Final Environmental Assessment for Amendment 24 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands King and Tanner Crabs to Revise Overfishing Definitions
May 30, 2008
The proposed action would establish overfishing definitions that contain objective and measurable criteria for each managed stock. The proposed action would also remove twelve state-managed stocks from the Fishery Management Plan.
The Magnuson-Stevens Act Fishery Conservation and Management Act requires Fishery Management Plans to contain objective and measurable criteria for determining whether a stock is overfished or whether overfishing is occurring.
This Environmental Assessment provides decision-makers and the public with an evaluation of the environmental, social, and economic effects of alternative overfishing definitions and removing specific stocks from the fishery management plan. This document addresses the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act.