Environmental Assessment for Proposed Amendment 79 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska - Set Overfishing and Acceptable Biological Catch Specifications for the “Other Species” Category in the Gulf of Alaska

The proposed action would amend the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska to require the Council to annually set an aggregate overfishing limit and acceptable biological catch level for the “other species” category. Currently, the Council only sets total allowable catch (TAC) for the “other species” category according to a formula specified in the FMP. Under the proposed action, the “other species” category would be subject to the harvest specifications procedure laid out in the FMP for target groundfish species. The purpose of this amendment is to provide a sound biological basis for setting the TAC for the “other species” category. The “other species” category currently contains the following species:

• squids
• sculpins
• sharks
• octopus