Regulatory Impact Review/Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis for Amendment 105 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area Bering Sea Flatfish Harvest Specifications Flexibility

This document analyzes a proposed action that would enable Amendment 80 cooperatives and Western Alaska Community Development Quota groups to exchange their quota share of one or two of three groundfish species (i.e., flathead sole, rock sole, and/or yellowfin sole) for an equivalent amount of the acceptable biological catch (ABC) surplus of one of the remaining species. The intent is to increase the opportunity for maximizing the harvest of these species, while ensuring that the overall optimum yield and ABCs for each individual species are not exceeded. Flatfish TACs are consistently under-harvested due to various economic, regulatory, and environmental constraints. The proposed action would amend the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area and Federal regulations related to the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands.