


U.S. fisheries are classified under the Marine Mammal Protection Act according to the level of interactions that result in incidental mortality or serious injury of marine mammals.
Category |
II |
Estimated Number of Participants |
32 |
Target Species |
flatfish |
Applicable Take Reduction Plans |
N/A |
Observer Coverage |
From 1998-2005, pooled observer coverage for all areas was: 59.4%, 66.3%, 64.5%, 57.6%, 58.4%, 63.9%, 68.2%, and 68.3%, respectively. |
Marine Mammal Species/Stocks Killed or Injured |
Bearded seal, Beringia; Gray whale, Eastern North Pacific; Harbor porpoise, Bering Sea; Harbor seal, Bristol Bay; Humpback whale, Western North Pacific1; Killer whale, Eastern North Pacific Alaska resident1; Killer whale, Eastern North Pacific GOA, AI, BS transient1; Northern fur seals, Eastern Pacific; Ribbon seal; Ringed seal, Arctic; Spotted seal, Bering; Steller sea lion, Western U.S.1; Walrus, AK. |
^ Number of participants estimates are based on state and federal fisheries permit data. The estimated number of participants is expressed in terms of the number of active participants in the fishery, when possible. If this information is not available, the estimated number of vessels or persons licensed for a particular fishery is provided. If no recent information is available on the number of participants, then the number from the most recent LOF is used. NOAA Fisheries acknowledges that, in some cases, these estimations may be inflating actual effort.
*Observer coverage levels include the latest information reported in the most current final Stock Assessment Report (SAR).
1 Indicates the stock or species is driving the classification of the fishery.
The total annual mortality and serious injury of Steller sea lions (Western U.S. stock) and killer whales (AK resident stock) is more than 1% and less than 50% of each stock's Potential Biological Removal (PBR) level.
Fishing effort in this fishery occurs within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone of the Eastern Bering Sea and the portion of the North Pacific Ocean adjacent to the Aleutian Islands, which is west of 170°W. long. up to the U.S.-Russian Convention Line of 1867.
This fishery is federally managed under the BSAI FMP. The authorized gear, fishing season, criteria for determining fishing seasons, and area restrictions by gear type are defined in the regulations implementing the BSAI FMP (50 CFR 679). Management measures for the BSAI groundfish fisheries constrain fishing both temporally and spatially.
Original Category (Year added to the LOF) |
III (1996) |
Original Number of Participants |
490 |
Basis for Original Classification |
Incidental take of killer whales (unknown transient and resident stocks) was 8% of the stock’s PBR. However, population estimates of both stocks were known to be biased low (because estimates were based on direct counts) and NOAA Fisheries had good estimates of incidental take in this fishery as a result of 60% observer coverage. Therefore, the levels of take were not thought to have a significant effect on the population and the fishery was listed as Category III. |
Past Names |
AK BSAI Groundfish Trawl (until 2004) |
Species/stocks historically documented as killed or injured (but not currently on the list) |
N/A |
2022 |
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2013 |
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2010 |
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2009 |
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2006 |
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2005 |
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2004 |
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Changes on the LOF when the “AK BSAI flatfish trawl” fishery was included in the larger “AK BSAI groundfish trawl” fishery |
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2003 |
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2001 |
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1999 |
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1998 |
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