Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Amendment 80 Groundfish Trawl Fishery in Alaska
Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) Fishery Management Plan Amendment 80 allocated several BSAI non-pollock trawl groundfish species among trawl fishery sectors, and facilitated the formation of harvesting cooperatives in the non-American Fisheries Act (non-AFA) trawl catcher/processor sector. The groundfish species directly affected by Amendment 80 include Atka mackerel, Aleutian Islands Pacific ocean perch, flathead sole, Pacific cod, rock sole, and yellowfin sole. In addition, Amendment 80 modified the management of halibut and crab prohibited species catch (PSC) limits.
History
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council adopted BSAI Amendment 80 to meet the broad goals of: (1) improving retention and utilization of fishery resources by the non-AFA trawl catcher/processor fleet by extending the groundfish retention standard (GRS) to non-AFA trawl catcher/processor vessels of all lengths; (2) allocating fishery resources among BSAI trawl harvesters in consideration of historic and present harvest patterns and future harvest needs; (3) authorizing the allocation of groundfish species to harvesting cooperatives and establishing a limited access privilege program (LAPP) for the non-AFA trawl catcher/processors to reduce potential GRS compliance costs, encourage fishing practices with lower discard rates, and improve the opportunity for increasing the value of harvested species; and (4) limiting the ability of non-AFA trawl catcher/processors to expand their harvesting capacity into other fisheries not managed under a LAPP.
Fishery Resources
- Applications and Forms
- Monitoring and Reporting
- eLandings: Report landings
- eFISH: Check an account balance, pay fees, and transfer cooperative quota
- Recordkeeping and Reporting
- Permits Issued
- Cost Recovery and Fee Programs
- Allocations 2008-present: (See GOA harvest specifications for Amendment 80 sideboard limits)
Regulations and Management Actions
- Information Bulletins
- Groundfish Harvest Specifications
- Federal Register Rules and Notices
- Regulations, Acts, Treaties, and Agreements
- Figures, Maps, Boundaries, Regulatory Areas, and Zones
- Fishery Management Plan Amendments
- Analyses
Reference Materials
- Five-year Review of the Effects of Amendment 80
- Amendment 80 Checklist (Small Entity Compliance Guide)
- Guide to Amendment 80 and Rockfish Program Sideboards
- Initial Issuance of A-80 QS holders
- Final Fishery Denominators