Final Regulatory Impact Review/Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Amendment 96 to the Fishery Management Plan For Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska Remove the Community Quota Entity Small Block Restriction
October 15, 2014
Regulatory Impact Review prepared to evaluate the economic and socioeconomic effects of a proposed Federal regulatory amendment to the Gulf of Alaska Community Quota Entity Program.
The proposed amendment would revise the Gulf of Alaska Community Quota Entity (CQE) Program. This program was approved by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council in 2002 and implemented by NOAA Fisheries in 2004, under Amendment 66 to the Gulf of Alaska Fishery Management Plan. The action removes a regulation that prohibits a Gulf of Alaska CQE from transferring and holding small blocks of halibut and sablefish quota share (QS). This action will allow CQEs to acquire additional QS and facilitate CQE community resident participation in the IFQ Program.