Amendment 93 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska Management Area

NOAA Fisheries publishes regulations to implement Amendment 93 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska. The regulations apply exclusively to the directed pollock trawl fisheries in the Central and Western Reporting Areas of the Gulf of Alaska. Amendment 93 establishes separate prohibited species catch, or PSC, limits in the Central and Western GOA for Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), which would cause NOAA Fisheries to close the directed pollock fishery in the Central or Western regulatory areas of the GOA if the applicable limit is reached. This action also requires retention of salmon by all vessels in the Central and Western GOA pollock fisheries until the catch is delivered to a processing facility where an observer is provided the opportunity to count the number of salmon and to collect scientific data or biological samples from the salmon. This action makes several revisions to the Prohibited Species Donation program. Amendment 93 is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the FMP, and other applicable laws.