Final Regulatory Impact Review for a Regulatory Amendment for Observer Coverage Requirements on BSAI Trawl Catcher Vessels

This Review examines the potential impacts of changes to observer coverage requirements on Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) catcher vessel owners and operators, fishery managers, observer providers, and the NOAA Fisheries Observer Program. The proposed action would change the observer coverage requirements for catcher vessels (CV) that use trawl gear in BSAI limited access fisheries. The alternatives vary in the number of vessels that would be affected by the regulatory change, whether the shift in coverage requirements would be mandatory or optional, and, if optional, whether or not vessel owners could determine their level of coverage on an annual basis. The Council’s  alternatives are intended to provide financial relief to trawl vessel owners who are currently paying for observer coverage in both the partial and full coverage categories. The alternatives also consider the extent to which amended regulations would affect the ability of NOAA Fisheries to collect data from the fisheries in the partial observer coverage category. The proposed action responds to stakeholders who submitted comments and testified to the Council that their vessels need full observer coverage to comply with the conservation goals in their AFA Inter-cooperative Agreements. Fishery participants have also testified that carrying full observer coverage allows them to shift seamlessly between the AFA pollock trawl fishery and the Pacific cod limited access trawl fishery.