Environmental Assessment for an Exempted Fishing Permit (99-04) to Test Artificial Bait Fabricated from Alaska Pollock Offal
July 10, 1999
This environmental assessment addresses an exempted fishing permit application to test artificial bait. If approved, this would allow the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation to compare its artificial bait to natural bait.
This Environmental Assessment addresses an exempted fishing permit (EFP) application submitted by the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation (AFDF), under 50 CFR 679.6. The EFP application was received by the National Marine Fisheries Service on April 19, 1999, and reviewed by the Alaska Fisheries Science Center and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. The Council considered and - approved the application during its June 1999 meeting.
During Phase 1, the applicants developed and successfully tested the artificial bait in mini-field trials in Puget Sound and Alaska. The artificial bait consists of pollock wastes embedded into a patented matrix. Approval of the EFP would allow AFDF to compare its artificial bait to natural bait in terms of catch rate, species caught, size of fish caught, length of soak time, and other parameters.