Categorical Exclusion for Amendment 119 to the FMP for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands and Amendment 107 to the FMP for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska to Require Retention of Rockfish
November 15, 2019
Categorical Exclusion for requiring full retention of all rockfish caught by catcher vessels using hook-and-line, pot, or jig gear targeting groundfish and halibut in the GOA and BSAI.
As defined in Section 4 and Appendix E of NOAA’s Companion Manual for NAO 216-6A, this action is categorically excluded from the need to prepare either an Environmental Assessment or an Environmental Impact Statement. Specifically, the action falls into the category of actions subject to categorical exclusion identified in Appendix E of NOAA’s Companion Manual for NAO 216-6A, A1, an action that is a technical correction or a change to a fishery management action or regulation, which does not result in a substantial change in any of the following:
- fishing location
- timing
- effort
- authorized gear types
- harvest levels