Amendment 62 to the FMP for the Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area

NOAA Fisheries issues a final rule to increase the number of times per year that a stationary floating processor that is qualified under the American Fisheries Act may move within State of Alaska waters in the Bering Sea subarea to process pollock harvested in the BS subarea directed pollock fishery. This action also requires AFA SFPs to process all Gulf of Alaska pollock and GOA Pacific cod where they processed these species in 2002. This action is necessary to increase operational flexibility for AFA SFPs that process pollock caught in the BS subarea directed fishery while continuing to limit the competitive advantage of AFA SFPs in the GOA pollock and GOA Pacific cod fisheries. This final rule also is notification to the public of the approval of Amendment 62 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area and the approval of Amendment 62 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska.

Amendments 62/62 revise the BSAI FMP description of the Catcher Vessel Operational Area and remove the obsolete sunset date for inshore/offshore sector allocations of pollock and Pacific cod in the GOA FMP. These actions are intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the GOA FMP, the BSAI FMP, and other applicable laws.