Environmental Assessment for an Exempted Fishing Permit (99-03) to Assess Existing and Proposed Methods of Species Composition Sampling

This Environmental Assessment addresses an exempted fishing permit (EFP) application submitted by Groundfish Forum, Inc. under SD CFR part 679.6. The EFP application was received by NOAA Fisheries on April 19, 1999. It was reviewed and endorsed by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council at its 1999 meeting. The EFP was developed in coordination with the NOAA Fisheries North Pacific Groundfish Observer Program and proposes to examine:

• the accuracy of at-sea observer basket sampling practices
• the design and use of automated species composition sampling
• the effect of fish stratification by size in trawls and how that affects size composition sampling