfish retention performance. The GRS program was implemented to increase the retention and utilization of groundfish caught by trawl catcher/processor (C/P) vessels not listed in the American Fisheries Act (AFA), referred to as Amendment 80 vessels, and Amendment 80 cooperatives participating in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands groundfish fisheries. NMFS has discovered that the regulatory methodology used to calculate compliance with the GRS requires individual Amendment 80 vessels and Amendment 80 cooperatives to retain groundfish at minimum rates well above the minimum rates recommended by the Council or implemented by NMFS. This action would relieve non-AFA trawl C/Ps and Amendment 80 cooperatives from undue compliance costs stemming from the mandatory GRS rates.
"This document is a Final Environmental Assessment/Regulatory Impact Review/Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis analyzing proposed management measures that would apply to non-pollock trawl fisheries in the Western and Central Gulf of Alaska (GOA). Amendment 97 limits Chinook salmon prohibited species catch (PSC) in Western and Central Gulf of Alaska (GOA) non-pollock trawl catcher/processor (C/P) and catcher vessel (CV) fisheries. This action establishes separate annual Chinook salmon PSC limits for trawl catcher/processors, trawl catcher vessels participating in the Central GOA Rockfish Program, and trawl catcher vessels not participating in the Central GOA Rockfish Program fishing for groundfish species other than pollock. If a sector reaches its Chinook salmon PSC limit, NMFS prohibits further fishing for nonpollock groundfish by vessels in that sector. This action also establishes and clarifies Chinook salmon retention and discard requirements for vessels, shoreside processors, and stationary floating processors participating in both the GOA pollock and non-pollock groundfish trawl fisheries. The purpose of this action is to address prohibited species catch of Chinook salmon in the GOA, and establish measures that protect against the risk of high Chinook salmon removals in the GOA non-pollock trawl fisheries in future years. The proposed action is not expected to have significant impacts on the human environment"--Cover letter summary.
"Amendment 83 would allocate the Western and Central Gulf of Alaska Pacific cod total allowable catch (TAC) limits among various gear and operational sectors. Sector allocations would limit the amount of Western and Central GOA Pacific cod that each sector is authorized to harvest. This action would reduce competition among sectors and support stability in the Pacific cod fishery. This amendment would also limit access to the Federal Pacific cod TAC fisheries prosecuted in State waters, commonly known as the 'parallel fishery', adjacent to the Western and Central GOA. This action is intended to promote community participation and provide incentives for new entrants in the jig sector. It also promotes the goals and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the fishery management plan, and other applicable laws"--Cover letter; Portfolio comprised of three related PDF documents digitized and organized by: NOAA Office of Program Planning and Integration (PPI) National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) staff.
"In this action, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) would adjust regulations governing the U.S. BFT fishery to : (1) Increase the General category maximum BFT daily retention limit from three to five fish (with limit adjustments to be executed via inseason actions when and if appropriate): (2) Allow the BFT General category season to remain open until the January subquota is reached or March 31 (whichever happens first): and (3) Increase the Harpoon category daily retention limit of BFT measuring 73 to 81 inches from two to four fish. This action is intended to enable more thorough utilization of the available U.S. BFT quota for the General and Harpoon permit categories: minimize bycatch and bycatch mortality to the extent practicable: expand fishing opportunities for participants in the commercial winter General category fishery: and increase NMFS' flexibility for selling the General category retention limit depending on available quota. This action would be consistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act, and the 2006 Consolidated Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan. This action is not expected to significantly alter current fishing practices and bycatch mortality rates, or increase fishing effort, and it is not expected to change previously analyzed endangered species or marine mammal interaction rates or magnitudes."--Cover letter; Portfolio comprised of two related PDF documents digitized and organized by: NOAA Office of Program Planning and Integration (PPI) National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) staff.
