EA/RIR/FRFA for Amendment 85 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands, Allocation of Pacific Cod Among Harvesting Sectors
December 14, 2007
This Environmental Assessment/Review/Flexibility Analysis analyzes the impacts of revising the separate apportionments of the BSAI Pacific cod ITAC among the fixed gear sectors, jig sector, and trawl sectors based on recent sector catch histories.
This action also implements a further split of the trawl CP sector allocation between the non-AFA and AFA trawl CP sectors. This action also proposes to increase the BSAI Pacific cod allocation to the western Alaska Community Development Quota Program, to be consistent with recent amendments to the Magnuson Stevens Act. Finally, this analysis evaluates the effects of:
- apportioning halibut and crab prohibited species catch allowances among the Pacific cod trawl sectors
- apportioning the halibut prohibited species catch allowance between the Pacific cod hook-and-line sectors
This amendment is intended to reduce uncertainty by establishing and modifying sector allocations such that they better reflect historic use, by sector, taking into account community and other socioeconomic considerations.