"Groundfish Assessment Program"

This document is an Environmental Assessment (EA) for an action to amend halibut Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) and Community Development Quota (CDQ) regulations that define regulatory fishing areas for these programs under the authority of both the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC). In December 2004, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) identified its preferred alternative to allow holders of Area 4C halibut IFQ and CDQ to harvest such halibut IFQ/CDQ in Area 4D. It would allow additional fishing opportunities so that the assigned Area 4C IFQ and CDQ quotas for two Pribilof Island ommunities (St. Paul and St. George) in Area 4C may be attained. A complementary action by the IPHC, which is required to adopt this regulatory amendment, was approved in January 2005.

Measured 20,000 fish and collected 1,100 otoliths over seven weeks at sea.

Scientists find fish last seen in 2003.

Working in western reaches of US and possibly discovered a new fish species.

We've found 72 fish species and 207 species of invertebrates, while seabirds find us.

What it’s like to spend seven weeks in remote waters.

Discovering snailfish in Alaska waters.

Aleutian Islands seafloor home to diverse species.

Ensuring a healthy ecosystem for sustainable fisheries.

This month NOAA Fisheries celebrates the 40th Anniversary of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the federal law that set the U.S. on track to healthy fish stocks and fisheries. Underlying the success of this important U.S. law is a management system supported by good science. Biological surveys make it possible for scientists to provide reliable estimates of how many fish are in the ocean. Sometimes, scientists also get a few surprises, like discovering a new species.