Categorical Exclusion (CE) for the Proposed Rule to Modify the 2022 Halibut Individual Fishing Quota Vessel Harvest Limitations in IFQ Regulatory Areas 4A, 4B, 4C and 4D
June 06, 2022
This action would temporarily remove IFQ halibut vessel caps for the remainder of the 2022 fishing year in IFQ regulatory areas 4A (Eastern Aleutian Islands), 4B (Central and Western Aleutian Islands), 4C (Central Bering Sea), and 4D (Eastern Bering Sea).
Based upon the above analysis, NOAA has determined that the proposed action falls within the
category of actions subject to CE identified in Appendix E of NOAA’s Companion Manual for NAO 216-6A, A1 - Trust Resource Management Actions — a category of actions that does not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the quality of the human environment; is not connected to a larger action (40 CFR1501.9(e)(1)); and does not involve extraordinary circumstances precluding use of the CE. As such, NOAA has determined that it is categorically excluded from further NEPA review.