Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands; 2018 and 2019 Harvest Specifications for Groundfish, 8365-8390 [2018-03918]
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 39 / Tuesday, February 27, 2018 / Rules and Regulations
Dated: February 21, 2018.
Samuel D. Rauch, III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for
Regulatory Programs, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
For the reasons set out in the
preamble, 50 CFR part 648 is amended
as follows:
PART 648—FISHERIES OF THE
NORTHEASTERN UNITED STATES
1. The authority citation for part 648
continues to read as follows:
■
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
2. In § 648.90, add paragraph
(a)(5)(i)(D)(1)(iii) effective March 1,
2018, through April 30, 2018.
The addition reads as follows:
■
§ 648.90 NE multispecies assessment,
framework procedures and specifications,
and flexible area action system.
(a) * * *
(5) * * *
(i) * * *
(D) * * *
(1) * * *
(iii) Emergency rule reducing the
duration of southern windowpane
flounder AM for non-groundfish vessels.
Effective March 1, 2018, through April
30, 2018, the southern windowpane
flounder AM is removed for all vessels
fishing with trawl gear with a codend
mesh size equal to or greater than 5
inches (12.7 cm) in other, non-specified
sub-components of the fishery,
including, but not limited to, exempted
fisheries that occur in Federal waters
and fisheries harvesting exempted
species specified in § 648.80(b)(3).
*
*
*
*
*
[FR Doc. 2018–03899 Filed 2–26–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 679
[Docket No. 170817779–8161–02]
RIN 0648–XF636
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Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic
Zone Off Alaska; Bering Sea and
Aleutian Islands; 2018 and 2019
Harvest Specifications for Groundfish
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Final rule; closures.
AGENCY:
NMFS announces final 2018
and 2019 harvest specifications,
SUMMARY:
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apportionments, and prohibited species
catch allowances for the groundfish
fishery of the Bering Sea and Aleutian
Islands management area (BSAI). This
action is necessary to establish harvest
limits for groundfish during the 2018
and 2019 fishing years, and to
accomplish the goals and objectives of
the Fishery Management Plan for
Groundfish of the Bering Sea and
Aleutian Islands Management Area
(FMP). The intended effect of this action
is to conserve and manage the
groundfish resources in the BSAI in
accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management
Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act).
DATES: Effective from 1200 hrs, Alaska
local time (A.l.t.), February 27, 2018,
through 2400 hrs, A.l.t., December 31,
2019.
ADDRESSES: Electronic copies of the
Alaska Groundfish Harvest
Specifications Final Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS), Record of
Decision (ROD), Supplementary
Information Report (SIR) to the EIS, and
the Initial Regulatory Flexibility
Analysis (IRFA) prepared for this action
are available from https://
alaskafisheries.noaa.gov. The final 2017
Stock Assessment and Fishery
Evaluation (SAFE) report for the
groundfish resources of the BSAI, dated
November 2017, as well as the SAFE
reports for previous years, are available
from the North Pacific Fishery
Management Council (Council) at 605
West 4th Avenue, Suite 306, Anchorage,
AK, 99510–2252, phone 907–271–2809,
or from the Council’s website at https://
www.npfmc.org/.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Steve Whitney, 907–586–7228.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Federal
regulations at 50 CFR part 679
implement the FMP and govern the
groundfish fisheries in the BSAI. The
Council prepared the FMP, and NMFS
approved it, under the MagnusonStevens Act. General regulations
governing U.S. fisheries also appear at
50 CFR part 600.
The FMP and its implementing
regulations require NMFS, after
consultation with the Council, to
specify annually the total allowable
catch (TAC) for each target species
category. The sum of all TAC for all
groundfish species in the BSAI must be
within the optimum yield (OY) range of
1.4 million to 2.0 million metric tons
(mt) (see § 679.20(a)(1)(i)(A)). This final
rule specifies the TAC at 2.0 million mt
for both 2018 and 2019. NMFS also
must specify apportionments of TAC,
prohibited species catch (PSC)
allowances, and prohibited species
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quota (PSQ) reserves established by
§ 679.21; seasonal allowances of
pollock, Pacific cod, and Atka mackerel
TAC; American Fisheries Act
allocations; Amendment 80 allocations;
Community Development Quota (CDQ)
reserve amounts established by
§ 679.20(b)(1)(ii); and acceptable
biological catch (ABC) surpluses and
reserves for CDQ groups and the
Amendment 80 cooperative for flathead
sole, rock sole, and yellowfin sole. The
final harvest specifications set forth in
Tables 1 through 25 of this action satisfy
these requirements.
Section 679.20(c)(3)(i) further requires
NMFS to consider public comment on
the proposed harvest specifications and
to publish final harvest specifications in
the Federal Register. The proposed
2018 and 2019 harvest specifications for
the groundfish fishery of the BSAI were
published in the Federal Register on
December 8, 2017 (82 FR 57906).
Comments were invited and accepted
through January 8, 2018. NMFS received
no substantive comments on the
proposed harvest specifications. NMFS
consulted with the Council on the final
2018 and 2019 harvest specifications
during the December 2017 Council
meeting in Anchorage, AK. After
considering public comments, as well as
biological and economic data that were
available at the Council’s December
meeting, in this final rule NMFS
implements the final 2018 and 2019
harvest specifications as recommended
by the Council.
ABC and TAC Harvest Specifications
The final ABC levels for Alaska
groundfish are based on the best
available biological and socioeconomic
information, including projected
biomass trends, information on assumed
distribution of stock biomass, and
revised technical methods used to
calculate stock biomass. In general, the
development of ABCs and overfishing
levels (OFLs) involves sophisticated
statistical analyses of fish populations.
The FMP specifies a series of six tiers
to define OFL and ABC amounts based
on the level of reliable information
available to fishery scientists. Tier 1
represents the highest level of
information quality available, while Tier
6 represents the lowest.
In December 2017, the Council, its
Scientific and Statistical Committee
(SSC), and its Advisory Panel (AP)
reviewed current biological and harvest
information about the condition of the
BSAI groundfish stocks. The Council’s
BSAI Groundfish Plan Team (Plan
Team) compiled and presented this
information in the final 2017 SAFE
report for the BSAI groundfish fisheries,
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dated November 2017 (see ADDRESSES).
The SAFE report contains a review of
the latest scientific analyses and
estimates of each species’ biomass and
other biological parameters, as well as
summaries of the available information
on the BSAI ecosystem and the
economic condition of groundfish
fisheries off Alaska. NMFS notified the
public of the comment period for these
harvest specifications—and of the
publication of the 2017 SAFE report—
in the notice of proposed harvest
specifications. From the data and
analyses in the SAFE report, the Plan
Team recommended an OFL and ABC
for each species or species group at the
November 2017 Plan Team meeting.
In December 2017, the SSC, AP, and
Council reviewed the Plan Team’s
recommendations. The final TAC
recommendations were based on the
ABCs as adjusted for other biological
and socioeconomic considerations,
including maintaining the sum of all the
TACs within the required OY range of
1.4 million to 2.0 million mt. As
required by annual catch limit rules for
all fisheries (74 FR 3178, January 16,
2009), none of the Council’s
recommended TACs for 2018 or 2019
exceed the final 2018 or 2019 ABCs for
any species or species group. NMFS
finds that the Council’s recommended
OFLs, ABCs, and TACs are consistent
with the preferred harvest strategy and
the biological condition of groundfish
stocks as described in the 2017 SAFE
report that was approved by the
Council. Therefore, this final rule
provides notice that the Secretary of
Commerce (Secretary) approves the final
2018 and 2019 harvest specifications as
recommended by the Council.
The 2018 harvest specifications set in
this final action will supersede the 2018
harvest specifications previously set in
the final 2017 and 2018 harvest
specifications (82 FR 11826, February
27, 2017). The 2019 harvest
specifications herein will be superseded
in early 2019 when the final 2019 and
2020 harvest specifications are
published. Pursuant to this final action,
the 2018 harvest specifications therefore
will apply for the remainder of the
current year (2018), while the 2019
harvest specifications are projected only
for the following year (2019) and will be
superseded in early 2019 by the final
2019 and 2020 harvest specifications.
Because this final action (published in
early 2018) will be superseded in early
2019 by the publication of the final 2019
and 2020 harvest specifications, it is
projected that this final action will
implement the harvest specifications for
the BSAI for approximately one year.
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Other Actions Affecting the 2018 and
2019 Harvest Specifications
Amendment 117: Reclassify Squid as an
Ecosystem Species
In June 2017, the Council
recommended for Secretarial review
Amendment 117 to the FMP.
Amendment 117 would reclassify squid
in the FMP as an ‘‘Ecosystem
Component Species,’’ which is a
category of non-target species that are
not in need of conservation and
management. Currently, NMFS annually
sets an OFL, ABC, and TAC for squid in
the BSAI groundfish harvest
specifications. Under Amendment 117,
OFL, ABC, and TAC specifications
would no longer be required. Proposed
regulations to implement Amendment
117 would prohibit directed fishing for
squid, require recordkeeping and
reporting to monitor and report catch of
squid species annually, and establish a
squid maximum retainable amount
when directed fishing for groundfish
species at 20 percent to discourage
retention, while allowing flexibility to
prosecute groundfish fisheries. Further
details will be available on publication
of the proposed rule for Amendment
117. If Amendment 117 and its
implementing regulations are approved
by the Secretary, Amendment 117 and
its implementing regulations are
anticipated to be effective by 2019. Until
Amendment 117 is effective, NMFS will
continue to publish OFLs, ABCs, and
TACs for squid in the BSAI groundfish
harvest specifications.
State of Alaska Guideline Harvest Levels
The Alaska Board of Fisheries (BOF),
a regulatory body for the Alaska
Department of Fish and Game,
established a guideline harvest level
(GHL) in State of Alaska (State) waters
between 164 and 167 degrees west
longitude in the Bering Sea subarea (BS)
equal to 6.4 percent of the Pacific cod
ABC for the BS. The Council
recommended that the final 2018 and
2019 Pacific cod TACs accommodate
the State’s GHLs for Pacific cod in State
waters in the BS. The Council and its
Plan Team, SSC, and AP recommended
that the sum of all State and Federal
water Pacific cod removals from the BS
not exceed the final ABC
recommendations of 201,000 mt for
2018 and 170,000 mt for 2019.
Accordingly, the Council recommended
that the final 2018 and 2019 Pacific cod
TACs in the BS account for State GHLs,
and NMFS sets the final BS TAC at 6.4
percent less than the Pacific cod BS
ABC.
For 2018 and 2019, the BOF
established a GHL in State waters in the
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Aleutian Islands subarea (AI) equal to
27 percent of the Pacific cod ABC for
the AI. The Council recommended that
the final 2018 and 2019 Pacific cod
TACs accommodate the State’s GHLs for
Pacific cod in State waters in the AI.
The Council and its Plan Team, SSC,
and AP recommended that the sum of
all State and Federal water Pacific cod
removals from the AI not exceed the
final ABC recommendations of 21,500
mt. Accordingly, the Council
recommended that the final 2018 and
2019 Pacific cod TACs in the AI account
for State GHLs, and in this final rule
NMFS sets the final AI TAC at 27
percent less than the final AI ABC.
Changes From the Proposed 2018 and
2019 Harvest Specifications for the
BSAI
The Council’s recommendations for
the proposed 2018 and 2019 harvest
specifications (82 FR 57906, December
8, 2017) were based largely on
information contained in the 2016 SAFE
report for the BSAI groundfish fisheries.
Through the proposed harvest
specifications, NMFS notified the public
that these harvest specifications could
change, as the Council would consider
information contained in the final 2017
SAFE report; recommendations from the
Plan Team, SSC, and AP committees;
and public testimony when making its
recommendations for final harvest
specifications at the December 2017
Council meeting. NMFS further notified
the public that, as required by the FMP
and its implementing regulations, the
sum of the TACs must be within the OY
range of 1.4 million and 2.0 million mt.
Information contained in the 2017
SAFE report indicates biomass changes
from the 2016 SAFE report for several
groundfish species. The 2017 report was
made available for public review during
the public comment period for the
proposed harvest specifications. At the
December 2017 Council meeting, the
SSC recommended the 2018 and 2019
ABCs for many species based on the
best and most recent information
contained in the 2017 SAFE reports.
This recommendation resulted in an
ABC sum total for all BSAI groundfish
species in excess of 2 million mt for
both 2018 and 2019.
Based on increased fishing effort in
2017, the Council recommends final BS
pollock TACs increase by 4,483 mt in
2018 and increase by 23,142 mt in 2019
compared to the proposed 2018 and
2019 BS pollock TACs. In terms of
percentage, the largest increases in final
2018 TACs relative to the proposed
2018 TACs were for BSAI ‘‘other
flatfish’’ and BSAI sharks, while the
largest increases for 2019 also included
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sablefish. The 2018 increases were to
account for higher incidental catches of
these species in 2017. Other increases in
the final 2018 TACs relative to the
proposed 2018 TACs included sablefish,
Greenland turbot, Alaska plaice, BS
Pacific ocean perch, northern rockfish,
Central Aleutian and Western Aleutian
(CAI/WAI) blackspotted and rougheye
rockfish, shortraker rockfish, AI ‘‘other
rockfish,’’ Eastern Aleutian Islands and
Bering Sea (EAI/BS) Atka mackerel,
skates, and sculpins. The 2018 increases
were to account for higher interest in
directed fishing or higher anticipated
incidental catch needs.
Decreases in final 2018 TACs
compared to the proposed 2018 TACs
were for Bogoslof pollock, BS Pacific
cod, arrowtooth flounder, rock sole,
flathead sole, EAI Pacific ocean perch,
WAI Pacific ocean perch, BS/EAI
blackspotted and rougheye rockfish, BS
‘‘other rockfish,’’ CAI Atka mackerel,
WAI Atka mackerel, squids, and
octopuses. As noted in the proposed
2018 and 2019 harvest specifications,
the BS Pacific cod ABC and TAC
proposed for 2018 and 2019 decreased
based on the final 2017 stock
assessment. The remaining 2018
decreases were to account for the
increases to the TACs for the species
listed above and for the requirement not
to exceed the 2.0 million mt OY limit
on overall TAC in the BSAI.
The changes to TACs between the
proposed and final harvest
specifications are based on the most
recent scientific and economic
information and are consistent with the
FMP, regulatory obligations, and harvest
strategy as described in the proposed
harvest specifications, including the
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upper limit for OY of 2.0 million mt.
These changes are compared in Table
1A.
Table 1 lists the Council’s
recommended final 2018 OFL, ABC,
TAC, initial TAC (ITAC), and CDQ
reserve allocations of the BSAI
groundfish species or species groups;
and Table 2 lists the Council’s
recommended final 2019 OFL, ABC,
TAC, ITAC, and CDQ reserve allocations
of the BSAI groundfish species or
species groups. NMFS concurs in these
recommendations. These final 2018 and
2019 TAC recommendations for the
BSAI are within the OY range
established for the BSAI and do not
exceed the ABC for any species or
species group. The apportionment of
TAC amounts among fisheries and
seasons is discussed below.
TABLE 1—FINAL 2018 OVERFISHING LEVEL (OFL), ACCEPTABLE BIOLOGICAL CATCH (ABC), TOTAL ALLOWABLE CATCH
(TAC), INITIAL TAC (ITAC), AND CDQ RESERVE ALLOCATION OF GROUNDFISH IN THE BSAI 1
[Amounts are in metric tons]
2018
Species
Area
ITAC 2
CDQ 3
OFL
Pollock 4 .............................................
Pacific cod 5 .......................................
Sablefish ............................................
Yellowfin sole .....................................
Greenland turbot ................................
Arrowtooth flounder ...........................
Kamchatka flounder ...........................
Rock sole ...........................................
Flathead sole 6 ...................................
Alaska plaice ......................................
Other flatfish 7 ....................................
Pacific ocean perch ...........................
Northern rockfish ...............................
Blackspotted and Rougheye rockfish 8.
Shortraker rockfish .............................
Other rockfish 9 ..................................
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Atka mackerel ....................................
Skates ................................................
Sculpins .............................................
Sharks ................................................
Squids ................................................
Octopuses ..........................................
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ABC
TAC
BS ........................
AI .........................
Bogoslof ...............
BS ........................
AI .........................
BS ........................
AI .........................
BSAI ....................
BSAI ....................
BS ........................
AI .........................
BSAI ....................
BSAI ....................
BSAI ....................
BSAI ....................
BSAI ....................
BSAI ....................
BSAI ....................
BS ........................
EAI .......................
CAI .......................
WAI ......................
BSAI ....................
BSAI ....................
4,797,000
49,289
130,428
238,000
28,700
2,887
3,917
306,700
13,148
n/a
n/a
76,757
11,347
147,300
79,862
41,170
17,591
51,675
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
15,888
749
2,592,000
40,788
60,800
201,000
21,500
1,464
1,988
277,500
11,132
9,718
1,414
65,932
9,737
143,100
66,773
34,590
13,193
42,509
11,861
10,021
7,787
12,840
12,975
613
1,364,341
19,000
450
188,136
15,695
1,464
1,988
154,000
5,294
5,125
169
13,621
5,000
47,100
14,500
16,100
4,000
37,361
11,861
9,000
7,500
9,000
6,100
225
1,227,907
17,100
450
168,005
14,016
1,208
1,615
137,522
4,500
4,356
144
11,578
4,250
42,060
12,949
13,685
3,400
32,853
10,082
8,037
6,698
8,037
5,185
191
136,434
1,900
0
20,131
1,679
201
335
16,478
n/a
548
0
1,457
0
5,040
1,552
0
0
n/a
0
963
803
963
0
0
BS/EAI .................
CAI/WAI ...............
BSAI ....................
BSAI ....................
BS ........................
AI .........................
BSAI ....................
BS/EAI .................
CAI .......................
WAI ......................
BSAI ....................
BSAI ....................
BSAI ....................
BSAI ....................
BSAI ....................
n/a
n/a
666
1,816
n/a
n/a
108,600
n/a
n/a
n/a
46,668
53,201
689
6,912
4,769
374
239
499
1,362
791
571
92,000
36,820
32,000
23,180
39,082
39,995
517
5,184
3,576
75
150
150
845
275
570
71,000
36,500
21,000
13,500
27,000
5,000
180
1,200
250
64
128
128
718
234
485
63,403
32,595
18,753
12,056
22,950
4,250
153
1,020
213
0
0
0
0
0
0
7,597
3,906
2,247
1,445
0
0
0
0
0
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TABLE 1—FINAL 2018 OVERFISHING LEVEL (OFL), ACCEPTABLE BIOLOGICAL CATCH (ABC), TOTAL ALLOWABLE CATCH
(TAC), INITIAL TAC (ITAC), AND CDQ RESERVE ALLOCATION OF GROUNDFISH IN THE BSAI 1—Continued
[Amounts are in metric tons]
2018
Species
Area
ITAC 2
OFL
Total ............................................
TAC
6,235,729
..............................
ABC
3,779,809
2,000,000
CDQ 3
1,791,308
196,081
1 These amounts apply to the entire BSAI management area unless otherwise specified. With the exception of pollock, and for the purpose of
these harvest specifications, the Bering Sea subarea (BS) includes the Bogoslof District.
2 Except for pollock, the portion of the sablefish TAC allocated to hook-and-line and pot gear, and Amendment 80 species, 15 percent of each
TAC is put into a non-specified reserve. The ITAC for these species is the remainder of the TAC after the subtraction of these reserves. For pollock and Amendment 80 species, ITAC is the non-CDQ allocation of TAC (see footnotes 3 and 5).
3 For the Amendment 80 species (Atka mackerel, flathead sole, rock sole, yellowfin sole, Pacific cod, and Aleutian Islands Pacific ocean
perch), 10.7 percent of the TAC is reserved for use by CDQ participants (see §§ 679.20(b)(1)(ii)(C) and 679.31). Twenty percent of the sablefish
TAC allocated to hook-and-line gear or pot gear, 7.5 percent of the sablefish TAC allocated to trawl gear, and 10.7 percent of the TACs for Bering Sea Greenland turbot and arrowtooth flounder are reserved for use by CDQ participants (see § 679.20(b)(1)(ii)(B) and (D)). Aleutian Islands
Greenland turbot, ‘‘other flatfish,’’ Alaska plaice, Bering Sea Pacific ocean perch, northern rockfish, shortraker rockfish, blackspotted and
rougheye rockfish, ‘‘other rockfish,’’ skates, sculpins, sharks, squids, and octopuses are not allocated to the CDQ program.
4 Under § 679.20(a)(5)(i)(A), the annual BS pollock TAC, after subtracting first for the CDQ directed fishing allowance (10 percent) and second
for the incidental catch allowance (3.9 percent), is further allocated by sector for a pollock directed fishery as follows: inshore—50 percent; catcher/processor—40 percent; and motherships—10 percent. Under § 679.20(a)(5)(iii)(B)(2), the annual AI pollock TAC, after subtracting first for the
CDQ directed fishing allowance (10 percent) and second for the incidental catch allowance (2,400 mt), is allocated to the Aleut Corporation for a
pollock directed fishery.
5 The BS Pacific cod TAC is set to account for the 6.4 percent of the BS ABC for the State of Alaska’s (State) guideline harvest level in State
waters of the BS. The AI Pacific cod TAC is set to account for the 27 percent of the AI ABC for the State guideline harvest level in State waters
of the AI.
6 ‘‘Flathead sole’’ includes Hippoglossoides elassodon (flathead sole) and Hippoglossoides robustus (Bering flounder).
7 ‘‘Other flatfish’’ includes all flatfish species, except for halibut (a prohibited species), flathead sole, Greenland turbot, rock sole, yellowfin sole,
arrowtooth flounder, Kamchatka flounder, and Alaska plaice.
8 ‘‘Rougheye rockfish’’ includes Sebastes aleutianus (rougheye) and Sebastes melanostictus (blackspotted).
9 ‘‘Other rockfish’’ includes all Sebastes and Sebastolobus species except for Pacific ocean perch, northern rockfish, shortraker rockfish, and
blackspotted and rougheye rockfish.
Note: Regulatory areas and districts are defined at § 679.2 (BSAI = Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area, BS = Bering Sea subarea, AI = Aleutian Islands subarea, EAI = Eastern Aleutian district, CAI = Central Aleutian district, WAI = Western Aleutian district.)
TABLE 1A—COMPARISON OF FINAL 2018 AND 2019 WITH PROPOSED 2018 AND 2019
TOTAL ALLOWABLE CATCH IN THE BSAI
[Amounts are in metric tons]
2018 final
TAC
2018
proposed
TAC
2018
difference
from
proposed
2018
percentage
difference
from
proposed
2019
proposed
TAC
2019 final
TAC
2019
difference
from
proposed
2019
percentage
difference
from
proposed
Species
Area 1
Pollock ..................................
BS .................
AI ...................
Bogoslof ........
BS .................
AI ...................
BS .................
AI ...................
BSAI ..............
BS .................
AI ...................
BSAI ..............
BSAI ..............
BSAI ..............
BSAI ..............
BSAI ..............
BSAI ..............
BS .................
EAI ................
CAI ................
WAI ...............
BSAI ..............
BS/EAI ...........
1,364,341
19,000
450
188,136
15,695
1,464
1,988
154,000
5,125
169
13,621
5,000
47,100
14,500
16,100
4,000
11,861
9,000
7,500
9,000
6,100
75
1,359,858
19,000
500
194,936
15,695
1,274
1,735
154,000
4,375
125
14,000
5,000
50,100
15,500
13,000
2,500
11,000
9,900
7,500
12,000
5,000
100
4,483
0
¥50
¥6,800
0
190
253
0
750
44
¥379
0
¥3,000
¥1,000
3,100
1,500
861
¥900
0
¥3,000
1,100
¥25
0.3
0.0
¥10.0
¥3.5
0.0
14.9
14.6
0.0
17.1
35.2
¥2.7
0.0
¥6.0
¥6.5
23.8
60.0
7.8
¥9.1
0.0
¥25.0
22.0
¥25.0
1,383,000
19,000
500
159,120
15,695
2,061
2,798
156,000
5,125
169
14,000
5,000
49,100
16,500
16,252
4,000
11,499
9,715
7,549
9,117
6,500
75
1,359,858
19,000
500
194,936
15,695
1,274
1,735
154,000
4,375
125
14,000
5,000
50,100
15,500
13,000
2,500
11,000
9,900
7,500
12,000
5,000
100
23,142
0
0
¥35,816
0
787
1,063
2,000
750
44
0
0
¥1,000
1,000
3,252
1,500
499
¥185
49
¥2,883
1,500
¥25
1.7
0.0
0.0
¥18.4
0.0
61.8
61.3
1.3
17.1
35.2
0.0
0.0
¥2.0
6.5
25.0
60.0
4.5
¥1.9
0.7
¥24.0
30.0
¥25.0
CAI/WAI ........
BSAI ..............
BS .................
AI ...................
EAI/BS ...........
CAI ................
WAI ...............
BSAI ..............
BSAI ..............
BSAI ..............
BSAI ..............
150
150
275
570
36,500
21,000
13,500
27,000
5,000
180
1,200
125
125
325
550
34,000
21,500
13,910
26,000
4,500
125
1,342
25
25
¥50
20
2,500
¥500
¥410
1,000
500
55
¥142
20.0
20.0
¥15.4
3.6
7.4
¥2.3
¥2.9
3.8
11.1
44.0
¥10.6
150
150
275
570
33,780
24,895
13,825
27,000
5,000
180
1,200
125
125
325
550
34,000
21,500
13,910
26,000
4,500
125
1,342
25
25
¥50
20
¥220
3,395
¥85
1,000
500
55
¥142
20.0
20.0
¥15.4
3.6
¥0.6
15.8
¥0.6
3.8
11.1
44.0
¥10.6
Pacific cod ............................
Sablefish ...............................
Yellowfin sole ........................
Greenland turbot ...................
Arrowtooth flounder ..............
Kamchatka flounder ..............
Rock sole ..............................
Flathead sole ........................
Alaska plaice .........................
Other flatfish .........................
Pacific ocean perch ..............
daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with RULES
Northern rockfish ..................
Blackspotted/Rougheye rockfish.
Shortraker rockfish ................
Other rockfish .......................
Atka mackerel .......................
Skates ...................................
Sculpins ................................
Sharks ...................................
Squids ...................................
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TABLE 1A—COMPARISON OF FINAL 2018 AND 2019 WITH PROPOSED 2018 AND 2019—Continued
TOTAL ALLOWABLE CATCH IN THE BSAI
[Amounts are in metric tons]
2018 final
TAC
2018
percentage
difference
from
proposed
2018
difference
from
proposed
2018
proposed
TAC
2019
percentage
difference
from
proposed
2019
difference
from
proposed
2019
proposed
TAC
2019 final
TAC
Species
Area 1
Octopuses .............................
BSAI ..............
250
400
¥150
¥37.5
200
400
¥200
¥50.0
Total ...............................
BSAI ..............
2,000,000
2,000,000
0
0.0
2,000,000
2,000,000
0
0.0
1 Bering
Sea subarea (BS), Aleutian Islands subarea (AI), Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI), Eastern Aleutian District (EAI), Central Aleutian District (CAI), and Western Aleutian District (WAI).
TABLE 2—FINAL 2019 OVERFISHING LEVEL (OFL), ACCEPTABLE BIOLOGICAL CATCH (ABC), TOTAL ALLOWABLE CATCH
(TAC), INITIAL TAC (ITAC), AND CDQ RESERVE ALLOCATION OF GROUNDFISH IN THE BSAI1
[Amounts are in metric tons]
2019
Species
Area
ITAC 2
CDQ 3
OFL
ABC
TAC
BS ........................
AI .........................
Bogoslof ...............
BS ........................
AI .........................
BS ........................
AI .........................
BSAI ....................
BSAI ....................
BS ........................
AI .........................
BSAI ....................
BSAI ....................
BSAI ....................
BSAI ....................
BSAI ....................
BSAI ....................
BSAI ....................
BS ........................
EAI .......................
CAI .......................
WAI ......................
BSAI ....................
BSAI ....................
4,592,000
37,431
130,428
201,000
28,700
4,576
6,209
295,600
13,540
n/a
n/a
75,084
12,022
136,000
78,036
38,800
17,591
50,098
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
15,563
829
2,467,000
30,803
60,800
170,000
21,500
2,061
2,798
267,500
11,473
10,016
1,457
64,494
10,317
132,000
65,227
32,700
13,193
41,212
11,499
9,715
7,549
12,449
12,710
678
1,383,000
19,000
500
159,120
15,695
2,061
2,798
156,000
5,294
5,125
169
14,000
5,000
49,100
16,500
16,252
4,000
37,880
11,499
9,715
7,549
9,117
6,500
225
1,244,700
17,100
500
142,094
14,016
876
595
139,308
4,500
4,356
144
11,900
4,250
43,846
14,735
13,814
3,400
33,332
9,774
8,675
6,741
8,141
5,525
191
138,300
1,900
0
17,026
1,679
77
52
16,692
n/a
548
0
1,498
0
5,254
1,766
0
0
n/a
0
1,040
808
976
0
0
Skates ................................................
Sculpins .............................................
Sharks ................................................
Squids ................................................
Octopuses ..........................................
BS/EAI .................
CAI/WAI ...............
BSAI ....................
BSAI ....................
BS ........................
AI .........................
BSAI ....................
EAI/BS .................
CAI .......................
WAI ......................
BSAI ....................
BSAI ....................
BSAI ....................
BSAI ....................
BSAI ....................
n/a
n/a
666
1,816
n/a
n/a
97,200
n/a
n/a
n/a
44,202
53,201
689
6,912
4,769
414
264
499
1,362
791
571
84,400
33,780
29,350
21,270
36,957
39,995
517
5,184
3,576
75
150
150
845
275
570
72,500
33,780
24,895
13,825
27,000
5,000
180
1,200
200
64
128
128
718
234
485
64,743
30,166
22,231
12,346
22,950
4,250
153
1,020
170
0
0
0
0
0
0
7,758
3,614
2,664
1,479
0
0
0
0
0
Total ............................................
..............................
5,942,962
3,578,956
2,000,000
1,788,813
195,373
Pollock 4 .............................................
Pacific cod 5 .......................................
Sablefish ............................................
Yellowfin sole .....................................
Greenland turbot ................................
Arrowtooth flounder ...........................
Kamchatka flounder ...........................
Rock sole ...........................................
Flathead sole 6 ...................................
Alaska plaice ......................................
Other flatfish 7 ....................................
Pacific ocean perch ...........................
Northern rockfish ...............................
Blackspotted and Rougheye rockfish 8.
Shortraker rockfish .............................
Other rockfish 9 ..................................
daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with RULES
Atka mackerel ....................................
1 These amounts apply to the entire BSAI management area unless otherwise specified. With the exception of pollock, and for the purpose of
these harvest specifications, the Bering Sea subarea (BS) includes the Bogoslof District.
2 Except for pollock, the portion of the sablefish TAC allocated to hook-and-line and pot gear, and Amendment 80 species, 15 percent of each
TAC is put into a non-specified reserve. The ITAC for these species is the remainder of the TAC after the subtraction of these reserves. For pollock and Amendment 80 species, ITAC is the non-CDQ allocation of TAC (see footnotes 3 and 5).
3 For the Amendment 80 species (Atka mackerel, flathead sole, rock sole, yellowfin sole, Pacific cod, and Aleutian Islands Pacific ocean
perch), 10.7 percent of the TAC is reserved for use by CDQ participants (see §§ 679.20(b)(1)(ii)(C) and 679.31). Twenty percent of the sablefish
TAC allocated to hook-and-line gear or pot gear, 7.5 percent of the sablefish TAC allocated to trawl gear, and 10.7 percent of the TACs for Bering Sea Greenland turbot and arrowtooth flounder are reserved for use by CDQ participants (see § 679.20(b)(1)(ii)(B) and (D)). Aleutian Islands
Greenland turbot, ‘‘other flatfish,’’ Alaska plaice, Bering Sea Pacific ocean perch, northern rockfish, shortraker rockfish, blackspotted and
rougheye rockfish, ‘‘other rockfish,’’ skates, sculpins, sharks, squids, and octopuses are not allocated to the CDQ program.
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4 Under § 679.20(a)(5)(i)(A), the annual BS pollock TAC, after subtracting first for the CDQ directed fishing allowance (10 percent) and second
for the incidental catch allowance (3.9 percent), is further allocated by sector for a pollock directed fishery as follows: inshore—50 percent; catcher/processor—40 percent; and motherships—10 percent. Under § 679.20(a)(5)(iii)(B)(2), the annual AI pollock TAC, after subtracting first for the
CDQ directed fishing allowance (10 percent) and second for the incidental catch allowance (2,400 mt), is allocated to the Aleut Corporation for a
pollock directed fishery.
5 The BS Pacific cod TAC is set to account for the 6.4 percent of the BS ABC for the State of Alaska’s (State) guideline harvest level in State
waters of the BS. The AI Pacific cod TAC is set to account for the 27 percent of the AI ABC for the State guideline harvest level in State waters
of the AI.
6 ‘‘Flathead sole’’ includes Hippoglossoides elassodon (flathead sole) and Hippoglossoides robustus (Bering flounder).
7 ‘‘Other flatfish’’ includes all flatfish species, except for halibut (a prohibited species), flathead sole, Greenland turbot, rock sole, yellowfin sole,
arrowtooth flounder, Kamchatka flounder, and Alaska plaice.
8 ‘‘Rougheye rockfish’’ includes Sebastes aleutianus (rougheye) and Sebastes melanostictus (blackspotted).
9 ‘‘Other rockfish’’ includes all Sebastes and Sebastolobus species except for Pacific ocean perch, northern rockfish, shortraker rockfish, and
blackspotted and rougheye rockfish.
Note: Regulatory areas and districts are defined at § 679.2 (BSAI = Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area, BS = Bering Sea subarea, AI = Aleutian Islands subarea, EAI = Eastern Aleutian district, CAI = Central Aleutian district, WAI = Western Aleutian district.)
Groundfish Reserves and the Incidental
Catch Allowance (ICA) for Pollock, Atka
Mackerel, Flathead Sole, Rock Sole,
Yellowfin Sole, and Aleutian Islands
Pacific Ocean Perch
Section 679.20(b)(1)(i) requires NMFS
to reserve 15 percent of the TAC for
each target species, except for pollock,
hook-and-line and pot gear allocation of
sablefish, and Amendment 80 species,
in a non-specified reserve. Section
679.20(b)(1)(ii)(B) requires that NMFS
allocate 20 percent of the hook-and-line
or pot gear allocation of sablefish for the
fixed-gear sablefish CDQ reserve for
each subarea. Section 679.20(b)(1)(ii)(D)
requires that NMFS allocate 7.5 percent
of the trawl gear allocations of sablefish
in the BS and AI and 10.7 percent of the
Bering Sea Greenland turbot and
arrowtooth flounder TACs to the
respective CDQ reserves. Section
679.20(b)(1)(ii)(C) requires that NMFS
allocate 10.7 percent of the TAC for
Atka mackerel, Aleutian Islands Pacific
ocean perch, yellowfin sole, rock sole,
flathead sole, and Pacific cod to the
CDQ reserves. Sections
679.20(a)(5)(i)(A) and 679.31(a) also
require that 10 percent of the Bering Sea
pollock TAC be allocated to the pollock
CDQ directed fishing allowance (DFA).
Similarly, §§ 679.20(a)(5)(iii)(B)(2)(i)
and 679.31(a) require that 10 percent of
the Aleutian Islands TAC be allocated to
the pollock CDQ reserve. The entire
Bogoslof District pollock TAC is
allocated as an ICA pursuant to
§ 679.20(a)(5)(ii) because the Bogoslof
District is closed to directed fishing for
pollock by regulation
(§ 679.22(a)(7)(i)(B)). With the exception
of the hook-and-line or pot gear
sablefish CDQ reserve, the regulations
do not further apportion the CDQ
allocations by gear.
Pursuant to § 679.20(a)(5)(i)(A)(1),
NMFS allocates a pollock ICA of 3.9
percent of the BS pollock TAC after
subtracting the 10 percent CDQ reserve.
This allowance is based on NMFS’
examination of the pollock incidental
catch, including the incidental catch by
CDQ vessels, in target fisheries other
than pollock from 2000 through 2017.
During this 18-year period, the pollock
incidental catch ranged from a low of
2.4 percent in 2006 to a high of 4.8
percent in 2014, with an 18-year average
of 3.3 percent. Pursuant to
§ 679.20(a)(5)(iii)(B)(2)(ii), NMFS
establishes a pollock ICA of 2,400 mt of
the AI TAC after subtracting the 10percent CDQ DFA. This allowance is
based on NMFS’ examination of the
pollock incidental catch, including the
incidental catch by CDQ vessels, in
target fisheries other than pollock from
2003 through 2017. During this 15-year
period, the incidental catch of pollock
ranged from a low of 5 percent in 2006
to a high of 17 percent in 2014, with a
15-year average of 8 percent.
Pursuant to § 679.20(a)(8) and (10),
NMFS allocates ICAs of 4,000 mt of
flathead sole, 6,000 mt of rock sole,
4,000 mt of yellowfin sole, 10 mt of WAI
Pacific ocean perch, 120 mt of CAI
Pacific ocean perch, 100 mt of EAI
Pacific ocean perch, 20 mt of WAI Atka
mackerel, 75 mt of CAI Atka mackerel,
and 800 mt of EAI and BS Atka
mackerel TAC after subtracting the 10.7
percent CDQ reserve. These ICA
allowances are based on NMFS’
examination of the incidental catch in
other target fisheries from 2003 through
2016.
The regulations do not designate the
remainder of the non-specified reserve
by species or species group. Any
amount of the reserve may be
apportioned to a target species that
contributed to the non-specified
reserves during the year, provided that
such apportionments are consistent
with § 679.20(a)(3) and do not result in
overfishing (see § 679.20(b)(1)(i)). The
Regional Administrator has determined
that the ITACs specified for the species
listed in Table 1 need to be
supplemented from the non-specified
reserve because U.S. fishing vessels
have demonstrated the capacity to catch
the full TAC allocations. Therefore, in
accordance with § 679.20(b)(3), NMFS is
apportioning the amounts shown in
Table 3 from the non-specified reserve
to increase the ITAC for shortraker
rockfish, blackspotted and rougheye
rockfish, ‘‘other rockfish,’’ sharks, and
octopuses by 15 percent of the TAC in
2018 and 2019.
TABLE 3—FINAL 2018 AND 2019 APPORTIONMENT OF NON–SPECIFIED RESERVES TO ITAC CATEGORIES
[Amounts are in metric tons]
daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with RULES
Species-area or subarea
2018 ITAC
2018 reserve
amount
2018 final
ITAC
2019 ITAC
2019 reserve
amount
2019 final
ITAC
Shortraker rockfish-BSAI .........................
Rougheye rockfish-BS/EAI ......................
Rougheye rockfish-CAI/WAI ....................
Other rockfish-Bering Sea subarea .........
Other rockfish-Aleutian Islands subarea
Sharks .....................................................
Octopuses ...............................................
128
64
128
234
485
153
213
22
11
22
41
85
27
37
150
75
150
275
570
180
250
128
64
128
234
485
153
340
22
11
22
41
85
27
60
150
75
150
275
570
180
400
Total .................................................
1,405
245
1,650
1,532
268
1,800
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Allocation of Pollock TAC Under the
American Fisheries Act (AFA)
Section 679.20(a)(5)(i)(A) requires that
the BS pollock TAC be apportioned as
a DFA, after subtracting 10 percent for
the CDQ program and 3.9 percent for the
ICA, as follows: 50 percent to the
inshore sector, 40 percent to the
catcher/processor (C/P) sector, and 10
percent to the mothership sector. In the
BS, 45 percent of the DFA is allocated
to the A season (January 20–June 10),
and 55 percent of the DFA is allocated
to the B season (June 10–November 1)
(§§ 679.20(a)(5)(i)(B)(1) and
679.23(e)(2)). The Aleutian Islands
directed pollock fishery allocation to the
Aleut Corporation is the amount of
pollock TAC remaining in the AI after
subtracting 1,900 mt for the CDQ DFA
(10 percent) and 2,400 mt for the ICA
(§ 679.20(a)(5)(iii)(B)(2)). In the AI, the
total A season apportionment of the
TAC (including the AI directed fishery
allocation, the CDQ allowance, and the
ICA) may equal up to 40 percent of the
ABC for AI pollock, and the remainder
of the TAC is allocated to the B season
(§ 679.20(a)(5)(iii)(B)(3)). Tables 4 and 5
list these 2018 and 2019 amounts.
Section 679.20(a)(5)(iii)(B)(6) sets
harvest limits for pollock in the A
season (January 20 to June 10) in Areas
543, 542, and 541 (see
§ 679.20(a)(5)(iii)(B)(6)). In Area 543, the
A season pollock harvest limit is no
more than 5 percent of the Aleutian
Islands pollock ABC. In Area 542, the A
season pollock harvest limit is no more
than 15 percent of the Aleutian Islands
pollock ABC. In Area 541, the A season
pollock harvest limit is no more than 30
percent of the Aleutian Islands pollock
ABC.
Section 679.20(a)(5)(i)(A)(4) also
includes several specific requirements
regarding BS pollock allocations. First,
it requires that 8.5 percent of the
pollock allocated to the C/P sector be
available for harvest by AFA catcher
vessels (CVs) with C/P sector
endorsements, unless the Regional
Administrator receives a cooperative
contract that allows the distribution of
harvest among AFA C/Ps and AFA CVs
8371
in a manner agreed to by all members.
Second, AFA C/Ps not listed in the AFA
are limited to harvesting not more than
0.5 percent of the pollock allocated to
the C/P sector. Tables 4 and 5 list the
2018 and 2019 allocations of pollock
TAC. Tables 20 through 25 list the AFA
C/P and CV harvesting sideboard limits.
The tables for the pollock allocations to
the BS inshore pollock cooperatives and
open access sector will be posted on the
Alaska Region website at https://
alaskafisheries.noaa.gov.
Tables 4 and 5 also list seasonal
apportionments of pollock and harvest
limits within the Steller Sea Lion
Conservation Area (SCA). The harvest
within the SCA, as defined at
§ 679.22(a)(7)(vii), is limited to no more
than 28 percent of the annual pollock
DFA before 12:00 noon, April 1, as
provided in § 679.20(a)(5)(i)(C). The A
season pollock SCA harvest limit will be
apportioned to each sector in proportion
to each sector’s allocated percentage of
the DFA. Tables 4 and 5 list these 2018
and 2019 amounts by sector.
TABLE 4—FINAL 2018 ALLOCATIONS OF POLLOCK TACS TO THE DIRECTED POLLOCK FISHERIES AND TO THE CDQ
DIRECTED FISHING ALLOWANCES (DFA) 1
[Amounts are in metric tons]
2018
A season 1
2018
allocations
Area and sector
A season DFA
daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with RULES
Bering Sea subarea TAC 1 ..............................................................................
CDQ DFA .........................................................................................................
ICA1 ..................................................................................................................
Total Bering Sea non-CDQ DFA .....................................................................
AFA Inshore .....................................................................................................
AFA Catcher/Processors 3 ...............................................................................
Catch by C/Ps ..........................................................................................
Catch by CVs 3 .........................................................................................
Unlisted C/P Limit 4 ...................................................................................
AFA Motherships .............................................................................................
Excessive Harvesting Limit 5 ............................................................................
Excessive Processing Limit 6 ...........................................................................
Aleutian Islands subarea ABC .........................................................................
Aleutian Islands subarea TAC 1 .......................................................................
CDQ DFA .........................................................................................................
ICA ...................................................................................................................
Aleut Corporation .............................................................................................
Area harvest limit 7 ...........................................................................................
541 ............................................................................................................
542 ............................................................................................................
543 ............................................................................................................
Bogoslof District ICA 8 ......................................................................................
1,364,341
136,434
47,888
1,180,019
590,009
472,007
431,887
40,121
2,360
118,002
206,503
354,006
40,788
19,000
1,900
2,400
14,700
n/a
12,236
6,118
2,039
450
n/a
61,395
n/a
531,008
265,504
212,403
194,349
18,054
1,062
53,101
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
760
1,200
14,355
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
2018
B season 1
SCA harvest
limit 2
n/a
38,202
n/a
330,405
165,203
132,162
n/a
n/a
n/a
33,041
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
B season DFA
n/a
75,039
n/a
649,010
324,505
259,604
237,538
22,066
1,298
64,901
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
1,140
1,200
345
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
1 Pursuant to § 679.20(a)(5)(i)(A), the Bering Sea subarea pollock, after subtracting the CDQ DFA (10 percent) and the ICA (3.9 percent), is allocated as a DFA as follows: Inshore sector—50 percent, catcher/processor sector (C/P)—40 percent, and mothership sector—10 percent. In the
Bering Sea subarea, 45 percent of the DFA is allocated to the A season (January 20–June 10) and 55 percent of the DFA is allocated to the B
season (June 10–November 1). Pursuant to § 679.20(a)(5)(iii)(B)(2)(i) through (iii), the annual Aleutian Islands pollock TAC, after subtracting first
for the CDQ DFA (10 percent) and second for the ICA (2,400 mt), is allocated to the Aleut Corporation for a pollock directed fishery. In the Aleutian Islands subarea, the A season is allocated up to 40 percent of the ABC, and the B season is allocated the remainder of the pollock directed
fishery.
2 In the Bering Sea subarea, pursuant to § 679.20(a)(5)(i)(C), no more than 28 percent of each sector’s annual DFA may be taken from the
SCA before noon, April 1.
3 Pursuant to § 679.20(a)(5)(i)(A)(4), 8.5 percent of the DFA allocated to listed catcher/processors shall be available for harvest only by AFA
catcher vessels with catcher/processor sector endorsements delivering to listed catcher/processors, unless there is a C/P sector cooperative contract for the year.
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4 Pursuant to § 679.20(a)(5)(i)(A)(4)(iii), the AFA unlisted catcher/processors are limited to harvesting not more than 0.5 percent of the catcher/
processors sector’s allocation of pollock.
5 Pursuant to § 679.20(a)(5)(i)(A)(6), NMFS establishes an excessive harvesting share limit equal to 17.5 percent of the sum of the non-CDQ
pollock DFAs.
6 Pursuant to § 679.20(a)(5)(i)(A)(7), NMFS establishes an excessive processing share limit equal to 30.0 percent of the sum of the non-CDQ
pollock DFAs.
7 Pursuant to § 679.20(a)(5)(iii)(B)(6), NMFS establishes harvest limits for pollock in the A season in Area 541 of no more than 30 percent, in
Area 542 of no more than 15 percent, and in Area 543 of no more than 5 percent of the Aleutian Islands pollock ABC.
8 Pursuant to § 679.22(a)(7)(i)(B), the Bogoslof District is closed to directed fishing for pollock. The amounts specified are for ICA only and are
not apportioned by season or sector.
Note: Seasonal or sector apportionments may not total precisely due to rounding.
TABLE 5—FINAL 2019 ALLOCATIONS OF POLLOCK TACS TO THE DIRECTED POLLOCK FISHERIES AND TO THE CDQ
DIRECTED FISHING ALLOWANCES (DFA) 1
[Amounts are in metric tons]
2019 A season 1
2019
allocations
Area and sector
Bering Sea subarea TAC 1 ..............................................................................
CDQ DFA .........................................................................................................
ICA 1 .................................................................................................................
Total Bering Sea non-CDQ DFA .....................................................................
AFA Inshore .....................................................................................................
AFA Catcher/Processors 3 ...............................................................................
Catch by C/Ps ..........................................................................................
Catch by CVs 3 .........................................................................................
Unlisted C/P Limit 4 ...................................................................................
AFA Motherships .............................................................................................
Excessive Harvesting Limit 5 ............................................................................
Excessive Processing Limit 6 ...........................................................................
Aleutian Islands subarea ABC .........................................................................
Aleutian Islands subarea TAC 1 .......................................................................
CDQ DFA .........................................................................................................
ICA ...................................................................................................................
Aleut Corporation .............................................................................................
Area harvest limit 7 ...........................................................................................
541 ............................................................................................................
542 ............................................................................................................
543 ............................................................................................................
Bogoslof District ICA 8 ......................................................................................
A season DFA
1,383,000
138,300
48,543
1,196,157
598,078
478,463
437,793
40,669
2,392
119,616
209,327
358,847
30,803
19,000
1,900
2,400
14,700
n/a
9,241
4,620
1,540
500
n/a
62,235
n/a
538,271
269,135
215,308
197,007
18,301
1,077
53,827
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
760
1,200
10,361
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
SCA harvest
limit 2
n/a
38,724
n/a
334,924
167,462
133,970
n/a
n/a
n/a
33,492
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
2019
B season 1
B season DFA
n/a
76,065
n/a
657,886
328,943
263,154
240,786
22,368
1,316
65,789
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
1,140
1,200
4,339
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with RULES
1 Pursuant to § 679.20(a)(5)(i)(A), the Bering Sea subarea pollock, after subtracting the CDQ DFA (10 percent) and the ICA (3.9 percent), is allocated as a DFA as follows: inshore sector—50 percent, catcher/processor sector (C/P)—40 percent, and mothership sector—10 percent. In the
Bering Sea subarea, 45 percent of the DFA is allocated to the A season (January 20–June 10) and 55 percent of the DFA is allocated to the B
season (June 10–November 1). Pursuant to § 679.20(a)(5)(iii)(B)(2)(i) through (iii), the annual Aleutian Islands pollock TAC, after subtracting first
for the CDQ DFA (10 percent) and second the ICA (2,400 mt), is allocated to the Aleut Corporation for a pollock directed fishery. In the Aleutian
Islands subarea, the A season is allocated up to 40 percent of the ABC, and the B season is allocated the remainder of the pollock directed fishery.
2 In the Bering Sea subarea, pursuant to § 679.20(a)(5)(i)(C), no more than 28 percent of each sector’s annual DFA may be taken from the
SCA before noon, April 1.
3 Pursuant to § 679.20(a)(5)(i)(A)(4), 8.5 percent of the DFA allocated to listed catcher/processors shall be available for harvest only by AFA
catcher vessels with catcher/processor sector endorsements delivering to listed catcher/processors, unless there is a C/P sector cooperative contract for the year.
4 Pursuant to § 679.20(a)(5)(i)(A)(4)(iii), the AFA unlisted catcher/processors are limited to harvesting not more than 0.5 percent of the catcher/
processors sector’s allocation of pollock.
5 Pursuant to § 679.20(a)(5)(i)(A)(6), NMFS establishes an excessive harvesting share limit equal to 17.5 percent of the sum of the non-CDQ
pollock DFAs.
6 Pursuant to § 679.20(a)(5)(i)(A)(7), NMFS establishes an excessive processing share limit equal to 30.0 percent of the sum of the non-CDQ
pollock DFAs.
7 Pursuant to § 679.20(a)(5)(iii)(B)(6), NMFS establishes harvest limits for pollock in the A season in Area 541 of no more than 30 percent, in
Area 542 of no more than 15 percent, and in Area 543 of no more than 5 percent of the Aleutian Islands pollock ABC.
8 Pursuant to § 679.22(a)(7)(i)(B), the Bogoslof District is closed to directed fishing for pollock. The amounts specified are for ICA only and are
not apportioned by season or sector.
Note: Seasonal or sector apportionments may not total precisely due to rounding.
Allocation of the Atka Mackerel TACs
Section 679.20(a)(8) allocates the Atka
mackerel TACs to the Amendment 80
and BSAI trawl limited access sectors,
after subtracting the CDQ reserves, ICAs
for the BSAI trawl limited access sector
and non-trawl gear sector, and the jig
gear allocation (Tables 6 and 7). The
percentage of the ITAC for Atka
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mackerel allocated to the Amendment
80 and BSAI trawl limited access sectors
is listed in Table 33 to 50 CFR part 679
and in § 679.91. Pursuant to
§ 679.20(a)(8)(i), up to 2 percent of the
EAI and the BS Atka mackerel ITAC
may be allocated to vessels using jig
gear. The percent of this allocation is
recommended annually by the Council
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based on several criteria, including,
among other criteria, the anticipated
harvest capacity of the jig gear fleet. The
Council recommended, and NMFS
approves, a 0.5 percent allocation of the
Atka mackerel ITAC in the EAI and BS
to the jig gear sector in 2018 and 2019.
Section 679.20(a)(8)(ii)(A) apportions
the Atka mackerel TAC into two equal
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seasonal allowances. Section
679.23(e)(3) sets the first seasonal
allowance for directed fishing with
trawl gear from January 20 through June
10 (A season), and the second seasonal
allowance from June 10 through
December 31 (B season). Section
679.23(e)(4)(iii) applies Atka mackerel
seasons to CDQ Atka mackerel trawl
fishing. The ICA and jig gear allocations
are not apportioned by season.
Section 679.20(a)(8)(ii)(C)(1)(i) and (ii)
limits Atka mackerel catch within
waters 0 nm to 20 nm of Steller sea lion
sites listed in Table 6 to 50 CFR part 679
and located west of 178° W longitude to
no more than 60 percent of the annual
TACs in Areas 542 and 543, and equally
divides the annual TAC between the A
and B seasons as defined at
§ 679.23(e)(3). Section
679.20(a)(8)(ii)(C)(2) requires that the
annual TAC in Area 543 will be no more
than 65 percent of the ABC in Area 543.
Section 679.20(a)(8)(ii)(D) requires that
any unharvested Atka mackerel A
season allowance that is added to the B
season be prohibited from being
harvested within waters 0 nm to 20 nm
8373
of Steller sea lion sites listed in Table
6 to 50 CFR part 679 and located in
Areas 541, 542, and 543.
Tables 6 and 7 list these 2018 and
2019 Atka mackerel seasonal and area
allowances, and the sector allocations.
One Amendment 80 cooperative has
formed for the 2018 fishing year. The
2019 allocations for Atka mackerel
between Amendment 80 cooperatives
and the Amendment 80 limited access
sector will not be known until eligible
participants apply for participation in
the program by November 1, 2018.
TABLE 6—FINAL 2018 SEASONAL AND SPATIAL ALLOWANCES, GEAR SHARES, CDQ RESERVE, INCIDENTAL CATCH
ALLOWANCE, AND AMENDMENT 80 ALLOCATIONS OF THE BSAI ATKA MACKEREL TAC
[Amounts are in metric tons]
2018 allocation by area
Sector 1
Season 2 3 4
TAC ........................................................
CDQ reserve ..........................................
n/a .........................................................
Total ......................................................
A ............................................................
Critical Habitat .......................................
B ............................................................
Critical Habitat .......................................
n/a .........................................................
Total ......................................................
Total ......................................................
Total ......................................................
A ............................................................
Critical Habitat .......................................
B ............................................................
Critical Habitat .......................................
Total ......................................................
A ............................................................
Critical Habitat .......................................
B ............................................................
Critical Habitat .......................................
Non-CDQ TAC .......................................
ICA .........................................................
Jig 6 ........................................................
BSAI trawl limited access ......................
Amendment 80 sector ............................
Eastern Aleutian
District/Bering Sea
Central Aleutian
District 5
36,500
3,906
1,953
n/a
1,953
n/a
32,595
800
159
3,164
1,582
n/a
1,582
n/a
28,472
14,236
n/a
14,236
n/a
21,000
2,247
1,124
674
1,124
674
18,753
75
0
1,868
934
560
934
560
16,885
8,443
5,066
8,443
5,066
Western Aleutian
District
13,500
1,445
722
433
722
433
12,056
20
0
0
0
0
0
0
12,056
6,028
3,617
6,028
3,617
1 Section 679.20(a)(8)(ii) allocates the Atka mackerel TACs, after subtracting the CDQ reserves, jig gear allocation, and ICAs, to the Amendment 80 and BSAI trawl limited access sectors. The allocation of the ITAC for Atka mackerel to the Amendment 80 and BSAI trawl limited access sectors is established in Table 33 to 50 CFR part 679 and § 679.91. The CDQ reserve is 10.7 percent of the TAC for use by CDQ participants (see §§ 679.20(b)(1)(ii)(C) and 679.31).
2 Sections 679.20(a)(8)(ii)(A) and 679.22(a) establish temporal and spatial limitations for the Atka mackerel fishery.
3 The seasonal allowances of Atka mackerel are 50 percent in the A season and 50 percent in the B season.
4 Section 679.23(e)(3) authorizes directed fishing for Atka mackerel with trawl gear during the A season from January 20 to June 10 and the B
season from June 10 to December 31.
5 Section 679.20(a)(8)(ii)(C)(1)(i) limits no more than 60 percent of the annual TACs in Areas 542 and 543 to be caught inside of Steller sea
lion critical habitat; section 679.20(a)(8)(ii)(C)(1)(ii) equally divides the annual TACs between the A and B seasons as defined at § 679.23(e)(3);
and section 679.20(a)(8)(ii)(C)(2) requires the TAC in Area 543 shall be no more than 65 percent of ABC in Area 543.
6 Section 679.20(a)(8)(i) requires that up to 2 percent of the Eastern Aleutian District and the Bering Sea subarea TAC be allocated to jig gear
after subtracting the CDQ reserve and the ICA. NMFS set the amount of this allocation for 2018 at 0.5 percent. The jig gear allocation is not apportioned by season.
Note: Seasonal or sector apportionments may not total precisely due to rounding.
TABLE 7—FINAL 2019 SEASONAL AND SPATIAL ALLOWANCES, GEAR SHARES, CDQ RESERVE, INCIDENTAL CATCH
ALLOWANCE, AND AMENDMENT 80 ALLOCATION OF THE BSAI ATKA MACKEREL TAC
[Amounts are in metric tons]
2019 allocation by area
daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with RULES
Sector 1
Season 2 3 4
TAC ........................................................
CDQ reserve ..........................................
n/a .........................................................
Total ......................................................
A ............................................................
Critical Habitat .......................................
B ............................................................
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Eastern Aleutian
District/Bering
Sea 5
Sfmt 4700
Central Aleutian
District 5
33,780
3,614
1,807
n/a
1,807
E:\FR\FM\27FER1.SGM
24,895
2,664
1,332
799
1,332
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Western Aleutian
District 5
13,825
1,479
740
444
740
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TABLE 7—FINAL 2019 SEASONAL AND SPATIAL ALLOWANCES, GEAR SHARES, CDQ RESERVE, INCIDENTAL CATCH
ALLOWANCE, AND AMENDMENT 80 ALLOCATION OF THE BSAI ATKA MACKEREL TAC—Continued
[Amounts are in metric tons]
2019 allocation by area
Sector 1
Season 2 3 4
non-CDQ TAC ........................................
ICA .........................................................
Jig 6 ........................................................
BSAI trawl limited access ......................
Amendment 80 sectors 7 ........................
Eastern Aleutian
District/Bering
Sea 5
Critical Habitat .......................................
n/a .........................................................
Total ......................................................
Total ......................................................
Total ......................................................
A ............................................................
Critical Habitat .......................................
B ............................................................
Critical Habitat .......................................
Total ......................................................
A ............................................................
Critical Habitat .......................................
B ............................................................
Critical Habitat .......................................
Central Aleutian
District 5
n/a
30,166
800
147
2,922
1,461
n/a
1,461
n/a
26,297
13,148
n/a
13,148
n/a
799
22,231
75
0
2,216
1,108
665
1,108
665
20,016
10,008
6,005
10,008
6,005
Western Aleutian
District 5
444
12,346
20
0
0
0
0
0
0
12,346
6,173
3,704
6,173
3,704
1 Section 679.20(a)(8)(ii) allocates the Atka mackerel TACs, after subtracting the CDQ reserves, jig gear allocation, and ICAs, to the Amendment 80 and BSAI trawl limited access sectors. The allocation of the ITAC for Atka mackerel to the Amendment 80 and BSAI trawl limited access sectors is established in Table 33 to 50 CFR part 679 and § 679.91. The CDQ reserve is 10.7 percent of the TAC for use by CDQ participants (see §§ 679.20(b)(1)(ii)(C) and 679.31).
2 Sections 679.20(a)(8)(ii)(A) and 679.22(a) establish temporal and spatial limitations for the Atka mackerel fishery.
3 The seasonal allowances of Atka mackerel are 50 percent in the A season and 50 percent in the B season.
4 Section 679.23(e)(3) authorizes directed fishing for Atka mackerel with trawl gear during the A season from January 20 to June 10 and the B
season from June 10 to December 31.
5 Section 679.20(a)(8)(ii)(C)(1)(i) limits no more than 60 percent of the annual TACs in Areas 542 and 543 to be caught inside of Steller sea
lion critical habitat; section 679.20(a)(8)(ii)(C)(1)(ii) equally divides the annual TACs between the A and B seasons as defined at § 679.23(e)(3);
and section 679.20 (a)(8)(ii)(C)(2) requires the TAC in Area 543 shall be no more than 65 percent of ABC in Area 543.
6 Section 679.20(a)(8)(i) requires that up to 2 percent of the Eastern Aleutian District and the Bering Sea subarea TAC be allocated to jig gear
after subtracting the CDQ reserve and the ICA. NMFS set the amount of this allocation for 2019 at 0.5 percent. The jig gear allocation is not apportioned by season.
7 The 2019 allocations for Atka mackerel between Amendment 80 cooperatives and the Amendment 80 limited access sector will not be known
until eligible participants apply for participation in the program by November 1, 2018. NMFS will post 2019 Amendment 80 allocations when they
become available in December 2018.
Note: Seasonal or sector apportionments may not total precisely due to rounding.
daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with RULES
Allocation of the Pacific Cod TAC
The Council separated Bering Sea and
Aleutian Islands subarea OFLs, ABCs,
and TACs for Pacific cod in 2014 (79 FR
12108, March 4, 2014). Section
679.20(b)(1)(ii)(C) allocates 10.7 percent
of the Bering Sea TAC and Aleutian
Islands TAC to the CDQ program. After
CDQ allocations have been deducted
from the respective Bering Sea and
Aleutian Islands Pacific cod TACs, the
remaining Bering Sea and Aleutian
Islands Pacific cod TACs are combined
for calculating further BSAI Pacific cod
sector allocations. If the non-CDQ
Pacific cod TAC is or will be reached in
either the Bering Sea or the Aleutian
Islands subareas, NMFS will prohibit
non-CDQ directed fishing for Pacific cod
in that subarea as provided in
§ 679.20(d)(1)(iii).
Section 679.20(a)(7)(i) and (ii)
allocates to the non-CDQ sectors the
Pacific cod TAC in the combined BSAI
TAC, after subtracting 10.7 percent for
the CDQ program, as follows: 1.4
percent to vessels using jig gear; 2.0
percent to hook-and-line or pot CVs less
than 60 ft (18.3 m) length overall (LOA);
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0.2 percent to hook-and-line CVs greater
than or equal to 60 ft (18.3 m) LOA; 48.7
percent to hook-and-line C/Ps; 8.4
percent to pot CVs greater than or equal
to 60 ft (18.3 m) LOA; 1.5 percent to pot
C/Ps; 2.3 percent to AFA trawl C/Ps;
13.4 percent to Amendment 80 sector;
and 22.1 percent to trawl CVs. The ICA
for the hook-and-line and pot sectors
will be deducted from the aggregate
portion of Pacific cod TAC allocated to
the hook-and-line and pot sectors. For
2018 and 2019, the Regional
Administrator establishes an ICA of 400
mt based on anticipated incidental catch
by these sectors in other fisheries.
The ITAC allocation of Pacific cod to
the Amendment 80 sector is established
in Table 33 to 50 CFR part 679 and
§ 679.91. One Amendment 80
cooperative has formed for the 2018
fishing year. The 2019 allocations for
Amendment 80 species between
Amendment 80 cooperatives and the
Amendment 80 limited access sector
will not be known until eligible
participants apply for participation in
the program by November 1, 2018.
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The Pacific cod ITAC is apportioned
into seasonal allowances to disperse the
Pacific cod fisheries over the fishing
year (see §§ 679.20(a)(7)(i)(B),
679.20(a)(7)(iv)(A), and 679.23(e)(5)). In
accordance with § 679.20(a)(7)(iv)(B)
and (C), any unused portion of a
seasonal Pacific cod allowance for any
sector, except the jig sector, will become
available at the beginning of that
sector’s next seasonal allowance.
Section 679.20(a)(7)(vii) requires the
Regional Administrator to establish an
Area 543 Pacific cod harvest limit based
on Pacific cod abundance in Area 543.
Based on the 2017 stock assessment, the
Regional Administrator determined the
Area 543 Pacific cod harvest limit to be
25.6 percent of the Aleutian Islands
Pacific cod TAC for 2018 and 2019.
NMFS will first subtract the State GHL
Pacific cod amount from the Aleutian
Islands Pacific cod ABC. Then NMFS
will determine the harvest limit in Area
543 by multiplying the percentage of
Pacific cod estimated in Area 543 by the
remaining ABC for Aleutian Islands
Pacific cod. Based on these calculations,
the Area 543 harvest limit is 4,018 mt.
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Section 679.20(a)(7)(viii) requires
specification of annual Pacific cod
allocations for the Aleutian Islands nonCDQ ICA, non-CDQ DFA, CV Harvest
Set-Aside, and Unrestricted Fishery, as
well as the Bering Sea Trawl CV ASeason Sector Limitation. The CV
Harvest Set-Aside is a portion of the AI
Pacific cod TAC that is available for
harvest by catcher vessels directed
fishing for AI Pacific cod and delivering
their catch for processing to an AI
shoreside processor. The CV Harvest
Set-Aside will be effective in a fishing
year if certain notification and
performance requirements are met.
First, in accordance with
§ 679.20(a)(7)(viii)(D), NMFS must
receive timely and complete notification
of intent to process AI Pacific cod from
either the City Manager of the City of
Adak or the City Administrator for Atka
prior to the start of that fishing year.
Second, if the performance requirement
in § 679.20(a)(7)(viii)(E)(4), which
requires a set amount of the Aleutian
Islands CV Harvest Set-Aside to be
landed at Aleutian Islands shoreplants
on or before February 28, 2018, is not
met during that fishing year, then the
Aleutian Islands CV Harvest Set-Aside
is lifted and the Bering Sea Trawl CV ASeason Sector Limitation is suspended
for the remainder of that fishing year.
For 2018, NMFS received prior to
October 31, 2017, timely and complete
notice from the City of Adak indicating
an intent to process AI Pacific cod in
2018. Accordingly, the harvest limits in
Table 9a will be in effect in 2018,
subject to the requirements outlined in
§ 679.20(a)(7)(viii)(E)(4): If less than
1,000 mt of the Aleutian Islands CV
Harvest Set-Aside is landed at Aleutian
8375
Islands shoreplants on or before
February 28, 2018, then for the
remainder of the year the Aleutian
Islands CV Harvest Set-Aside is lifted
and the Bering Sea Trawl CV A-Season
Sector Limitation is suspended. If the
entire Aleutian Islands CV Harvest SetAside is fully harvested and delivered to
Aleutian Islands shoreplants before
March 15, 2018, then the Bering Sea
Trawl CV A-Season Sector Limitation
will be suspended for the remainder of
the fishing year.
The CDQ and non-CDQ seasonal
allowances by gear based on the 2018
and 2019 Pacific cod TACs are listed in
Tables 8 and 9, and are based on the
sector allocation percentages and
seasonal allowances for Pacific cod set
forth at § 679.20(a)(7)(i)(B) and
(a)(7)(iv)(A); and the seasons for Pacific
cod set forth at § 679.23(e)(5).
TABLE 8—FINAL 2018 GEAR SHARES AND SEASONAL ALLOWANCES OF THE BSAI PACIFIC COD TAC
[Amounts are in metric tons]
Gear sector
2018 share of
gear sector
total
Percent
2018 share of
sector total
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
100
60.8
n/a
n/a
48.7
188,136
20,131
168,005
15,695
1,679
14,016
4,018
182,021
110,669
400
110,269
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
88,324
Hook-and-line catcher vessel ≥60 ft
LOA.
0.2
n/a
363
Pot catcher/processor .......................
1.5
n/a
2,720
Pot catcher vessel ≥60 ft LOA ..........
8.4
n/a
15,235
Catcher vessel <60 ft LOA using
hook-and-line or pot gear.
Trawl catcher vessel .........................
2
n/a
3,627
22.1
40,227
n/a
AFA trawl catcher/processor .............
2.3
4,186
n/a
Amendment 80 ..................................
13.4
24,391
n/a
Jig ......................................................
daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with RULES
BS TAC .............................................
BS CDQ ............................................
BS non-CDQ TAC .............................
AI TAC ..............................................
AI CDQ ..............................................
AI non-CDQ TAC ..............................
Western Aleutian Island Limit ...........
Total BSAI non-CDQ TAC 1 ..............
Total hook-and-line/pot gear .............
Hook-and-line/pot ICA 2 ....................
Hook-and-line/pot sub-total ...............
Hook-and-line catcher/processor ......
1.4
2,548
n/a
2018 seasonal apportionment
Seasons
n/a
see
n/a
n/a
see
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
see
n/a
Jan
Jun
Jan
Amount
....................................................
§ 679.20(a)(7)(i)(B) ....................
....................................................
....................................................
§ 679.20(a)(7)(i)(B) ....................
....................................................
....................................................
....................................................
....................................................
§ 679.20(a)(7)(ii)(B) ...................
....................................................
1–Jun 10 ...................................
10–Dec 31 .................................
1–Jun 10 ...................................
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
45,045
43,279
185
Jun 10–Dec 31 .................................
Jan 1–Jun 10 ...................................
Sept 1–Dec 31 .................................
Jan 1–Jun 10 ...................................
Sept 1–Dec 31 .................................
n/a ....................................................
178
1,387
1,333
7,770
7,465
n/a
Jan 20–Apr 1 ....................................
Apr 1–Jun 10 ....................................
Jun 10–Nov 1 ...................................
Jan 20–Apr 1 ....................................
Apr 1–Jun 10 ....................................
Jun 10–Nov 1 ...................................
Jan 20–Apr 1 ....................................
Apr 1–Jun 10 ....................................
Jun 10–Nov 1 ...................................
Jan 1–Apr 30 ....................................
Apr 30–Aug 31 .................................
Aug 31–Dec 31 ................................
29,768
4,425
6,034
3,140
1,047
0
18,293
6,098
0
1,529
510
510
1 The gear shares and seasonal allowances for BSAI Pacific cod TAC are based on the sum of the BS and AI Pacific cod TACs, after the subtraction of CDQ. If the TAC for Pacific cod in either the AI or BS is reached, then directed fishing for Pacific cod in that subarea may be prohibited, even if a BSAI allowance remains.
2 The ICA for the hook-and-line and pot sectors will be deducted from the aggregate portion of Pacific cod TAC allocated to the hook-and-line
and pot sectors. The Regional Administrator approves an ICA of 400 mt for 2018 based on anticipated incidental catch in these fisheries.
Note: Seasonal or sector apportionments may not total precisely due to rounding.
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TABLE 9—FINAL 2019 GEAR SHARES AND SEASONAL ALLOWANCES OF THE BSAI PACIFIC COD TAC
[Amounts are in metric tons]
Gear sector
2019 share of
gear sector
total
Percent
2019 share of
sector total
BS TAC .............................................
BS CDQ ............................................
BS non-CDQ TAC .............................
AI TAC ..............................................
AI CDQ ..............................................
AI non-CDQ TAC ..............................
Western Aleutian Island Limit ...........
Total BSAI non-CDQ TAC 1 ..............
Total hook-and-line/pot gear .............
Hook-and-line/pot ICA 2 ....................
Hook-and-line/pot sub-total ...............
Hook-and-line catcher/processor ......
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
60.8
n/a
n/a
48.7
159,120
17,026
142,094
15,695
1,679
14,016
4,018
156,110
94,915
400
94,515
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
75,705
Hook-and-line catcher vessel ≥60 ft
LOA.
0.2
n/a
311
Pot catcher/processor .......................
1.5
n/a
2,332
Pot catcher vessel ≥60 ft LOA ..........
8.4
n/a
13,058
Catcher vessel <60 ft LOA using
hook-and-line or pot gear.
Trawl catcher vessel .........................
2
n/a
3,109
22.1
34,500
n/a
AFA trawl catcher/processor .............
2.3
3,591
n/a
Amendment 80 ..................................
13.4
20,919
n/a
Jig ......................................................
1.4
2,186
n/a
2019 seasonal apportionment
Seasons
n/a
see
n/a
n/a
see
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
see
n/a
Jan
Jun
Jan
Amount
....................................................
§ 679.20(a)(7)(i)(B) ....................
....................................................
....................................................
§ 679.20(a)(7)(i)(B) ....................
....................................................
....................................................
....................................................
....................................................
§ 679.20(a)(7)(ii)(B) ...................
....................................................
1–Jun 10 ...................................
10–Dec 31 .................................
1–Jun 10 ...................................
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
38,610
37,095
159
Jun 10–Dec 31 .................................
Jan 1–Jun 10 ...................................
Sept 1–Dec 31 .................................
Jan 1–Jun 10 ...................................
Sept 1–Dec 31 .................................
n/a ....................................................
152
1,189
1,143
6,660
6,398
n/a
Jan 20–Apr 1 ....................................
Apr 1–Jun 10 ....................................
Jun 10–Nov 1 ...................................
Jan 20–Apr 1 ....................................
Apr 1–Jun 10 ....................................
Jun 10–Nov 1 ...................................
Jan 20–Apr 1 ....................................
Apr 1–Jun 10 ....................................
Jun 10–Dec 31 .................................
Jan 1–Apr 30 ....................................
Apr 30–Aug 31 .................................
Aug 31–Dec 31 ................................
25,530
3,795
5,175
2,693
898
0
15,689
5,230
0
1,311
437
437
1 The gear shares and seasonal allowances for BSAI Pacific cod TAC are based on the sum of the BS and AI Pacific cod TACs, after the subtraction of CDQ. If the TAC for Pacific cod in either the AI or BS is reached, then directed fishing for Pacific cod in that subarea may be prohibited, even if a BSAI allowance remains.
2 The ICA for the hook-and-line and pot sectors will be deducted from the aggregate portion of Pacific cod TAC allocated to the hook-and-line
and pot sectors. The Regional Administrator approves an ICA of 400 mt for 2019 based on anticipated incidental catch in these fisheries.
Note: Seasonal or sector apportionments may not total precisely due to rounding.
TABLE 9A—2018 AND 2019 BSAI A-SEASON PACIFIC COD ALLOCATIONS AND LIMITS IF THE NOTIFICATION AND
PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS IN § 679.20(a)(7)(viii) ARE MET
Amount
(mt)
2018 and 2019 Allocations under Aleutian Islands CV Harvest Set-Aside
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AI non-CDQ TAC .................................................................................................................................................................................
AI ICA ..................................................................................................................................................................................................
AI DFA .................................................................................................................................................................................................
BS non-CDQ TAC ...............................................................................................................................................................................
BSAI Trawl CV A-Season Allocation ...................................................................................................................................................
BSAI Trawl CV A-Season Allocation minus Sector Limitation 1 ..........................................................................................................
BS Trawl CV A-Season Sector Limitation ...........................................................................................................................................
AI CV Harvest Set-Aside 2 ...................................................................................................................................................................
AI Unrestricted Fishery 3 ......................................................................................................................................................................
14,016
2,500
11,516
168,005
29,768
24,768
5,000
5,000
6,516
1 This is the amount of the BSAI trawl CV A-season allocation that may be harvested in the Bering Sea prior to March 21, 2018, unless the BS
Trawl CV A-Season Sector Limitation is suspended for the remainder of the fishing year because the performance requirements pursuant to
§ 679.20(a)(7)(viii)(E) were not met.
2 Prior to March 15, 2018, only catcher vessels that deliver their catch of AI Pacific cod to AI shoreplants for processing may directed fish for
that portion of the AI Pacific cod non-CDQ DFA that is specified as the AI CV Harvest Set–Aside, unless lifted because the performance requirements pursuant to § 679.20(a)(7)(viii)(E) were not met.
3 Prior to March 15, 2018, vessels otherwise authorized to directed fish for Pacific cod in the AI may directed fish for that portion of the AI Pacific cod non-CDQ DFA that is specified as the AI Unrestricted Fishery.
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Sablefish Gear Allocation
Section 679.20(a)(4)(iii) and (iv)
require allocation of the sablefish TAC
for the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands
subareas between trawl and hook-andline or pot gear sectors. Gear allocations
of the TAC for the BS are 50 percent for
trawl gear and 50 percent for hook-andline or pot gear. Gear allocations of the
TAC for the AI are 25 percent for trawl
gear and 75 percent for hook-and-line or
pot gear. Section 679.20(b)(1)(ii)(B)
requires NMFS to apportion 20 percent
of the hook-and-line or pot gear
allocation of sablefish to the CDQ
reserve for each subarea. Also,
§ 679.20(b)(1)(ii)(D)(1) requires that 7.5
percent of the trawl gear allocation of
sablefish from the non-specified
reserves, established under
§ 679.20(b)(1)(i), be assigned to the CDQ
reserve. The Council recommended that
only trawl sablefish TAC be established
biennially. The harvest specifications
for the hook-and-line gear or pot gear
sablefish Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ)
fisheries are limited to the 2018 fishing
year to ensure those fisheries are
conducted concurrently with the halibut
IFQ fishery. Concurrent sablefish and
halibut IFQ fisheries reduce the
potential for discards of halibut and
sablefish in those fisheries. The
sablefish IFQ fisheries remain closed at
the beginning of each fishing year until
the final harvest specifications for the
sablefish IFQ fisheries are in effect.
Table 10 lists the 2018 and 2019 gear
allocations of the sablefish TAC and
CDQ reserve amounts.
TABLE 10—FINAL 2018 AND 2019 GEAR SHARES AND CDQ RESERVE OF BSAI SABLEFISH TACS
[Amounts are in metric tons]
Subarea and gear
Percent of
TAC
Bering Sea:
Trawl 1 ...................
Hook-and-line/pot
gear 2 .................
2018 Share of
TAC
2018 CDQ
reserve
2018 ITAC
2019 Share of
TAC
2019 ITAC
2019 CDQ
reserve
50
732
622
55
1,031
876
77
50
732
586
146
n/a
n/a
n/a
Total ...............
Aleutian Islands:
Trawl 1 ...................
Hook-and-line/pot
gear 2 .................
100
1,464
1,208
201
1,031
876
77
25
497
422
37
700
595
52
75
1,491
1,193
298
n/a
n/a
n/a
Total ...............
100
1,988
1,615
335
700
595
52
1 Except
for the sablefish hook-and-line and pot gear allocation, 15 percent of TAC is apportioned to the non-specific reserve
(§ 679.20(b)(1)(i)). The ITAC is the remainder of the TAC after the subtracting these reserves.
2 For the portion of the sablefish TAC allocated to vessels using hook-and-line or pot gear, 20 percent of the allocated TAC is reserved for use
by CDQ participants (§ 679.20(b)(1)(ii)(B)). The Council recommended that specifications for the hook-and-line gear sablefish IFQ fisheries be
limited to one year.
Note: Sector apportionments may not total precisely due to rounding.
Allocation of the Aleutian Islands
Pacific Ocean Perch, and BSAI Flathead
Sole, Rock Sole, and Yellowfin Sole
TACs
Section 679.20(a)(10)(i) and (ii)
require that NMFS allocate Aleutian
Islands Pacific ocean perch, and BSAI
flathead sole, rock sole, and yellowfin
sole ITAC between the Amendment 80
sector and the BSAI trawl limited access
sector, after subtracting 10.7 percent for
the CDQ reserve and an ICA for the
BSAI trawl limited access sector and
vessels using non-trawl gear. The
allocation of the ITAC for Aleutian
Islands Pacific ocean perch, and BSAI
flathead sole, rock sole, and yellowfin
sole to the Amendment 80 sector is
established in accordance with Tables
33 and 34 to 50 CFR part 679 and
§ 679.91.
One Amendment 80 cooperative has
formed for the 2018 fishing year. The
2019 allocations for Amendment 80
species between Amendment 80
cooperatives and the Amendment 80
limited access sector will not be known
until eligible participants apply for
participation in the program by
November 1, 2018. Tables 11 and 12 list
the 2018 and 2019 allocations of the
Aleutian Islands Pacific ocean perch,
and BSAI flathead sole, rock sole, and
yellowfin sole TACs.
TABLE 11—FINAL 2018 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT QUOTA (CDQ) RESERVES, INCIDENTAL CATCH AMOUNTS (ICAS), AND
AMENDMENT 80 ALLOCATIONS OF THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS PACIFIC OCEAN PERCH, AND BSAI FLATHEAD SOLE, ROCK
SOLE, AND YELLOWFIN SOLE TACS
[Amounts are in metric tons]
Pacific ocean perch
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Sector
Eastern
Aleutian
District
TAC ..........................................................
CDQ .........................................................
ICA ...........................................................
BSAI trawl limited access ........................
Amendment 80 .........................................
9,000
963
100
794
7,143
Central
Aleutian
District
Flathead sole
Western
Aleutian
District
7,500
803
120
658
5,920
9,000
963
10
161
7,866
Rock sole
Yellowfin sole
BSAI
BSAI
BSAI
14,500
1,552
4,000
0
8,949
Note: Sector apportionments may not total precisely due to rounding.
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47,100
5,040
6,000
0
36,060
154,000
16,478
4,000
18,351
115,171
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TABLE 12—FINAL 2019 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT QUOTA (CDQ) RESERVES, INCIDENTAL CATCH AMOUNTS (ICAS), AND
AMENDMENT 80 ALLOCATIONS OF THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS PACIFIC OCEAN PERCH, AND BSAI FLATHEAD SOLE, ROCK
SOLE, AND YELLOWFIN SOLE TACS
[Amounts are in metric tons]
Pacific ocean perch
Sector
Eastern
Aleutian
District
TAC ..........................................................
CDQ .........................................................
ICA ...........................................................
BSAI trawl limited access ........................
Amendment 801 .......................................
Central
Aleutian
District
9,715
1,040
100
858
7,718
Flathead sole
Western
Aleutian
District
7,549
808
120
662
5,959
9,117
976
10
163
7,969
Rock sole
Yellowfin sole
BSAI
BSAI
BSAI
16,500
1,766
4,000
0
10,735
49,100
5,254
6,000
0
37,846
156,000
16,692
4,000
19,065
116,243
1 The 2019 allocations for Amendment 80 species between Amendment 80 cooperatives and the Amendment 80 limited access sector will not
be known until eligible participants apply for participation in the program by November 1, 2018. NMFS will publish 2019 Amendment 80 allocations when they become available in December 2018.
Note: Sector apportionments may not total precisely due to rounding.
Section 679.2 defines the ABC surplus
for flathead sole, rock sole, and
yellowfin sole as the difference between
the annual ABC and TAC for each
species. Section 679.20(b)(1)(iii)
establishes ABC reserves for flathead
sole, rock sole, and yellowfin sole. The
ABC surpluses and the ABC reserves are
necessary to mitigate the operational
variability, environmental conditions,
and economic factors that may constrain
the CDQ groups and the Amendment 80
cooperatives from achieving, on a
continuing basis, the optimum yield in
the BSAI groundfish fisheries. NMFS,
after consultation with the Council, may
set the ABC reserve at or below the ABC
surplus for each species thus
maintaining the TAC below ABC limits.
An amount equal to 10.7 percent of the
ABC reserves will be allocated as CDQ
ABC reserves for flathead sole, rock
sole, and yellowfin sole. Section
679.31(b)(4) establishes the annual
allocations of CDQ ABC reserves among
the CDQ groups. The Amendment 80
ABC reserves shall be the ABC reserves
minus the CDQ ABC reserves. Section
679.91(i)(2) establishes each
Amendment 80 cooperative ABC reserve
to be the ratio of each cooperatives’
quota share units and the total
Amendment 80 quota share units,
multiplied by the Amendment 80 ABC
reserve for each respective species.
Table 13 lists the 2018 and 2019 ABC
surplus and ABC reserves for BSAI
flathead sole, rock sole, and yellowfin
sole.
TABLE 13—FINAL 2018 AND 2019 ABC SURPLUS, ABC RESERVES, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT QUOTA (CDQ) ABC
RESERVES, AND AMENDMENT 80 ABC RESERVES IN THE BSAI FOR FLATHEAD SOLE, ROCK SOLE, AND YELLOWFIN SOLE
[Amounts are in metric tons]
2018
flathead sole
Sector
ABC ..........................................................
TAC ..........................................................
ABC surplus .............................................
ABC reserve .............................................
CDQ ABC reserve ...................................
Amendment 80 ABC reserve ...................
66,773
14,500
52,273
52,273
5,593
46,680
2018
rock sole
2018
yellowfin sole
143,100
47,100
96,000
96,000
10,272
85,728
277,500
154,000
123,500
123,500
13,215
110,286
2019 1
flathead sole
65,227
16,500
48,727
48,727
5,214
43,513
2019 1
rock sole
132,000
49,100
82,900
82,900
8,870
74,030
2019 1
yellowfin sole
267,500
156,000
111,500
111,500
11,931
99,570
1 The 2019 allocations for Amendment 80 species between Amendment 80 cooperatives and the Amendment 80 limited access sector will not
be known until eligible participants apply for participation in the program by November 1, 2018.
daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with RULES
PSC Limits for Halibut, Salmon, Crab,
and Herring
Section 679.21(b), (e), (f), and (g) sets
forth the BSAI PSC limits. Pursuant to
§ 679.21(b)(1), the annual BSAI halibut
PSC limits total 3,515 mt. Section
679.21(b)(1) allocates 315 mt of the
halibut PSC limit as the PSQ reserve for
use by the groundfish CDQ program,
1,745 mt of the halibut PSC limit for the
Amendment 80 sector, 745 mt of the
halibut PSC limit for the BSAI trawl
limited access sector, and 710 mt of the
halibut PSC limit for the BSAI non-trawl
sector.
Section 679.21(b)(1)(iii)(A) and (B)
authorize apportionment of the BSAI
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non-trawl halibut PSC limit into PSC
allowances among six fishery categories,
and § 679.21(b)(1)(ii)(A) and (B),
(e)(3)(i)(B), and (e)(3)(iv) require
apportionment of the BSAI trawl limited
access halibut and crab PSC limits into
PSC allowances among seven fishery
categories. Tables 15 and 16 list the
fishery PSC allowances for the trawl
fisheries, and Table 17 lists the fishery
PSC allowances for the non-trawl
fisheries.
Pursuant to Section 3.6 of the FMP,
the Council recommends, and NMFS
agrees, that certain specified non-trawl
fisheries be exempt from the halibut
PSC limit. As in past years, after
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consultation with the Council, NMFS
exempts pot gear, jig gear, and the
sablefish IFQ hook-and-line gear fishery
categories from halibut bycatch
restrictions for the following reasons: (1)
The pot gear fisheries have low halibut
bycatch mortality; (2) NMFS estimates
halibut mortality for the jig gear fleet to
be negligible because of the small size
of the fishery and the selectivity of the
gear; and (3) the sablefish and halibut
IFQ fisheries have low halibut bycatch
mortality because the IFQ program
requires legal-size halibut to be retained
by vessels using hook-and-line gear if a
halibut IFQ permit holder or a hired
master is aboard and is holding unused
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halibut IFQ for that vessel category and
the IFQ regulatory area in which the
vessel is operating (§ 679.7(f)(11)).
The 2017 total groundfish catch for
the pot gear fishery in the BSAI was
46,868 mt, with an associated halibut
bycatch mortality of 17 mt. The 2017 jig
gear fishery harvested about 13 mt of
groundfish. Most vessels in the jig gear
fleet are exempt from observer coverage
requirements. As a result, observer data
are not available on halibut bycatch in
the jig gear fishery. However, as
mentioned above, NMFS estimates a
negligible amount of halibut bycatch
mortality because of the selective nature
of jig gear and the low mortality rate of
halibut caught with jig gear and
released.
Under § 679.21(f)(2), NMFS annually
allocates portions of either 33,318,
45,000, 47,591, or 60,000 Chinook
salmon PSC limits among the AFA
sectors, depending on past bycatch
performance, on whether Chinook
salmon bycatch incentive plan
agreements (IPAs) are formed, and on
whether NMFS determines it is a low
Chinook salmon abundance year. NMFS
will determine that it is a low Chinook
salmon abundance year when
abundance of Chinook salmon in
western Alaska is less than or equal to
250,000 Chinook salmon. The State of
Alaska provides to NMFS an estimate of
Chinook salmon abundance using the 3System Index for western Alaska based
on the Kuskokwim, Unalakleet, and
Upper Yukon aggregate stock grouping.
If an AFA sector participates in an
approved IPA and has not exceeded its
performance standard under
§ 679.21(f)(6) and if it is not a low
Chinook salmon abundance year, then
NMFS will allocate a portion of the
60,000 Chinook salmon PSC limit to
that sector as specified in
§ 679.21(f)(3)(iii)(A). If no IPA is
approved, or if the sector has exceeded
its performance standard under
§ 679.21(f)(6), and it is not a low
abundance year, NMFS will allocate a
portion of the 47,591 Chinook salmon
PSC limit to that sector as specified in
§ 679.21(f)(3)(iii)(C). If an AFA sector
participates in an approved IPA and has
not exceeded its performance standard
under § 679.21(f)(6) in a low abundance
year, then NMFS will allocate a portion
of the 45,000 Chinook salmon PSC limit
to that sector as specified in
§ 679.21(f)(3)(iii)(B). If no IPA is
approved, or if the sector has exceeded
its performance standard under
§ 679.21(f)(6), in a low abundance year,
NMFS will allocate a portion of the
33,318 Chinook salmon PSC limit to
that sector as specified in
§ 679.21(f)(3)(iii)(D).
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NMFS has determined that 2017 was
not a low Chinook salmon abundance
year based on the State of Alaska’s
estimate that Chinook salmon
abundance in western Alaska is greater
than 250,000 Chinook salmon.
Therefore, in 2018, the Chinook salmon
PSC limit is 60,000 and is allocated to
each AFA sector as specified in
§ 679.21(f)(3)(iii)(A). The AFA sector
Chinook salmon PSC limit allocations
are seasonally apportioned with 70
percent of the allocation for the A
season pollock fishery, and 30 percent
of the allocation for the B season
pollock fishery (§§ 679.21(f)(3)(i) and
679.23(e)(2)). Additionally, in 2018, the
Chinook salmon bycatch performance
standard under § 679.21(f)(6) is 47,591
Chinook salmon, allocated to each
sector as specified in
§ 679.21(f)(3)(iii)(C).
The basis for these PSC limits is
described in detail in the final rules
implementing management measures for
Amendment 91 (75 FR 53026, August
30, 2010) and Amendment 110 (81 FR
37534, June 10, 2016). NMFS publishes
the approved IPAs, allocations, and
reports at https://
alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/sustainable
fisheries/bycatch/default.htm.
Section 679.21(g)(2)(i) specifies 700
fish as the 2018 and 2019 Chinook
salmon PSC limit for the AI pollock
fishery. Section 679.21(g)(2)(ii) allocates
7.5 percent, or 53 Chinook salmon, as
the AI PSQ reserve for the CDQ
program, and allocates the remaining
647 Chinook salmon to the non-CDQ
fisheries.
Section 679.21(f)(14)(i) specifies
42,000 fish as the 2018 and 2019 nonChinook salmon PSC limit for vessels
using trawl gear from August 15 through
October 14 in the Catcher Vessel
Operational Area (CVOA). Section
679.21(f)(14)(ii) allocates 10.7 percent,
or 4,494 non-Chinook salmon, in the
CVOA as the PSQ reserve for the CDQ
program, and allocates the remaining
37,506 non-Chinook salmon in the
CVOA as the PSC limit for the non-CDQ
fisheries.
PSC limits for crab and herring are
specified annually based on abundance
and spawning biomass. Section
679.21(e)(3)(i)(A)(1) allocates 10.7
percent from each trawl gear PSC limit
specified for crab as a PSQ reserve for
use by the groundfish CDQ program.
Based on the 2017 survey data, the
red king crab mature female abundance
is estimated at 18.5 million mature red
king crabs, and the effective spawning
biomass is estimated at 39.8 million lbs
(18,042 mt). Based on the criteria set out
at § 679.21(e)(1)(i), the 2018 and 2019
PSC limit of red king crab in Zone 1 for
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8379
trawl gear is 97,000 animals. This limit
derives from the mature female
abundance estimate of more than 8.4
million mature king crab and the
effective spawning biomass estimate of
more than 14.5 million lbs (6,477 mt)
but less than 55 million lbs (24,948 mt).
Section 679.21(e)(3)(ii)(B)(2)
establishes criteria under which NMFS
must specify an annual red king crab
bycatch limit for the Red King Crab
Savings Subarea (RKCSS). The
regulations limit the RKCSS red king
crab bycatch limit to 25 percent of the
red king crab PSC limit, based on the
need to optimize the groundfish harvest
relative to red king crab bycatch. In
December 2017, the Council
recommended and NMFS concurs that
the red king crab bycatch limit be equal
to 25 percent of the red king crab PSC
limit within the RKCSS (Table 15).
Based on 2017 survey data, Tanner
crab (Chionoecetes bairdi) abundance is
estimated at 344 million animals.
Pursuant to criteria set out at
§ 679.21(e)(1)(ii), the calculated 2018
and 2019 C. bairdi crab PSC limit for
trawl gear is 830,000 animals in Zone 1,
and 2,520,000 animals in Zone 2. The
limit in Zone 1 is based on the
abundance of C. bairdi estimated at 344
million animals, which is greater than
270 million animals and less than 400
million animals. The limit in Zone 2 is
based on the abundance of C. bairdi
estimated at 344 million animals, which
is greater than 290 million animals and
less than 400 million animals.
Pursuant to § 679.21(e)(1)(iii), the PSC
limit for snow crab (C. opilio) is based
on total abundance as indicated by the
NMFS annual bottom trawl survey. The
C. opilio crab PSC limit is set at 0.1133
percent of the Bering Sea abundance
index minus 150,000 crab. Based on the
2017 survey estimate of 8.182 billion
animals, which is above the minimum
PSC limit of 4.5 million and below the
maximum PSC limit of 13 million
animals, the calculated C. opilio crab
PSC limit is 9,120,539 animals.
Pursuant to § 679.21(e)(1)(v), the PSC
limit of Pacific herring caught while
conducting any trawl operation for BSAI
groundfish is 1 percent of the annual
eastern Bering Sea herring biomass. The
best estimate of 2018 and 2019 herring
biomass is 183,017 mt. This amount was
developed by the Alaska Department of
Fish and Game based on biomass for
spawning aggregations. Therefore, the
herring PSC limit for 2018 and 2019 is
1,830 mt for all trawl gear as listed in
Tables 14 and 15.
Section 679.21(e)(3)(i)(A) requires
crab PSQ reserves to be subtracted from
the total trawl gear crab PSC limits. The
2018 crab and halibut PSC limits
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assigned to the Amendment 80 and
BSAI trawl limited access sectors are
specified in Table 35 to 50 CFR part
679. The resulting allocations of PSC
limit to CDQ PSQ reserves, the
Amendment 80 sector, and the BSAI
trawl limited access sector are listed in
Table 14. Pursuant to §§ 679.21(b)(1)(i),
679.21(e)(3)(vi), and 679.91(d) through
(f), crab and halibut trawl PSC limits
assigned to the Amendment 80 sector
are then further allocated to
Amendment 80 cooperatives as
cooperative quota. Crab and halibut PSC
cooperative quota assigned to
Amendment 80 cooperatives is not
allocated to specific fishery categories.
In 2018, there are no vessels in the
Amendment 80 limited access sector
and one Amendment 80 cooperative.
The 2019 PSC allocations between
Amendment 80 cooperatives and the
Amendment 80 limited access sector
will not be known until eligible
participants apply for participation in
the program by November 1, 2018.
Section 679.21(e)(3)(i)(B) requires
NMFS to apportion each trawl PSC limit
for crab and herring not assigned to
Amendment 80 cooperatives into PSC
bycatch allowances for seven specified
fishery categories in § 679.21(e)(3)(iv).
Section 679.21(b)(2) and (e)(5)
authorizes NMFS, after consulting with
the Council, to establish seasonal
apportionments of PSC amounts for the
BSAI trawl limited access and non-trawl
sectors in order to maximize the ability
of the fleet to harvest the available
groundfish TAC and to minimize
bycatch. The factors to be considered
are (1) seasonal distribution of
prohibited species, (2) seasonal
distribution of target groundfish species
relative to prohibited species
distribution, (3) PSC bycatch needs on
a seasonal basis relevant to prohibited
species biomass and expected catches of
target groundfish species, (4) expected
variations in bycatch rates throughout
the year, (5) expected changes in
directed groundfish fishing seasons, (6)
expected start of fishing effort, and (7)
economic effects of establishing
seasonal prohibited species
apportionments on segments of the
target groundfish industry. The Council
recommended and NMFS approves the
seasonal PSC apportionments in Tables
16 and 17 to maximize harvest among
gear types, fisheries, and seasons while
minimizing bycatch of PSC based on the
above criteria.
TABLE 14—FINAL 2018 AND 2019 APPORTIONMENT OF PROHIBITED SPECIES CATCH ALLOWANCES TO NON-TRAWL GEAR,
THE CDQ PROGRAM, AMENDMENT 80, AND THE BSAI TRAWL LIMITED ACCESS SECTORS
PSC species and area 1
Total PSC
Halibut mortality (mt) BSAI ......................
Herring (mt) BSAI ....................................
Red king crab (animals) Zone 1 ..............
C. opilio (animals) COBLZ .......................
C. bairdi crab (animals) Zone 1 ...............
C. bairdi crab (animals) Zone 2 ...............
Non-trawl PSC
3,515
1,830
97,000
9,120,539
830,000
2,520,000
CDQ PSQ
reserve 2
710
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
315
n/a
10,379
975,898
88,810
269,640
Trawl PSC remaining after
CDQ PSQ
n/a
n/a
86,621
8,144,641
741,190
2,250,360
Amendment
80 sector 3
1,745
n/a
43,293
4,003,091
312,115
532,660
BSAI trawl
limited access
fishery
745
n/a
26,489
2,617,688
348,285
1,053,394
1 Refer
to § 679.2 for definitions of zones.
PSQ reserve for crab species is 10.7 percent of each crab PSC limit.
3 The Amendment 80 program reduced apportionment of the trawl PSC limits for crab below the total PSC limit. These reductions are not apportioned to other gear types or sectors.
2 The
TABLE 15—FINAL 2018 AND 2019 HERRING AND RED KING CRAB SAVINGS SUBAREA PROHIBITED SPECIES CATCH
ALLOWANCES FOR ALL TRAWL SECTORS
Herring (mt)
BSAI
Fishery Categories
Red king crab
(animals)
Zone 1
Yellowfin sole ...........................................................................................................................................................
Rock sole/flathead sole/other flatfish 1 ....................................................................................................................
Greenland turbot/arrowtooth flounder/Kamchatka flounder/sablefish .....................................................................
Rockfish ...................................................................................................................................................................
Pacific cod ...............................................................................................................................................................
Midwater trawl pollock .............................................................................................................................................
Pollock/Atka mackerel/other species 2 3 ..................................................................................................................
Red king crab savings subarea non-pelagic trawl gear 4 ........................................................................................
80
39
5
5
9
1,662
30
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
24,250
Total trawl PSC ................................................................................................................................................
1,830
97,000
daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with RULES
1 ‘‘Other
flatfish’’ for PSC monitoring includes all flatfish species, except for halibut (a prohibited species), arrowtooth flounder, flathead sole,
Greenland turbot, Kamchatka flounder, rock sole, and yellowfin sole.
2 Pollock other than pelagic trawl pollock, Atka mackerel, and ‘‘other species’’ fishery category.
3 ‘‘Other species’’ for PSC monitoring includes skates, sculpins, sharks, squids, and octopuses.
4 In December 2017, the Council recommended and NMFS concurs that the red king crab bycatch limit for non-pelagic trawl fisheries within the
RKCSS be limited to 25 percent of the red king crab PSC allowance (see § 679.21(e)(3)(ii)(B)(2)).
Note: Species apportionments may not total precisely due to rounding.
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TABLE 16—FINAL 2018 AND 2018 PROHIBITED SPECIES BYCATCH ALLOWANCES FOR THE
BSAI TRAWL LIMITED ACCESS SECTOR
Prohibited species and area 1
Halibut
mortality
(mt)
BSAI
BSAI trawl limited access fisheries
Red king crab
(animals)
Zone 1
C. opilio
(animals)
COBLZ
C. bairdi (animals)
Zone 1
Zone 2
Yellowfin sole .......................................................................
Rock sole/flathead sole/other flatfish 2 .................................
Greenland turbot/arrowtooth flounder/Kamchatka flounder/
sablefish ...........................................................................
Rockfish April 15—December 31 ........................................
Pacific cod ............................................................................
Pollock/Atka mackerel/other species 3 .................................
150
0
23,338
0
2,467,662
0
293,234
0
1,005,879
0
0
4
391
200
0
0
2,954
197
0
4,076
105,182
40,768
0
0
50,816
4,235
0
849
42,424
4,243
Total BSAI trawl limited access PSC ...........................
745
26,489
2,617,688
348,285
1,053,395
1 Refer
to § 679.2 for definitions of areas.
flatfish’’ for PSC monitoring includes all flatfish species, except for halibut (a prohibited species), flathead sole, Greenland turbot, rock
sole, yellowfin sole, Kamchatka flounder, and arrowtooth flounder.
3 ‘‘Other species’’ for PSC monitoring includes skates, sculpins, sharks, squids, and octopuses.
Note: Seasonal or sector apportionments may not total precisely due to rounding.
2 ‘‘Other
TABLE 17—FINAL 2018 AND 2019 HALIBUT PROHIBITED SPECIES BYCATCH ALLOWANCES FOR NON–TRAWL FISHERIES
Halibut mortality (mt) BSAI
Catcher/
processor
Non-trawl fisheries
Seasons
Catcher vessel
All non-trawl
Pacific cod ........................................................
Non-Pacific cod non-trawl—Total ....................
Groundfish pot and jig .....................................
Sablefish hook-and-line ....................................
Total Pacific cod ..............................................
January 1–June 10 ......................................
June 10–August 15 ......................................
August 15–December 31 .............................
May 1-December 31 ........................................
n/a ....................................................................
n/a ....................................................................
648
388
162
98
n/a
n/a
n/a
13
9
2
2
n/a
n/a
n/a
661.
n/a.
n/a.
n/a.
49.
Exempt.
Exempt.
Total for all non-trawl PSC .......................
n/a ....................................................................
n/a
n/a
710.
Note: Seasonal or sector apportionments may not total precisely due to rounding.
daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with RULES
Estimates of Halibut Biomass and Stock
Condition
The International Pacific Halibut
Commission (IPHC) annually assesses
the abundance and potential yield of the
Pacific halibut stock using all available
data from the commercial and sport
fisheries, other removals, and scientific
surveys. Additional information on the
Pacific halibut stock assessment may be
found in the IPHC’s 2017 Pacific halibut
stock assessment (December 2017),
available on the IPHC website at
www.iphc.int. The IPHC considered the
2017 Pacific halibut stock assessment at
its January 2018 annual meeting when
it set the 2018 commercial halibut
fishery catch limits.
Halibut Discard Mortality Rates
To monitor halibut bycatch mortality
allowances and apportionments, the
Regional Administrator uses observed
halibut incidental catch rates, halibut
discard mortality rates (DMRs), and
estimates of groundfish catch to project
when a fishery’s halibut bycatch
mortality allowance or seasonal
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apportionment is reached. Halibut
incidental catch rates are based on
observers’ estimates of halibut
incidental catch in the groundfish
fishery. DMRs are estimates of the
proportion of incidentally caught
halibut that do not survive after being
returned to the sea. The cumulative
halibut mortality that accrues to a
particular halibut PSC limit is the
product of a DMR multiplied by the
estimated halibut PSC. DMRs are
estimated using the best scientific
information available in conjunction
with the annual BSAI stock assessment
process. The DMR methodology and
findings are included as an appendix to
the annual BSAI groundfish SAFE
report.
In 2016, the DMR estimation
methodology underwent revisions per
the Council’s directive. An interagency
halibut working group (IPHC, Council,
and NMFS staff) developed improved
estimation methods that have
undergone review by the Plan Team,
SSC, and the Council. A summary of the
revised methodology is included in the
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BSAI proposed 2017 and 2018 harvest
specifications (81 FR 87863, December
6, 2016), and the comprehensive
discussion of the working group’s
statistical methodology is available from
the Council (see ADDRESSES). The DMR
working group’s revised methodology is
intended to improve estimation
accuracy as well as transparency and
transferability in the methodology used
for calculating DMRs. The working
group will continue to consider
improvements to the methodology used
to calculate halibut mortality, including
potential changes to the reference
period (the period of data used for
calculating the DMRs). Future DMRs,
including the 2019 DMRs, may change
based on an additional year of observer
sampling that could provide more
recent and accurate data and could
improve the accuracy of estimation and
progress on methodology. The new
methodology will continue to ensure
that NMFS is using DMRs that more
accurately reflect halibut mortality,
which will inform the different sectors
of their estimated halibut mortality and
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allow specific sectors to respond with
methods that could reduce mortality
and, eventually, the DMR for that sector.
At the December 2017 meeting, the
SSC, AP, and Council reviewed and
concurred in the revised DMRs. For
2018 and 2019, the Council
recommended and NMFS adopts the
halibut DMRs derived from this revised
process. The final 2018 and 2019 DMRs
are unchanged from the DMRs proposed
in the 2018 and 2019 harvest
specifications (82 FR 57906, December
8, 2017). Table 18 lists the final 2018
and 2019 DMRs.
TABLE 18—2018 AND 2019 PACIFIC HALIBUT DISCARD MORTALITY RATES FOR THE BSAI
Halibut discard
mortality rate
(percent)
Gear
Sector
Pelagic trawl ...............................................................................
Non-pelagic trawl ........................................................................
Non-pelagic trawl ........................................................................
Hook-and-line .............................................................................
Hook-and-line .............................................................................
Pot ..............................................................................................
All ................................................................................................
Mothership and catcher/processor .............................................
Catcher vessel ............................................................................
Catcher/processor ......................................................................
Catcher vessel ............................................................................
All ................................................................................................
Directed Fishing Closures
In accordance with § 679.20(d)(1)(i),
the Regional Administrator may
establish a DFA for a species or species
group if the Regional Administrator
determines that any allocation or
apportionment of a target species has
been or will be reached. If the Regional
Administrator establishes a DFA, and
that allowance is or will be reached
before the end of the fishing year, NMFS
will prohibit directed fishing for that
species or species group in the specified
subarea, regulatory area, or district (see
§ 679.20(d)(1)(iii)). Similarly, pursuant
to § 679.21(b)(4) and (e)(7), if the
Regional Administrator determines that
a fishery category’s bycatch allowance
of halibut, red king crab, C. bairdi crab,
or C. opilio crab for a specified area has
been reached, the Regional
Administrator will prohibit directed
fishing for each species or species group
in that fishery category in the area
specified by regulation for the
remainder of the fishing year.
Based on historic catch patterns and
anticipated fishing activity, the Regional
Administrator has determined that the
groundfish allocation amounts in Table
19 will be necessary as incidental catch
to support other anticipated groundfish
fisheries for the 2018 and 2019 fishing
years. Consequently, in accordance with
§ 679.20(d)(1)(i), the Regional
Administrator establishes the DFA for
the species and species groups in Table
100
84
60
8
17
9
19 as zero mt. Therefore, in accordance
with § 679.20(d)(1)(iii), NMFS is
prohibiting directed fishing for these
sectors and species or species groups in
the specified areas effective at 1200 hrs,
A.l.t., February 27, 2018, through 2400
hrs, A.l.t., December 31, 2019. Also, for
the BSAI trawl limited access sector,
bycatch allowances of halibut, red king
crab, C. bairdi crab, and C. opilio crab
listed in Table 19 are insufficient to
support directed fisheries. Therefore, in
accordance with § 679.21(b)(4)(i) and
(e)(7), NMFS is prohibiting directed
fishing for these sectors, species, and
fishery categories in the specified areas
effective at 1200 hrs, A.l.t., February 27,
2018, through 2400 hrs, A.l.t., December
31, 2019.
TABLE 19—2018 AND 2018 DIRECTED FISHING CLOSURES 1
[Groundfish and halibut amounts are in metric tons. Crab amounts are in number of animals.]
2019
incidental
catch
allowance
2018
incidental
catch
allowance
Area
Sector
Species
Bogoslof District ..............................
Aleutian Islands subarea ................
All ...................................................
All ...................................................
Eastern Aleutian District/Bering
Sea.
Eastern Aleutian District/Bering
Sea.
Eastern Aleutian District .................
Non-amendment 80, CDQ, and
BSAI trawl limited access.
All ...................................................
Pollock ............................................
ICA pollock .....................................
‘‘Other rockfish’’ 2 ...........................
ICA Atka mackerel .........................
450
2,400
570
800
500
2,400
570
800
Blackspotted/Rougheye rockfish ....
75
75
ICA Pacific ocean perch ................
100
100
ICA Atka mackerel .........................
75
75
ICA Pacific ocean perch ................
ICA Atka mackerel .........................
60
20
60
20
ICA Pacific ocean perch ................
Blackspotted/Rougheye rockfish ....
10
150
10
150
Pacific ocean perch .......................
‘‘Other rockfish’’ 2 ...........................
ICA pollock .....................................
Northern rockfish ............................
Shortraker rockfish .........................
Skates ............................................
Sculpins ..........................................
Sharks ............................................
10,082
275
47,888
5,185
150
22,950
4,250
180
9,774
275
48,543
5,525
150
22,950
4,250
180
Central Aleutian District ..................
Non-amendment 80, CDQ, and
BSAI trawl limited access.
Non-amendment 80, CDQ, and
BSAI trawl limited access.
daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with RULES
Western Aleutian District ................
Non-amendment 80, CDQ, and
BSAI trawl limited access.
Western and Central Aleutian Districts.
Bering Sea subarea ........................
All ...................................................
All ...................................................
Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands ....
All ...................................................
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8383
TABLE 19—2018 AND 2018 DIRECTED FISHING CLOSURES 1—Continued
[Groundfish and halibut amounts are in metric tons. Crab amounts are in number of animals.]
Area
2018
incidental
catch
allowance
2019
incidental
catch
allowance
Sector
Species
Hook-and-line and pot gear ...........
Non-amendment 80 and CDQ .......
Squids ............................................
Octopuses ......................................
ICA Pacific cod ..............................
ICA flathead sole ...........................
ICA rock sole .................................
ICA yellowfin sole ..........................
1,020
250
400
4,000
6,000
4,000
1,020
200
400
4,000
6,000
4,000
Rock sole/flathead sole/other flatfish—halibut mortality, red king
crab Zone 1, C. opilio COBLZ,
C. bairdi Zone 1 and 2.
Turbot/arrowtooth/sablefish—halibut mortality, red king crab
Zone 1, C. opilio COBLZ, C.
bairdi Zone 1 and 2.
Rockfish—red king crab Zone 1 ....
0
0
0
0
0
0
Non-amendment 80, CDQ, and
BSAI trawl limited access.
BSAI trawl limited access ..............
1 Maximum
retainable amounts may be found in Table 11 to 50 CFR part 679.
rockfish’’ includes all Sebastes and Sebastolobus species except for Pacific ocean perch, northern rockfish, shortraker rockfish, and
blackspotted/rougheye rockfish.
2 ‘‘Other
Closures implemented under the final
2017 and 2018 BSAI harvest
specifications for groundfish (82 FR
11826, February 27, 2017) remain
effective under authority of these final
2018 and 2019 harvest specifications
and until the date specified in those
notices. Closures are posted at the
following websites: https://
alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/cm/info_
bulletins/ and https://
alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/fisheries_
reports/reports/. While these closures
are in effect, the maximum retainable
amounts at § 679.20(e) and (f) apply at
any time during a fishing trip. These
closures to directed fishing are in
addition to closures and prohibitions
found at 50 CFR part 679.
Listed AFA Catcher/Processor
Sideboard Limits
Pursuant to § 679.64(a), the Regional
Administrator is responsible for
restricting the ability of listed AFA C/
Ps to engage in directed fishing for
groundfish species other than pollock to
protect participants in other groundfish
fisheries from adverse effects resulting
from the AFA and from fishery
cooperatives in the pollock directed
fishery. These restrictions are set out as
sideboard limits on catch. The basis for
these sideboard limits is described in
detail in the final rules implementing
the major provisions of the AFA (67 FR
79692, December 30, 2002) and
Amendment 80 (72 FR 52668,
September 14, 2007). Table 20 lists the
2018 and 2019 AFA C/P groundfish
sideboard limits. Section 679.64(a)(1)(v)
exempts AFA catcher/processors from a
yellowfin sole sideboard limit because
the 2018 and 2019 aggregate ITAC of
yellowfin sole assigned to the
Amendment 80 sector and BSAI trawl
limited access sector is greater than
125,000 mt.
All harvest of groundfish sideboard
species by listed AFA C/Ps, whether as
targeted catch or incidental catch, will
be deducted from the sideboard limits
in Table 20. However, groundfish
sideboard species that are delivered to
listed AFA C/Ps by CVs will not be
deducted from the 2018 and 2019
sideboard limits for the listed AFA C/Ps.
TABLE 20—FINAL 2018 AND 2019 LISTED BSAI AMERICAN FISHERIES ACT CATCHER/PROCESSOR GROUNDFISH
SIDEBOARD LIMITS
[Amounts are in metric tons]
1995–1997
Target species
Area/season
Retained catch
Sablefish trawl .........
daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with RULES
Atka mackerel ..........
Rock sole .................
Greenland turbot ......
Arrowtooth flounder
Kamchatka flounder
Flathead sole ...........
Alaska plaice ............
VerDate Sep<11>2014
BS ...........................
AI .............................
Central AI A season 2.
Central AI B season 2.
Western AI A season 2.
Western AI B season 2.
BSAI ........................
BS ...........................
AI .............................
BSAI ........................
BSAI ........................
BSAI ........................
BSAI ........................
18:04 Feb 26, 2018
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Total catch
Ratio of retained catch to
total catch
2018
ITAC
available to
trawl C/Ps 1
2018
AFA C/P
sideboard limit
2019
ITAC
available to
trawl C/Ps* 1
2019
AFA C/P
sideboard limit
8
0
n/a
497
145
n/a
0.016
0
0.115
622
422
9,377
10
0
1,078
876
595
11,116
14
0
1,278
n/a
n/a
0.115
9,377
1,078
11,116
1,278
n/a
n/a
0.2
6,028
1,206
6,173
1,235
n/a
n/a
0.2
6,028
1,206
6,173
1,235
6,317
121
23
76
76
1,925
14
169,362
17,305
4,987
33,987
33,987
52,755
9,438
0.037
0.007
0.005
0.002
0.002
0.036
0.001
42,060
4,356
144
11,578
4,250
12,949
13,685
1,556
30
1
23
9
466
14
43,846
4,356
144
11,900
4,250
14,735
13,814
1,622
30
1
24
9
530
14
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TABLE 20—FINAL 2018 AND 2019 LISTED BSAI AMERICAN FISHERIES ACT CATCHER/PROCESSOR GROUNDFISH
SIDEBOARD LIMITS—Continued
[Amounts are in metric tons]
1995–1997
Target species
Area/season
Retained catch
Other flatfish ............
Pacific ocean perch
Northern rockfish .....
Shortraker rockfish ...
Blackspotted/
Rougheye rockfish.
Other rockfish ..........
Skates ......................
Sculpins ...................
Sharks ......................
Squids ......................
Octopuses ................
Total catch
Ratio of retained catch to
total catch
2018
ITAC
available to
trawl C/Ps 1
2018
AFA C/P
sideboard limit
2019
ITAC
available to
trawl C/Ps* 1
2019
AFA C/P
sideboard limit
BSAI ........................
BS ...........................
Eastern AI ...............
Central AI ................
Western AI ..............
BSAI ........................
BSAI ........................
BS/EAI ....................
3,058
12
125
3
54
91
50
50
52,298
4,879
6,179
5,698
13,598
13,040
2,811
2,811
0.058
0.002
0.02
0.001
0.004
0.007
0.018
0.018
3,400
10,082
8,037
6,698
8,037
5,185
150
75
197
20
161
7
32
36
3
1
3,400
9,774
8,675
6,741
8,141
5,525
150
75
197
20
174
7
33
39
3
1
CAI/WAI ..................
BS ...........................
AI .............................
BSAI ........................
BSAI ........................
BSAI ........................
BSAI ........................
BSAI ........................
50
18
22
553
553
553
73
553
2,811
621
806
68,672
68,672
68,672
3,328
68,672
0.018
0.029
0.027
0.008
0.008
0.008
0.022
0.008
150
275
570
22,950
4,250
180
1,020
250
3
8
15
184
34
1
22
2
150
275
570
22,950
4,250
180
1,020
200
3
8
15
184
34
1
22
2
1 Aleutian Islands Pacific ocean perch, and BSAI Atka mackerel, flathead sole, and rock sole are multiplied by the remainder of the TAC for each species after the
subtraction of the CDQ reserve under § 679.20(b)(1)(ii)(C).
2 The seasonal apportionment of Atka mackerel in the open access fishery is 50 percent in the A season and 50 percent in the B season. Listed AFA catcher/processors are limited to harvesting no more than zero in the Eastern Aleutian District and Bering Sea subarea, 20 percent of the annual ITAC specified for the Western
Aleutian District, and 11.5 percent of the annual ITAC specified for the Central Aleutian District.
Section 679.64(a)(2) and Tables 40
and 41 of 50 CFR part 679 establish a
formula for calculating PSC sideboard
limits for halibut and crab caught by
listed AFA C/Ps. The basis for these
sideboard limits is described in detail in
the final rules implementing the major
provisions of the AFA (67 FR 79692,
December 30, 2002) and Amendment 80
(72 FR 52668, September 14, 2007).
PSC species listed in Table 21 that are
caught by listed AFA C/Ps participating
in any groundfish fishery other than
pollock will accrue against the 2018 and
2019 PSC sideboard limits for the listed
AFA C/Ps. Section 679.21(b)(4)(iii),
(e)(3)(v), and (e)(7) authorizes NMFS to
close directed fishing for groundfish
other than pollock for listed AFA C/Ps
once a 2018 or 2019 PSC sideboard limit
listed in Table 21 is reached.
Pursuant to § 679.21(b)(1)(ii)(C) and
(e)(3)(ii)(C), halibut or crab PSC caught
by listed AFA C/Ps while fishing for
pollock will accrue against the bycatch
allowances annually specified for the
pollock/Atka mackerel/‘‘other species’’
fishery categories under
§ 679.21(b)(1)(ii)(B) and (e)(3)(iv).
TABLE 21—FINAL 2018 AND 2019 BSAI AFA LISTED CATCHER/PROCESSOR PROHIBITED SPECIES CATCH SIDEBOARD
LIMITS
Ratio of PSC
catch to total
PSC
PSC species and area 1
Halibut mortality BSAI ..................................................................................................................
Red king crab zone 1 ..................................................................................................................
C. opilio (COBLZ) ........................................................................................................................
C. bairdi Zone 1 ...........................................................................................................................
C. bairdi Zone 2 ...........................................................................................................................
1 Refer
n/a
0.007
0.153
0.140
0.050
2018 and
2019 PSC
available
to trawl
vessels after
subtraction
of PSQ 2
n/a
86,621
8,144,641
741,190
2,250,360
2018 and
2019 AFA
catcher/
processor
sideboard
limit 2
286
606
1,246,130
103,767
112,518
to § 679.2 for definitions of areas.
amounts are in metric tons of halibut mortality. Crab amounts are in numbers of animals.
2 Halibut
daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with RULES
AFA Catcher Vessel Sideboard Limits
Pursuant to § 679.64(b), the Regional
Administrator is responsible for
restricting the ability of AFA CVs to
engage in directed fishing for groundfish
species other than pollock to protect
participants in other groundfish
fisheries from adverse effects resulting
from the AFA and from fishery
cooperatives in the pollock directed
fishery. Section 679.64(b)(3) and (4)
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:04 Feb 26, 2018
Jkt 244001
establishes a formula for setting AFA CV
groundfish and halibut and crab PSC
sideboard limits for the BSAI. The basis
for these sideboard limits is described in
detail in the final rules implementing
the major provisions of the AFA (67 FR
79692, December 30, 2002) and
Amendment 80 (72 FR 52668,
September 14, 2007). Section
679.64(b)(6) exempts AFA CVs from a
yellowfin sole sideboard limit because
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the 2018 and 2019 aggregate ITAC of
yellowfin sole assigned to the
Amendment 80 sector and BSAI trawl
limited access sector is greater than
125,000 mt. Tables 22 and 23 list the
2018 and 2019 AFA CV sideboard
limits.
All catch of groundfish sideboard
species made by non-exempt AFA CVs,
whether as targeted catch or incidental
catch, will be deducted from the 2018
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 39 / Tuesday, February 27, 2018 / Rules and Regulations
and 2019 sideboard limits listed in
Table 22.
Halibut and crab PSC limits listed in
Table 23 that are caught by AFA CVs
participating in any groundfish fishery
for groundfish other than pollock will
accrue against the 2018 and 2019 PSC
sideboard limits for the AFA CVs.
Section 679.21(b)(4)(iii), (e)(3)(v), and
(e)(7) authorizes NMFS to close directed
fishing for groundfish other than
pollock for AFA CVs once a 2018 or
2019 PSC sideboard limit listed in Table
23 is reached. Pursuant to
§ 679.21(b)(1)(ii)(C) and (e)(3)(ii)(C), the
8385
PSC that is caught by AFA CVs while
fishing for pollock in the BSAI will
accrue against the bycatch allowances
annually specified for the pollock/Atka
mackerel/‘‘other species’’ fishery
categories under § 679.21(b)(1)(ii)(B)
and (e)(3)(iv).
TABLE 22—FINAL 2018 AND 2019 AMERICAN FISHERIES ACT CATCHER VESSEL BSAI GROUNDFISH SIDEBOARD LIMITS
[Amounts are in metric tons]
Species/gear
Pacific cod/Hook-and-line
CV ≥60 feet LOA.
Pacific cod pot gear CV ......
Pacific cod CV ≤60 feet
LOA using hook-and-line
or pot gear.
Pacific cod trawl gear CV ...
Sablefish trawl gear ............
Atka mackerel .....................
Rock sole ............................
Greenland turbot .................
Arrowtooth flounder .............
Kamchatka flounder ............
Alaska plaice .......................
Other flatfish ........................
Flathead sole ......................
Pacific ocean perch ............
Northern rockfish .................
Shortraker rockfish ..............
Blackspotted/Rougheye
rockfish.
Other rockfish ......................
daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with RULES
Skates .................................
Sculpins ...............................
Sharks .................................
Squids .................................
Octopuses ...........................
Fishery by area/season
Ratio of 1995–
1997 AFA CV
catch to 1995–
1997 TAC
2018 initial
TAC 1
2018 AFA
catcher vessel
sideboard
limits
2019 initial
TAC 1
2019 AFA
catcher vessel
sideboard
limits
BSAI Jan 1–Jun 10 ............
0.0006
185
0
159
0
BSAI
BSAI
BSAI
BSAI
Jun 10–Dec 31 .........
Jan 1–Jun 10 ............
Sept 1–Dec 31 ..........
...................................
0.0006
0.0006
0.0006
0.0006
178
7,770
7,465
3,627
0
5
4
2
152
6,660
6,398
3,109
0
4
4
2
BSAI Jan 20–Apr 1 ............
BSAI Apr 1–Jun 10 ............
BSAI Jun 10–Nov 1 ...........
BS .......................................
AI ........................................
Eastern AI/BS Jan 1–Jun
10.
Eastern AI/BS Jun 10–Nov
1.
Central AI Jan 1–Jun 10 ....
Central AI Jun 10–Nov 1 ....
Western AI Jan 1–Jun 10 ..
Western AI Jun 10–Nov 1 ..
BSAI ...................................
BS .......................................
AI ........................................
BSAI ...................................
BSAI ...................................
BSAI ...................................
BSAI ...................................
BS .......................................
BS .......................................
Eastern AI ..........................
Central AI ...........................
Western AI .........................
BSAI ...................................
BSAI ...................................
BS/EAI ................................
0.8609
0.8609
0.8609
0.0906
0.0645
0.0032
29,768
4,425
6,034
622
422
16,298
25,627
3,809
5,195
56
27
52
25,530
3,795
5,175
876
595
15,083
21,979
3,267
4,455
79
38
48
0.0032
16,298
52
15,083
48
0.0001
0.0001
0
0
0.0341
0.0645
0.0205
0.069
0.069
0.0441
0.0441
0.0505
0.1
0.0077
0.0025
0
0.0084
0.0037
0.0037
9,377
9,377
6,028
6,028
42,060
4,356
144
11,578
4,250
13,685
3,400
12,949
10,082
8,037
6,698
8,037
5,185
150
75
1
1
0
0
1,434
281
3
799
293
604
150
654
1,008
62
17
0
44
1
0
11,116
11,116
6,173
6,173
43,846
4,356
144
11,900
4,250
13,814
3,400
14,735
9,774
8,675
6,741
8,141
5,525
150
75
1
1
0
0
1,495
281
3
821
293
609
150
744
977
67
17
0
46
1
0
CAI/WAI ..............................
BS .......................................
AI ........................................
BSAI ...................................
BSAI ...................................
BSAI ...................................
BSAI ...................................
BSAI ...................................
0.0037
0.0048
0.0095
0.0541
0.0541
0.0541
0.3827
0.0541
150
275
570
22,950
4,250
180
1,020
250
1
1
5
1,242
230
10
390
14
150
275
570
22,950
4,250
180
1,020
200
1
1
5
1,242
230
10
390
11
1 Aleutians Islands Pacific ocean perch, and BSAI Atka mackerel, flathead sole, Pacific cod, and rock sole are multiplied by the remainder of
the TAC for each species after the subtraction of the CDQ reserve under § 679.20(b)(1)(ii)(C).
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 39 / Tuesday, February 27, 2018 / Rules and Regulations
TABLE 23—FINAL 2018 AND 2019 AMERICAN FISHERIES ACT CATCHER VESSEL PROHIBITED SPECIES CATCH SIDEBOARD
LIMITS FOR THE BSAI 1
AFA catcher
vessel PSC
sideboard
limit ratio
PSC species and area 1
Target fishery category 2
Halibut .....................................
Pacific cod trawl .....................................................................
Pacific cod hook-and-line or pot ............................................
Yellowfin sole total .................................................................
Rock sole/flathead sole/other flatfish 4 ...................................
Greenland turbot/arrowtooth/sablefish 5 .................................
Rockfish ..................................................................................
Pollock/Atka mackerel/other species 6 ...................................
n/a ...........................................................................................
n/a ...........................................................................................
n/a ...........................................................................................
n/a ...........................................................................................
Red king crab Zone 1 .............
C. opilio COBLZ ......................
C. bairdi Zone 1 ......................
C. bairdi Zone 2 ......................
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
0.299
0.168
0.330
0.186
2018 and
2019 PSC
limit after
subtraction
of PSQ
reserves 3
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
86,621
8,144,641
741,190
2,250,360
2018 and
2019 AFA
catcher
vessel PSC
sideboard
limit 3
887
2
101
228
0
2
5
25,900
1,368,300
244,593
418,567
1 Refer
to § 679.2 for definitions of areas.
trawl fishery categories are defined at § 679.21(b)(1)(ii)(B) and (e)(3)(iv).
3 Halibut amounts are in metric tons of halibut mortality. Crab amounts are in numbers of animals.
4 ‘‘Other flatfish’’ for PSC monitoring includes all flatfish species, except for halibut (a prohibited species), flathead sole, Greenland turbot, rock
sole, yellowfin sole, Kamchatka flounder, and arrowtooth flounder.
5 Arrowtooth for PSC monitoring includes Kamchatka flounder.
6 ‘‘Other species’’ for PSC monitoring includes skates, sculpins, sharks, squids, and octopuses.
2 Target
AFA Catcher/Processor and Catcher
Vessel Sideboard Directed Fishing
Closures
Based on historical catch patterns, the
Regional Administrator has determined
that many of the AFA C/P and CV
sideboard limits listed in Tables 24 and
25 are necessary as incidental catch to
support other anticipated groundfish
fisheries for the 2018 and 2019 fishing
years. In accordance with
§ 679.20(d)(1)(iv), the Regional
Administrator establishes the sideboard
limits listed in Tables 24 and 25 as
DFAs. Because many of these DFAs will
be reached before the end of 2018, the
Regional Administrator has determined,
in accordance with § 679.20(d)(1)(iii),
that NMFS is prohibiting directed
fishing by listed AFA C/Ps for the
species in the specified areas set out in
Table 24, and prohibiting directed
fishing by non-exempt AFA CVs for the
species in the specified areas set out in
Table 25.
TABLE 24—FINAL 2018 AND 2019 AMERICAN FISHERIES ACT LISTED CATCHER/PROCESSOR SIDEBOARD DIRECTED
FISHING CLOSURES 1
[Amounts are in metric tons]
2018
sideboard limit
Species
Area
Gear types
Sablefish trawl ................................
BS ..................................................
AI ....................................................
BSAI ...............................................
BS ..................................................
AI ....................................................
BSAI ...............................................
BSAI ...............................................
BSAI ...............................................
BSAI ...............................................
BSAI ...............................................
BS ..................................................
Eastern AI ......................................
Central AI .......................................
Western AI .....................................
BSAI ...............................................
BSAI ...............................................
BS/EAI ............................................
CAI/WAI .........................................
BS ..................................................
AI ....................................................
BSAI ...............................................
BSAI ...............................................
BSAI ...............................................
BSAI ...............................................
BSAI ...............................................
trawl ................................................
trawl ................................................
all ....................................................
all ....................................................
all ....................................................
all ....................................................
all ....................................................
all ....................................................
all ....................................................
all ....................................................
all ....................................................
all ....................................................
all ....................................................
all ....................................................
all ....................................................
all ....................................................
all ....................................................
all ....................................................
all ....................................................
all ....................................................
all ....................................................
all ....................................................
all ....................................................
all ....................................................
all ....................................................
Rock sole ........................................
Greenland turbot .............................
Arrowtooth flounder ........................
Kamchatka flounder ........................
Alaska plaice ..................................
Other flatfish 2 .................................
Flathead sole ..................................
Pacific ocean perch ........................
Northern rockfish ............................
Shortraker rockfish .........................
Blackspotted/Rougheye rockfish ....
daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with RULES
Other rockfish 3 ...............................
Skates .............................................
Sculpins ..........................................
Sharks .............................................
Squids .............................................
Octopuses .......................................
1 Maximum
VerDate Sep<11>2014
retainable amounts may be found in Table 11 to 50 CFR part 679.
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E:\FR\FM\27FER1.SGM
27FER1
2019
sideboard limit
10
0
1,556
30
1
23
9
14
197
466
20
161
7
32
36
3
1
3
8
15
184
34
1
25
2
14
0
1,622
30
1
24
9
14
197
530
20
174
7
33
39
3
1
3
8
15
184
34
1
22
2
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 39 / Tuesday, February 27, 2018 / Rules and Regulations
8387
2 ‘‘Other flatfish’’ includes all flatfish species, except for halibut, Alaska plaice, flathead sole, Greenland turbot, rock sole, yellowfin sole,
Kamchatka flounder, and arrowtooth flounder.
3 ‘‘Other rockfish’’ includes all Sebastes and Sebastolobus species except for Pacific ocean perch, northern rockfish, shortraker rockfish, and
blackspotted/rougheye rockfish.
TABLE 25—FINAL 2018 AND 2019 AMERICAN FISHERIES ACT CATCHER VESSEL SIDEBOARD DIRECTED FISHING
CLOSURES 1
[Amounts are in metric tons]
2018
sideboard limit
Species
Area
Gear types
Pacific cod ..........................................
BSAI ...................................................
hook-and-line CV ≥60 feet
LOA.
pot CV ≥60 feet LOA .............
hook-and-line or pot CV ≤60
feet LOA.
jig ...........................................
trawl .......................................
trawl .......................................
all ...........................................
all ...........................................
all ...........................................
all ...........................................
all ...........................................
all ...........................................
all ...........................................
all ...........................................
all ...........................................
all ...........................................
all ...........................................
all ...........................................
all ...........................................
all ...........................................
all ...........................................
all ...........................................
all ...........................................
all ...........................................
all ...........................................
all ...........................................
all ...........................................
all ...........................................
all ...........................................
all ...........................................
all ...........................................
all ...........................................
BSAI ...................................................
BSAI ...................................................
Sablefish .............................................
Atka mackerel .....................................
Greenland turbot .................................
Arrowtooth flounder ............................
Kamchatka flounder ............................
Alaska plaice ......................................
Other flatfish 2 .....................................
Flathead sole ......................................
Rock sole ............................................
Pacific ocean perch ............................
Northern rockfish ................................
Shortraker rockfish .............................
Blackspotted/Rougheye rockfish ........
Other rockfish 3 ...................................
.............................................................
Skates .................................................
Sculpins ..............................................
Sharks .................................................
Squids .................................................
Octopuses ...........................................
BSAI ...................................................
BS ......................................................
AI ........................................................
Eastern AI/BS ....................................
Central AI ...........................................
Western AI .........................................
BS ......................................................
AI ........................................................
BSAI ...................................................
BSAI ...................................................
BSAI ...................................................
BSAI ...................................................
BSAI ...................................................
BSAI ...................................................
BS ......................................................
Eastern AI ..........................................
Central AI ...........................................
Western AI .........................................
BSAI ...................................................
BSAI ...................................................
BS/EAI ................................................
CAI/WAI .............................................
BS ......................................................
AI ........................................................
BSAI ...................................................
BSAI ...................................................
BSAI ...................................................
BSAI ...................................................
BSAI ...................................................
2019
sideboard limit
0
0
9
2
8
2
0
56
27
104
2
0
281
3
799
293
501
150
654
1,434
1008
62
17
0
44
1
0
1
1
5
1,242
230
10
390
14
0
79
38
96
2
0
281
3
821
293
609
150
744
1,495
977
67
17
0
46
1
0
1
1
5
1,242
230
10
390
11
1 Maximum
retainable amounts may be found in Table 11 to 50 CFR part 679.
flatfish’’ includes all flatfish species, except for halibut, Alaska plaice, flathead sole, Greenland turbot, rock sole, yellowfin sole,
Kamchatka flounder, and arrowtooth flounder.
3 ‘‘Other rockfish’’ includes all Sebastes and Sebastolobus species except for Pacific ocean perch, northern rockfish, shortraker rockfish, and
blackspotted/rougheye rockfish.
2 ‘‘Other
daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with RULES
Response to Comments
NMFS received no substantive
comments during the public comment
period for the proposed BSAI
groundfish harvest specifications. No
changes were made to the final rule in
response to the comment letters
received.
Classification
NMFS has determined that these final
harvest specifications are consistent
with the FMP and with the MagnusonStevens Act and other applicable laws.
This action is authorized under 50
CFR 679.20 and is exempt from review
under Executive Order 12866.
NMFS prepared an EIS that covers
this action (see ADDRESSES) and made it
available to the public on January 12,
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:04 Feb 26, 2018
Jkt 244001
2007 (72 FR 1512). On February 13,
2007, NMFS issued the Record of
Decision (ROD) for the EIS. In January
2018, NMFS prepared a Supplemental
Information Report (SIR) for this action.
Copies of the EIS, ROD, and SIR for this
action are available from NMFS (see
ADDRESSES). The EIS analyzes the
environmental consequences of the
groundfish harvest specifications and
alternative harvest strategies on
resources in the action area. The EIS
found no significant environmental
consequences of this action and its
alternatives. The SIR evaluates the need
to prepare a Supplemental EIS (SEIS) for
the 2018 and 2019 groundfish harvest
specifications.
An SEIS should be prepared if (1) the
agency makes substantial changes in the
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Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
proposed action that are relevant to
environmental concerns; or (2)
significant new circumstances or
information exist relevant to
environmental concerns and bearing on
the proposed action or its impacts (40
CFR 1502.9(c)(1)). After reviewing the
information contained in the SIR and
SAFE reports, the Regional
Administrator has determined that (1)
approval of the 2018 and 2019 harvest
specifications, which were set according
to the preferred harvest strategy in the
EIS, does not constitute a substantial
change in the action; and (2) there are
no significant new circumstances or
information relevant to environmental
concerns and bearing on the action or its
impacts. Additionally, the 2018 and
2019 harvest specifications will result in
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8388
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 39 / Tuesday, February 27, 2018 / Rules and Regulations
environmental impacts within the scope
of those analyzed and disclosed in the
EIS. Therefore, supplemental National
Environmental Policy Act
documentation is not necessary to
implement the 2018 and 2019 harvest
specifications.
Section 604 of the Regulatory
Flexibility Act (RFA) (5 U.S.C. 604)
requires that, when an agency
promulgates a final rule under section
553 of Title 5 of the United States Code,
after being required by that section, or
any other law, to publish a general
notice of proposed rulemaking, the
agency shall prepare a final regulatory
flexibility analysis (FRFA). The
following constitutes the FRFA
prepared in the final action.
The required contents of a FRFA, as
described in section 604, are: (1) A
statement of the need for, and objectives
of, the rule; (2) a statement of the
significant issues raised by the public
comments in response to the initial
regulatory flexibility analysis, a
statement of the assessment of the
agency of such issues, and a statement
of any changes made in the proposed
rule as a result of such comments; (3)
the response of the agency to any
comments filed by the Chief Counsel for
Advocacy of the Small Business
Administration in response to the
proposed rule, and a detailed statement
of any change made to the proposed rule
in the final rule as a result of the
comments; (4) a description of and an
estimate of the number of small entities
to which the rule will apply or an
explanation of why no such estimate is
available; (5) a description of the
projected reporting, recordkeeping, and
other compliance requirements of the
rule, including an estimate of the classes
of small entities which will be subject
to the requirement and the type of
professional skills necessary for
preparation of the report or record; and
(6) a description of the steps the agency
has taken to minimize the significant
economic impact on small entities
consistent with the stated objectives of
applicable statutes, including a
statement of the factual, policy, and
legal reasons for selecting the alternative
adopted in the final rule and why each
one of the other significant alternatives
to the rule considered by the agency
which affect the impact on small
entities was rejected.
A description of this action, its
purpose, and its legal basis are included
at the beginning of the preamble to this
final rule and are not repeated here.
NMFS published the proposed rule on
December 8, 2017 (82 FR 57906). NMFS
prepared an Initial Regulatory
Flexibility Analysis (IRFA) to
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:04 Feb 26, 2018
Jkt 244001
accompany the proposed action, and
included a summary in the proposed
rule. The comment period closed on
January 8, 2018. No comments were
received on the IRFA or on the
economic impacts of the rule more
generally. The Chief Counsel for
Advocacy of the Small Business
Administration did not file any
comments on the proposed rule.
The entities directly regulated by this
action are those that harvest groundfish
in the exclusive economic zone of the
BSAI and in parallel fisheries within
State waters. These include entities
operating catcher vessels and catcher/
processors within the action area and
entities receiving direct allocations of
groundfish.
For RFA purposes only, NMFS has
established a small business size
standard for businesses, including their
affiliates, whose primary industry is
commercial fishing (see 50 CFR 200.2).
A business primarily engaged in
commercial fishing (NAICS code 11411)
is classified as a small business if it is
independently owned and operated, is
not dominant in its field of operation
(including its affiliates), and has
combined annual gross receipts not in
excess of $11 million for all its affiliated
operations worldwide.
The estimated number of directly
regulated small entities in 2016 include
approximately 119 catcher vessels, five
catcher/processors, and six CDQ groups.
Some of these vessels are members of
AFA inshore pollock cooperatives, Gulf
of Alaska rockfish cooperatives, or BSAI
Crab Rationalization Program
cooperatives, and, since under the RFA
the aggregate gross receipts of all
participating members of the
cooperative must meet the ‘‘under $11
million’’ threshold, the cooperatives are
considered to be large entities within
the meaning of the RFA. Thus, the
estimate of 119 catcher vessels may be
an overstatement of the number of small
entities. Average gross revenues were
$690,000 for small hook-and-line
vessels, $1.25 million for small pot
vessels, and $3.44 million for small
trawl vessels. The average gross revenue
for catcher/processor hook-and-line
vessels was $2.90 million. The revenue
data for other catcher/processors are not
reported, due to confidentiality
considerations.
This action does not modify
recordkeeping or reporting
requirements.
The significant alternatives were
those considered as alternative harvest
strategies when the Council selected its
preferred harvest strategy (Alternative 2)
in December 2006. These included the
following:
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• Alternative 1: Set TAC to produce
fishing mortality rates, F, that are equal
to maxFABC, unless the sum of the TAC
is constrained by the OY established in
the fishery management plans. This is
equivalent to setting TAC to produce
harvest levels equal to the maximum
permissible ABC, as constrained by OY.
The term ‘‘maxFABC’’ refers to the
maximum permissible value of FABC
under Amendment 56 to the BSAI and
Gulf of Alaska groundfish fishery
management plans. Historically, the
TAC has been set at or below the ABC;
therefore, this alternative represents a
likely upper limit for setting the TAC
within the OY and ABC limits.
• Alternative 3: For species in Tiers 1,
2, and 3, set TAC to produce F equal to
the most recent 5-year average actual F.
For species in Tiers 4, 5, and 6, set TAC
equal to the most recent 5-year average
actual catch. For stocks with a high
level of scientific information, TAC
would be set to produce harvest levels
equal to the most recent 5-year average
actual fishing mortality rates. For stocks
with insufficient scientific information,
TAC would be set equal to the most
recent 5-year average actual catch. This
alternative recognizes that for some
stocks, catches may fall well below
ABC, and recent average F may provide
a better indicator of actual F than FABC
does.
• Alternative 4: First, set TAC for
rockfish species in Tier 3 at F 75%; set
TAC for rockfish species in Tier 5 at F
= 0.5M; and set spatially explicit TAC
for shortraker and rougheye rockfish in
the BSAI. Second, taking the rockfish
TAC as calculated above, reduce all
other TAC by a proportion that does not
vary across species, so that the sum of
all TAC, including rockfish TAC, is
equal to the lower bound of the area OY
(1,400,000 mt in the BSAI). This
alternative sets conservative and
spatially explicit TAC for rockfish
species that are long-lived and late to
mature, and sets conservative TAC for
the other groundfish species.
• Alternative 5: (No Action) Set TAC
at zero.
Alternative 2 is the preferred
alternative chosen by the Council: Set
TAC that fall within the range of ABC
recommended through the Council
harvest specifications process and TACs
recommended by the Council. Under
this scenario, F is set equal to a constant
fraction of maxFABC. The
recommended fractions of maxFABC
may vary among species or stocks, based
on other considerations unique to each.
This is the method for determining TAC
that has been used in the past.
Alternatives 1, 3, 4, and 5 do not meet
the objectives of this action, and
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although Alternatives 1 and 3 may have
a smaller adverse economic impact on
small entities than the preferred
alternative, Alternatives 4 and 5 likely
would have a significant adverse
economic impact on small entities. The
Council rejected these alternatives as
harvest strategies in 2006, and the
Secretary of Commerce did so in 2007.
Alternative 1 would lead to TAC
limits whose sum exceeds the fishery
OY, which is set out in statute and the
FMP. As shown in Table 1 and Table 2,
the sum of ABCs in 2018 and 2019
would be 3,779,809 mt and 3,578,956
mt, respectively. Both of these are
substantially in excess of the fishery OY
for the BSAI. This result would be
inconsistent with the objectives of this
action, in that it would violate the
Consolidated Appropriations Act of
2004, Public Law 108–199, Division B,
section 803(c), and the FMP, which both
set a 2 million mt maximum harvest for
BSAI groundfish.
Alternative 3 selects harvest rates
based on the most recent 5 years’ worth
of harvest rates (for species in Tiers 1
through 3) or based on the most recent
5 years’ worth of harvests (for species in
Tiers 4 through 6). This alternative is
also inconsistent with the objectives of
this action because it does not take into
account the most recent biological
information for this fishery. NMFS
annually conducts at-sea stock surveys
for different species, as well as
statistical modeling, to estimate stock
sizes and permissible harvest levels.
Actual harvest rates or harvest amounts
are a component of these estimates, but
in and of themselves may not accurately
portray stock sizes and conditions.
Harvest rates are listed for each species
category for each year in the SAFE
report (see ADDRESSES).
Alternative 4 would lead to
significantly lower harvests of all
species to reduce TAC from the upper
end of the OY range in the BSAI to its
lower end of 1.4 million mt. This result
would lead to significant reductions in
harvests of species by small entities.
While reductions of this size could be
associated with offsetting price
increases, the size of these increases is
uncertain, and, assuming volume
decreases would lead to price increases,
it is unclear whether price increases
would be sufficient to offset the volume
decreases and to leave revenues
unchanged for small entities. Thus, this
action would have an adverse economic
impact on small entities, compared to
the preferred alternative.
Alternative 5, which sets all harvests
equal to zero, may also address
conservation issues, but would have a
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significant adverse economic impact on
small entities.
Impacts on marine mammals resulting
from fishing activities conducted under
this rule are discussed in the EIS (see
ADDRESSES).
Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3), the
Assistant Administrator for Fisheries,
NOAA, finds good cause to waive the
30-day delay in effectiveness for this
rule because delaying this rule is
contrary to the public interest. The Plan
Team review occurred in November
2017, and the Council considered and
recommended the final harvest
specifications in December 2017.
Accordingly, NMFS’ review could not
begin until after the December 2017
Council meeting, and after the public
had time to comment on the proposed
action. If this rule’s effectiveness is
delayed, fisheries that might otherwise
remain open under these rules may
prematurely close based on the lower
TACs established in the final 2017 and
2018 harvest specifications (82 FR
11826, February 27, 2017). If
implemented immediately, this rule
would allow these fisheries to continue
fishing because some of the new TACs
implemented by this rule are higher
than the TACs under which they are
currently fishing.
In addition, immediate effectiveness
of this action is required to provide
consistent management and
conservation of fishery resources based
on the best available scientific
information. This is particularly
pertinent for those species that have
lower 2018 ABCs and TACs than those
established in the 2017 and 2018
harvest specifications (82 FR 11826,
February 27, 2017). If implemented
immediately, this rule would ensure
that NMFS can properly manage those
fisheries for which this rule sets lower
2018 ABCs and TACs, which are based
on the most recent biological
information on the condition of stocks,
rather than managing species under the
higher TACs set in the previous year’s
harvest specifications.
Certain fisheries, such as those for
pollock and Pacific cod, are intensive,
fast-paced fisheries. Other fisheries,
such as those for flatfish, rockfish,
skates, sculpins, sharks, and octopuses,
are critical as directed fisheries and as
incidental catch in other fisheries. U.S.
fishing vessels have demonstrated the
capacity to catch the TAC allocations in
these fisheries. Any delay in allocating
the final TAC limits in these fisheries
would cause confusion in the industry
and potential economic harm through
unnecessary discards, thus undermining
the intent of this rule. Predicting which
fisheries may close is impossible
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8389
because these fisheries are affected by
several factors that cannot be predicted
in advance, including fishing effort,
weather, movement of fishery stocks,
and market price. Furthermore, the
closure of one fishery has a cascading
effect on other fisheries, for example by
freeing up fishing vessels, which would
allow them to move from closed
fisheries to open ones and lead to an
increase in the fishing capacity in those
open fisheries, causing those open
fisheries to close at an accelerated pace.
Additionally, in fisheries subject to
declining sideboards, delaying this
rule’s effectiveness could allow some
vessels to inadvertently reach or exceed
their new sideboard limits. Because
sideboards are intended to protect
traditional fisheries in other sectors,
allowing one sector to exceed its new
sideboards by delaying this rule’s
effectiveness would effectively reduce
the available catch for sectors without
sideboard limits. Moreover, the new
TAC and sideboard limits protect the
fisheries from being overfished. Thus,
the delay is contrary to the public
interest in protecting traditional
fisheries and fish stocks.
If the final harvest specifications are
not effective by March 24, 2018, which
is the start of the 2018 Pacific halibut
season as specified by the IPHC, the
hook-and-line sablefish fishery will not
begin concurrently with the Pacific
halibut IFQ season. Delayed
effectiveness of this action would result
in confusion for sablefish harvesters and
economic harm from unnecessary
discard of sablefish that are caught
along with Pacific halibut, as both hookand-line sablefish and Pacific halibut
are managed under the same IFQ
program. Immediate effectiveness of the
final 2018 and 2019 harvest
specifications will allow the sablefish
IFQ fishery to begin concurrently with
the Pacific halibut IFQ season.
Finally, immediate effectiveness also
would provide the fishing industry the
earliest possible opportunity to plan and
conduct its fishing operations with
respect to new information about TAC
limits. Therefore, NMFS finds good
cause to waive the 30-day delay in
effectiveness under 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3).
Small Entity Compliance Guide
This final rule is a plain language
guide to assist small entities in
complying with this final rule as
required by the Small Business
Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of
1996. This final rule’s primary purpose
is to announce the final 2018 and 2019
harvest specifications and prohibited
species bycatch allowances for the
groundfish fisheries of the BSAI. This
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action is necessary to establish harvest
limits and associated management
measures for groundfish during the 2018
and 2019 fishing years and to
accomplish the goals and objectives of
the FMP. This action directly affects all
fishermen who participate in the BSAI
fisheries. The specific amounts of OFL,
ABC, TAC, and PSC amounts are
provided in tables to assist the reader.
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NMFS will announce closures of
directed fishing in the Federal Register
and information bulletins released by
the Alaska Region. Affected fishermen
should keep themselves informed of
such closures.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 773 et seq.; 16 U.S.C.
1540(f); 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.; 16 U.S.C.
3631 et seq.; Pub. L. 105–277; Pub. L. 106–
31; Pub. L. 106–554; Pub. L. 108–199; Pub.
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L. 108–447; Pub. L. 109–241; Pub. L. 109–
479.
Dated: February 21, 2018.
Samuel D. Rauch III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for
Regulatory Programs, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018–03918 Filed 2–26–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
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[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 39 (Tuesday, February 27, 2018)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 8365-8390]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-03918]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 679
[Docket No. 170817779-8161-02]
RIN 0648-XF636
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Bering Sea
and Aleutian Islands; 2018 and 2019 Harvest Specifications for
Groundfish
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Final rule; closures.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NMFS announces final 2018 and 2019 harvest specifications,
apportionments, and prohibited species catch allowances for the
groundfish fishery of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management
area (BSAI). This action is necessary to establish harvest limits for
groundfish during the 2018 and 2019 fishing years, and to accomplish
the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish
of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (FMP). The
intended effect of this action is to conserve and manage the groundfish
resources in the BSAI in accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act).
DATES: Effective from 1200 hrs, Alaska local time (A.l.t.), February
27, 2018, through 2400 hrs, A.l.t., December 31, 2019.
ADDRESSES: Electronic copies of the Alaska Groundfish Harvest
Specifications Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), Record of
Decision (ROD), Supplementary Information Report (SIR) to the EIS, and
the Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (IRFA) prepared for this
action are available from https://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov. The final
2017 Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) report for the
groundfish resources of the BSAI, dated November 2017, as well as the
SAFE reports for previous years, are available from the North Pacific
Fishery Management Council (Council) at 605 West 4th Avenue, Suite 306,
Anchorage, AK, 99510-2252, phone 907-271-2809, or from the Council's
website at https://www.npfmc.org/.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve Whitney, 907-586-7228.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Federal regulations at 50 CFR part 679
implement the FMP and govern the groundfish fisheries in the BSAI. The
Council prepared the FMP, and NMFS approved it, under the Magnuson-
Stevens Act. General regulations governing U.S. fisheries also appear
at 50 CFR part 600.
The FMP and its implementing regulations require NMFS, after
consultation with the Council, to specify annually the total allowable
catch (TAC) for each target species category. The sum of all TAC for
all groundfish species in the BSAI must be within the optimum yield
(OY) range of 1.4 million to 2.0 million metric tons (mt) (see Sec.
679.20(a)(1)(i)(A)). This final rule specifies the TAC at 2.0 million
mt for both 2018 and 2019. NMFS also must specify apportionments of
TAC, prohibited species catch (PSC) allowances, and prohibited species
quota (PSQ) reserves established by Sec. 679.21; seasonal allowances
of pollock, Pacific cod, and Atka mackerel TAC; American Fisheries Act
allocations; Amendment 80 allocations; Community Development Quota
(CDQ) reserve amounts established by Sec. 679.20(b)(1)(ii); and
acceptable biological catch (ABC) surpluses and reserves for CDQ groups
and the Amendment 80 cooperative for flathead sole, rock sole, and
yellowfin sole. The final harvest specifications set forth in Tables 1
through 25 of this action satisfy these requirements.
Section 679.20(c)(3)(i) further requires NMFS to consider public
comment on the proposed harvest specifications and to publish final
harvest specifications in the Federal Register. The proposed 2018 and
2019 harvest specifications for the groundfish fishery of the BSAI were
published in the Federal Register on December 8, 2017 (82 FR 57906).
Comments were invited and accepted through January 8, 2018. NMFS
received no substantive comments on the proposed harvest
specifications. NMFS consulted with the Council on the final 2018 and
2019 harvest specifications during the December 2017 Council meeting in
Anchorage, AK. After considering public comments, as well as biological
and economic data that were available at the Council's December
meeting, in this final rule NMFS implements the final 2018 and 2019
harvest specifications as recommended by the Council.
ABC and TAC Harvest Specifications
The final ABC levels for Alaska groundfish are based on the best
available biological and socioeconomic information, including projected
biomass trends, information on assumed distribution of stock biomass,
and revised technical methods used to calculate stock biomass. In
general, the development of ABCs and overfishing levels (OFLs) involves
sophisticated statistical analyses of fish populations. The FMP
specifies a series of six tiers to define OFL and ABC amounts based on
the level of reliable information available to fishery scientists. Tier
1 represents the highest level of information quality available, while
Tier 6 represents the lowest.
In December 2017, the Council, its Scientific and Statistical
Committee (SSC), and its Advisory Panel (AP) reviewed current
biological and harvest information about the condition of the BSAI
groundfish stocks. The Council's BSAI Groundfish Plan Team (Plan Team)
compiled and presented this information in the final 2017 SAFE report
for the BSAI groundfish fisheries,
[[Page 8366]]
dated November 2017 (see ADDRESSES). The SAFE report contains a review
of the latest scientific analyses and estimates of each species'
biomass and other biological parameters, as well as summaries of the
available information on the BSAI ecosystem and the economic condition
of groundfish fisheries off Alaska. NMFS notified the public of the
comment period for these harvest specifications--and of the publication
of the 2017 SAFE report--in the notice of proposed harvest
specifications. From the data and analyses in the SAFE report, the Plan
Team recommended an OFL and ABC for each species or species group at
the November 2017 Plan Team meeting.
In December 2017, the SSC, AP, and Council reviewed the Plan Team's
recommendations. The final TAC recommendations were based on the ABCs
as adjusted for other biological and socioeconomic considerations,
including maintaining the sum of all the TACs within the required OY
range of 1.4 million to 2.0 million mt. As required by annual catch
limit rules for all fisheries (74 FR 3178, January 16, 2009), none of
the Council's recommended TACs for 2018 or 2019 exceed the final 2018
or 2019 ABCs for any species or species group. NMFS finds that the
Council's recommended OFLs, ABCs, and TACs are consistent with the
preferred harvest strategy and the biological condition of groundfish
stocks as described in the 2017 SAFE report that was approved by the
Council. Therefore, this final rule provides notice that the Secretary
of Commerce (Secretary) approves the final 2018 and 2019 harvest
specifications as recommended by the Council.
The 2018 harvest specifications set in this final action will
supersede the 2018 harvest specifications previously set in the final
2017 and 2018 harvest specifications (82 FR 11826, February 27, 2017).
The 2019 harvest specifications herein will be superseded in early 2019
when the final 2019 and 2020 harvest specifications are published.
Pursuant to this final action, the 2018 harvest specifications
therefore will apply for the remainder of the current year (2018),
while the 2019 harvest specifications are projected only for the
following year (2019) and will be superseded in early 2019 by the final
2019 and 2020 harvest specifications. Because this final action
(published in early 2018) will be superseded in early 2019 by the
publication of the final 2019 and 2020 harvest specifications, it is
projected that this final action will implement the harvest
specifications for the BSAI for approximately one year.
Other Actions Affecting the 2018 and 2019 Harvest Specifications
Amendment 117: Reclassify Squid as an Ecosystem Species
In June 2017, the Council recommended for Secretarial review
Amendment 117 to the FMP. Amendment 117 would reclassify squid in the
FMP as an ``Ecosystem Component Species,'' which is a category of non-
target species that are not in need of conservation and management.
Currently, NMFS annually sets an OFL, ABC, and TAC for squid in the
BSAI groundfish harvest specifications. Under Amendment 117, OFL, ABC,
and TAC specifications would no longer be required. Proposed
regulations to implement Amendment 117 would prohibit directed fishing
for squid, require recordkeeping and reporting to monitor and report
catch of squid species annually, and establish a squid maximum
retainable amount when directed fishing for groundfish species at 20
percent to discourage retention, while allowing flexibility to
prosecute groundfish fisheries. Further details will be available on
publication of the proposed rule for Amendment 117. If Amendment 117
and its implementing regulations are approved by the Secretary,
Amendment 117 and its implementing regulations are anticipated to be
effective by 2019. Until Amendment 117 is effective, NMFS will continue
to publish OFLs, ABCs, and TACs for squid in the BSAI groundfish
harvest specifications.
State of Alaska Guideline Harvest Levels
The Alaska Board of Fisheries (BOF), a regulatory body for the
Alaska Department of Fish and Game, established a guideline harvest
level (GHL) in State of Alaska (State) waters between 164 and 167
degrees west longitude in the Bering Sea subarea (BS) equal to 6.4
percent of the Pacific cod ABC for the BS. The Council recommended that
the final 2018 and 2019 Pacific cod TACs accommodate the State's GHLs
for Pacific cod in State waters in the BS. The Council and its Plan
Team, SSC, and AP recommended that the sum of all State and Federal
water Pacific cod removals from the BS not exceed the final ABC
recommendations of 201,000 mt for 2018 and 170,000 mt for 2019.
Accordingly, the Council recommended that the final 2018 and 2019
Pacific cod TACs in the BS account for State GHLs, and NMFS sets the
final BS TAC at 6.4 percent less than the Pacific cod BS ABC.
For 2018 and 2019, the BOF established a GHL in State waters in the
Aleutian Islands subarea (AI) equal to 27 percent of the Pacific cod
ABC for the AI. The Council recommended that the final 2018 and 2019
Pacific cod TACs accommodate the State's GHLs for Pacific cod in State
waters in the AI. The Council and its Plan Team, SSC, and AP
recommended that the sum of all State and Federal water Pacific cod
removals from the AI not exceed the final ABC recommendations of 21,500
mt. Accordingly, the Council recommended that the final 2018 and 2019
Pacific cod TACs in the AI account for State GHLs, and in this final
rule NMFS sets the final AI TAC at 27 percent less than the final AI
ABC.
Changes From the Proposed 2018 and 2019 Harvest Specifications for the
BSAI
The Council's recommendations for the proposed 2018 and 2019
harvest specifications (82 FR 57906, December 8, 2017) were based
largely on information contained in the 2016 SAFE report for the BSAI
groundfish fisheries. Through the proposed harvest specifications, NMFS
notified the public that these harvest specifications could change, as
the Council would consider information contained in the final 2017 SAFE
report; recommendations from the Plan Team, SSC, and AP committees; and
public testimony when making its recommendations for final harvest
specifications at the December 2017 Council meeting. NMFS further
notified the public that, as required by the FMP and its implementing
regulations, the sum of the TACs must be within the OY range of 1.4
million and 2.0 million mt.
Information contained in the 2017 SAFE report indicates biomass
changes from the 2016 SAFE report for several groundfish species. The
2017 report was made available for public review during the public
comment period for the proposed harvest specifications. At the December
2017 Council meeting, the SSC recommended the 2018 and 2019 ABCs for
many species based on the best and most recent information contained in
the 2017 SAFE reports. This recommendation resulted in an ABC sum total
for all BSAI groundfish species in excess of 2 million mt for both 2018
and 2019.
Based on increased fishing effort in 2017, the Council recommends
final BS pollock TACs increase by 4,483 mt in 2018 and increase by
23,142 mt in 2019 compared to the proposed 2018 and 2019 BS pollock
TACs. In terms of percentage, the largest increases in final 2018 TACs
relative to the proposed 2018 TACs were for BSAI ``other flatfish'' and
BSAI sharks, while the largest increases for 2019 also included
[[Page 8367]]
sablefish. The 2018 increases were to account for higher incidental
catches of these species in 2017. Other increases in the final 2018
TACs relative to the proposed 2018 TACs included sablefish, Greenland
turbot, Alaska plaice, BS Pacific ocean perch, northern rockfish,
Central Aleutian and Western Aleutian (CAI/WAI) blackspotted and
rougheye rockfish, shortraker rockfish, AI ``other rockfish,'' Eastern
Aleutian Islands and Bering Sea (EAI/BS) Atka mackerel, skates, and
sculpins. The 2018 increases were to account for higher interest in
directed fishing or higher anticipated incidental catch needs.
Decreases in final 2018 TACs compared to the proposed 2018 TACs
were for Bogoslof pollock, BS Pacific cod, arrowtooth flounder, rock
sole, flathead sole, EAI Pacific ocean perch, WAI Pacific ocean perch,
BS/EAI blackspotted and rougheye rockfish, BS ``other rockfish,'' CAI
Atka mackerel, WAI Atka mackerel, squids, and octopuses. As noted in
the proposed 2018 and 2019 harvest specifications, the BS Pacific cod
ABC and TAC proposed for 2018 and 2019 decreased based on the final
2017 stock assessment. The remaining 2018 decreases were to account for
the increases to the TACs for the species listed above and for the
requirement not to exceed the 2.0 million mt OY limit on overall TAC in
the BSAI.
The changes to TACs between the proposed and final harvest
specifications are based on the most recent scientific and economic
information and are consistent with the FMP, regulatory obligations,
and harvest strategy as described in the proposed harvest
specifications, including the upper limit for OY of 2.0 million mt.
These changes are compared in Table 1A.
Table 1 lists the Council's recommended final 2018 OFL, ABC, TAC,
initial TAC (ITAC), and CDQ reserve allocations of the BSAI groundfish
species or species groups; and Table 2 lists the Council's recommended
final 2019 OFL, ABC, TAC, ITAC, and CDQ reserve allocations of the BSAI
groundfish species or species groups. NMFS concurs in these
recommendations. These final 2018 and 2019 TAC recommendations for the
BSAI are within the OY range established for the BSAI and do not exceed
the ABC for any species or species group. The apportionment of TAC
amounts among fisheries and seasons is discussed below.
Table 1--Final 2018 Overfishing Level (OFL), Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC), Total Allowable Catch (TAC), Initial TAC (ITAC), and CDQ Reserve
Allocation of Groundfish in the BSAI \1\
[Amounts are in metric tons]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2018
Species Area -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OFL ABC TAC ITAC \2\ CDQ \3\
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pollock \4\............................... BS.......................... 4,797,000 2,592,000 1,364,341 1,227,907 136,434
AI.......................... 49,289 40,788 19,000 17,100 1,900
Bogoslof.................... 130,428 60,800 450 450 0
Pacific cod \5\........................... BS.......................... 238,000 201,000 188,136 168,005 20,131
AI.......................... 28,700 21,500 15,695 14,016 1,679
Sablefish................................. BS.......................... 2,887 1,464 1,464 1,208 201
AI.......................... 3,917 1,988 1,988 1,615 335
Yellowfin sole............................ BSAI........................ 306,700 277,500 154,000 137,522 16,478
Greenland turbot.......................... BSAI........................ 13,148 11,132 5,294 4,500 n/a
BS.......................... n/a 9,718 5,125 4,356 548
AI.......................... n/a 1,414 169 144 0
Arrowtooth flounder....................... BSAI........................ 76,757 65,932 13,621 11,578 1,457
Kamchatka flounder........................ BSAI........................ 11,347 9,737 5,000 4,250 0
Rock sole................................. BSAI........................ 147,300 143,100 47,100 42,060 5,040
Flathead sole \6\......................... BSAI........................ 79,862 66,773 14,500 12,949 1,552
Alaska plaice............................. BSAI........................ 41,170 34,590 16,100 13,685 0
Other flatfish \7\........................ BSAI........................ 17,591 13,193 4,000 3,400 0
Pacific ocean perch....................... BSAI........................ 51,675 42,509 37,361 32,853 n/a
BS.......................... n/a 11,861 11,861 10,082 0
EAI......................... n/a 10,021 9,000 8,037 963
CAI......................... n/a 7,787 7,500 6,698 803
WAI......................... n/a 12,840 9,000 8,037 963
Northern rockfish......................... BSAI........................ 15,888 12,975 6,100 5,185 0
Blackspotted and Rougheye rockfish \8\.... BSAI........................ 749 613 225 191 0
BS/EAI...................... n/a 374 75 64 0
CAI/WAI..................... n/a 239 150 128 0
Shortraker rockfish....................... BSAI........................ 666 499 150 128 0
Other rockfish \9\........................ BSAI........................ 1,816 1,362 845 718 0
BS.......................... n/a 791 275 234 0
AI.......................... n/a 571 570 485 0
Atka mackerel............................. BSAI........................ 108,600 92,000 71,000 63,403 7,597
BS/EAI...................... n/a 36,820 36,500 32,595 3,906
CAI......................... n/a 32,000 21,000 18,753 2,247
WAI......................... n/a 23,180 13,500 12,056 1,445
Skates.................................... BSAI........................ 46,668 39,082 27,000 22,950 0
Sculpins.................................. BSAI........................ 53,201 39,995 5,000 4,250 0
Sharks.................................... BSAI........................ 689 517 180 153 0
Squids.................................... BSAI........................ 6,912 5,184 1,200 1,020 0
Octopuses................................. BSAI........................ 4,769 3,576 250 213 0
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 8368]]
Total................................. ............................ 6,235,729 3,779,809 2,000,000 1,791,308 196,081
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ These amounts apply to the entire BSAI management area unless otherwise specified. With the exception of pollock, and for the purpose of these
harvest specifications, the Bering Sea subarea (BS) includes the Bogoslof District.
\2\ Except for pollock, the portion of the sablefish TAC allocated to hook-and-line and pot gear, and Amendment 80 species, 15 percent of each TAC is
put into a non-specified reserve. The ITAC for these species is the remainder of the TAC after the subtraction of these reserves. For pollock and
Amendment 80 species, ITAC is the non-CDQ allocation of TAC (see footnotes 3 and 5).
\3\ For the Amendment 80 species (Atka mackerel, flathead sole, rock sole, yellowfin sole, Pacific cod, and Aleutian Islands Pacific ocean perch), 10.7
percent of the TAC is reserved for use by CDQ participants (see Sec. Sec. 679.20(b)(1)(ii)(C) and 679.31). Twenty percent of the sablefish TAC
allocated to hook-and-line gear or pot gear, 7.5 percent of the sablefish TAC allocated to trawl gear, and 10.7 percent of the TACs for Bering Sea
Greenland turbot and arrowtooth flounder are reserved for use by CDQ participants (see Sec. 679.20(b)(1)(ii)(B) and (D)). Aleutian Islands Greenland
turbot, ``other flatfish,'' Alaska plaice, Bering Sea Pacific ocean perch, northern rockfish, shortraker rockfish, blackspotted and rougheye rockfish,
``other rockfish,'' skates, sculpins, sharks, squids, and octopuses are not allocated to the CDQ program.
\4\ Under Sec. 679.20(a)(5)(i)(A), the annual BS pollock TAC, after subtracting first for the CDQ directed fishing allowance (10 percent) and second
for the incidental catch allowance (3.9 percent), is further allocated by sector for a pollock directed fishery as follows: inshore--50 percent;
catcher/processor--40 percent; and motherships--10 percent. Under Sec. 679.20(a)(5)(iii)(B)(2), the annual AI pollock TAC, after subtracting first
for the CDQ directed fishing allowance (10 percent) and second for the incidental catch allowance (2,400 mt), is allocated to the Aleut Corporation
for a pollock directed fishery.
\5\ The BS Pacific cod TAC is set to account for the 6.4 percent of the BS ABC for the State of Alaska's (State) guideline harvest level in State waters
of the BS. The AI Pacific cod TAC is set to account for the 27 percent of the AI ABC for the State guideline harvest level in State waters of the AI.
\6\ ``Flathead sole'' includes Hippoglossoides elassodon (flathead sole) and Hippoglossoides robustus (Bering flounder).
\7\ ``Other flatfish'' includes all flatfish species, except for halibut (a prohibited species), flathead sole, Greenland turbot, rock sole, yellowfin
sole, arrowtooth flounder, Kamchatka flounder, and Alaska plaice.
\8\ ``Rougheye rockfish'' includes Sebastes aleutianus (rougheye) and Sebastes melanostictus (blackspotted).
\9\ ``Other rockfish'' includes all Sebastes and Sebastolobus species except for Pacific ocean perch, northern rockfish, shortraker rockfish, and
blackspotted and rougheye rockfish.
Note: Regulatory areas and districts are defined at Sec. 679.2 (BSAI = Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area, BS = Bering Sea subarea, AI =
Aleutian Islands subarea, EAI = Eastern Aleutian district, CAI = Central Aleutian district, WAI = Western Aleutian district.)
Table 1A--Comparison of Final 2018 and 2019 With Proposed 2018 and 2019
Total Allowable Catch in the BSAI
[Amounts are in metric tons]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2018 2019
2018 2018 percentage 2019 2019 percentage
Species Area \1\ 2018 final proposed difference difference 2019 final proposed difference difference
TAC TAC from from TAC TAC from from
proposed proposed proposed proposed
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pollock...................... BS.............. 1,364,341 1,359,858 4,483 0.3 1,383,000 1,359,858 23,142 1.7
AI.............. 19,000 19,000 0 0.0 19,000 19,000 0 0.0
Bogoslof........ 450 500 -50 -10.0 500 500 0 0.0
Pacific cod.................. BS.............. 188,136 194,936 -6,800 -3.5 159,120 194,936 -35,816 -18.4
AI.............. 15,695 15,695 0 0.0 15,695 15,695 0 0.0
Sablefish.................... BS.............. 1,464 1,274 190 14.9 2,061 1,274 787 61.8
AI.............. 1,988 1,735 253 14.6 2,798 1,735 1,063 61.3
Yellowfin sole............... BSAI............ 154,000 154,000 0 0.0 156,000 154,000 2,000 1.3
Greenland turbot............. BS.............. 5,125 4,375 750 17.1 5,125 4,375 750 17.1
AI.............. 169 125 44 35.2 169 125 44 35.2
Arrowtooth flounder.......... BSAI............ 13,621 14,000 -379 -2.7 14,000 14,000 0 0.0
Kamchatka flounder........... BSAI............ 5,000 5,000 0 0.0 5,000 5,000 0 0.0
Rock sole.................... BSAI............ 47,100 50,100 -3,000 -6.0 49,100 50,100 -1,000 -2.0
Flathead sole................ BSAI............ 14,500 15,500 -1,000 -6.5 16,500 15,500 1,000 6.5
Alaska plaice................ BSAI............ 16,100 13,000 3,100 23.8 16,252 13,000 3,252 25.0
Other flatfish............... BSAI............ 4,000 2,500 1,500 60.0 4,000 2,500 1,500 60.0
Pacific ocean perch.......... BS.............. 11,861 11,000 861 7.8 11,499 11,000 499 4.5
EAI............. 9,000 9,900 -900 -9.1 9,715 9,900 -185 -1.9
CAI............. 7,500 7,500 0 0.0 7,549 7,500 49 0.7
WAI............. 9,000 12,000 -3,000 -25.0 9,117 12,000 -2,883 -24.0
Northern rockfish............ BSAI............ 6,100 5,000 1,100 22.0 6,500 5,000 1,500 30.0
Blackspotted/Rougheye BS/EAI.......... 75 100 -25 -25.0 75 100 -25 -25.0
rockfish.
CAI/WAI......... 150 125 25 20.0 150 125 25 20.0
Shortraker rockfish.......... BSAI............ 150 125 25 20.0 150 125 25 20.0
Other rockfish............... BS.............. 275 325 -50 -15.4 275 325 -50 -15.4
AI.............. 570 550 20 3.6 570 550 20 3.6
Atka mackerel................ EAI/BS.......... 36,500 34,000 2,500 7.4 33,780 34,000 -220 -0.6
CAI............. 21,000 21,500 -500 -2.3 24,895 21,500 3,395 15.8
WAI............. 13,500 13,910 -410 -2.9 13,825 13,910 -85 -0.6
Skates....................... BSAI............ 27,000 26,000 1,000 3.8 27,000 26,000 1,000 3.8
Sculpins..................... BSAI............ 5,000 4,500 500 11.1 5,000 4,500 500 11.1
Sharks....................... BSAI............ 180 125 55 44.0 180 125 55 44.0
Squids....................... BSAI............ 1,200 1,342 -142 -10.6 1,200 1,342 -142 -10.6
[[Page 8369]]
Octopuses.................... BSAI............ 250 400 -150 -37.5 200 400 -200 -50.0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total.................... BSAI............ 2,000,000 2,000,000 0 0.0 2,000,000 2,000,000 0 0.0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Bering Sea subarea (BS), Aleutian Islands subarea (AI), Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI), Eastern Aleutian District (EAI),
Central Aleutian District (CAI), and Western Aleutian District (WAI).
Table 2--Final 2019 Overfishing Level (OFL), Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC), Total Allowable Catch (TAC), Initial TAC (ITAC), and CDQ Reserve
Allocation of Groundfish in the BSAI\1\
[Amounts are in metric tons]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2019
Species Area -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OFL ABC TAC ITAC \2\ CDQ \3\
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pollock \4\............................... BS.......................... 4,592,000 2,467,000 1,383,000 1,244,700 138,300
AI.......................... 37,431 30,803 19,000 17,100 1,900
Bogoslof.................... 130,428 60,800 500 500 0
Pacific cod \5\........................... BS.......................... 201,000 170,000 159,120 142,094 17,026
AI.......................... 28,700 21,500 15,695 14,016 1,679
Sablefish................................. BS.......................... 4,576 2,061 2,061 876 77
AI.......................... 6,209 2,798 2,798 595 52
Yellowfin sole............................ BSAI........................ 295,600 267,500 156,000 139,308 16,692
Greenland turbot.......................... BSAI........................ 13,540 11,473 5,294 4,500 n/a
BS.......................... n/a 10,016 5,125 4,356 548
AI.......................... n/a 1,457 169 144 0
Arrowtooth flounder....................... BSAI........................ 75,084 64,494 14,000 11,900 1,498
Kamchatka flounder........................ BSAI........................ 12,022 10,317 5,000 4,250 0
Rock sole................................. BSAI........................ 136,000 132,000 49,100 43,846 5,254
Flathead sole \6\......................... BSAI........................ 78,036 65,227 16,500 14,735 1,766
Alaska plaice............................. BSAI........................ 38,800 32,700 16,252 13,814 0
Other flatfish \7\........................ BSAI........................ 17,591 13,193 4,000 3,400 0
Pacific ocean perch....................... BSAI........................ 50,098 41,212 37,880 33,332 n/a
BS.......................... n/a 11,499 11,499 9,774 0
EAI......................... n/a 9,715 9,715 8,675 1,040
CAI......................... n/a 7,549 7,549 6,741 808
WAI......................... n/a 12,449 9,117 8,141 976
Northern rockfish......................... BSAI........................ 15,563 12,710 6,500 5,525 0
Blackspotted and Rougheye rockfish \8\.... BSAI........................ 829 678 225 191 0
BS/EAI...................... n/a 414 75 64 0
CAI/WAI..................... n/a 264 150 128 0
Shortraker rockfish....................... BSAI........................ 666 499 150 128 0
Other rockfish \9\........................ BSAI........................ 1,816 1,362 845 718 0
BS.......................... n/a 791 275 234 0
AI.......................... n/a 571 570 485 0
Atka mackerel............................. BSAI........................ 97,200 84,400 72,500 64,743 7,758
EAI/BS...................... n/a 33,780 33,780 30,166 3,614
CAI......................... n/a 29,350 24,895 22,231 2,664
WAI......................... n/a 21,270 13,825 12,346 1,479
Skates.................................... BSAI........................ 44,202 36,957 27,000 22,950 0
Sculpins.................................. BSAI........................ 53,201 39,995 5,000 4,250 0
Sharks.................................... BSAI........................ 689 517 180 153 0
Squids.................................... BSAI........................ 6,912 5,184 1,200 1,020 0
Octopuses................................. BSAI........................ 4,769 3,576 200 170 0
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total................................. ............................ 5,942,962 3,578,956 2,000,000 1,788,813 195,373
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ These amounts apply to the entire BSAI management area unless otherwise specified. With the exception of pollock, and for the purpose of these
harvest specifications, the Bering Sea subarea (BS) includes the Bogoslof District.
\2\ Except for pollock, the portion of the sablefish TAC allocated to hook-and-line and pot gear, and Amendment 80 species, 15 percent of each TAC is
put into a non-specified reserve. The ITAC for these species is the remainder of the TAC after the subtraction of these reserves. For pollock and
Amendment 80 species, ITAC is the non-CDQ allocation of TAC (see footnotes 3 and 5).
\3\ For the Amendment 80 species (Atka mackerel, flathead sole, rock sole, yellowfin sole, Pacific cod, and Aleutian Islands Pacific ocean perch), 10.7
percent of the TAC is reserved for use by CDQ participants (see Sec. Sec. 679.20(b)(1)(ii)(C) and 679.31). Twenty percent of the sablefish TAC
allocated to hook-and-line gear or pot gear, 7.5 percent of the sablefish TAC allocated to trawl gear, and 10.7 percent of the TACs for Bering Sea
Greenland turbot and arrowtooth flounder are reserved for use by CDQ participants (see Sec. 679.20(b)(1)(ii)(B) and (D)). Aleutian Islands Greenland
turbot, ``other flatfish,'' Alaska plaice, Bering Sea Pacific ocean perch, northern rockfish, shortraker rockfish, blackspotted and rougheye rockfish,
``other rockfish,'' skates, sculpins, sharks, squids, and octopuses are not allocated to the CDQ program.
[[Page 8370]]
\4\ Under Sec. 679.20(a)(5)(i)(A), the annual BS pollock TAC, after subtracting first for the CDQ directed fishing allowance (10 percent) and second
for the incidental catch allowance (3.9 percent), is further allocated by sector for a pollock directed fishery as follows: inshore--50 percent;
catcher/processor--40 percent; and motherships--10 percent. Under Sec. 679.20(a)(5)(iii)(B)(2), the annual AI pollock TAC, after subtracting first
for the CDQ directed fishing allowance (10 percent) and second for the incidental catch allowance (2,400 mt), is allocated to the Aleut Corporation
for a pollock directed fishery.
\5\ The BS Pacific cod TAC is set to account for the 6.4 percent of the BS ABC for the State of Alaska's (State) guideline harvest level in State waters
of the BS. The AI Pacific cod TAC is set to account for the 27 percent of the AI ABC for the State guideline harvest level in State waters of the AI.
\6\ ``Flathead sole'' includes Hippoglossoides elassodon (flathead sole) and Hippoglossoides robustus (Bering flounder).
\7\ ``Other flatfish'' includes all flatfish species, except for halibut (a prohibited species), flathead sole, Greenland turbot, rock sole, yellowfin
sole, arrowtooth flounder, Kamchatka flounder, and Alaska plaice.
\8\ ``Rougheye rockfish'' includes Sebastes aleutianus (rougheye) and Sebastes melanostictus (blackspotted).
\9\ ``Other rockfish'' includes all Sebastes and Sebastolobus species except for Pacific ocean perch, northern rockfish, shortraker rockfish, and
blackspotted and rougheye rockfish.
Note: Regulatory areas and districts are defined at Sec. 679.2 (BSAI = Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area, BS = Bering Sea subarea, AI =
Aleutian Islands subarea, EAI = Eastern Aleutian district, CAI = Central Aleutian district, WAI = Western Aleutian district.)
Groundfish Reserves and the Incidental Catch Allowance (ICA) for
Pollock, Atka Mackerel, Flathead Sole, Rock Sole, Yellowfin Sole, and
Aleutian Islands Pacific Ocean Perch
Section 679.20(b)(1)(i) requires NMFS to reserve 15 percent of the
TAC for each target species, except for pollock, hook-and-line and pot
gear allocation of sablefish, and Amendment 80 species, in a non-
specified reserve. Section 679.20(b)(1)(ii)(B) requires that NMFS
allocate 20 percent of the hook-and-line or pot gear allocation of
sablefish for the fixed-gear sablefish CDQ reserve for each subarea.
Section 679.20(b)(1)(ii)(D) requires that NMFS allocate 7.5 percent of
the trawl gear allocations of sablefish in the BS and AI and 10.7
percent of the Bering Sea Greenland turbot and arrowtooth flounder TACs
to the respective CDQ reserves. Section 679.20(b)(1)(ii)(C) requires
that NMFS allocate 10.7 percent of the TAC for Atka mackerel, Aleutian
Islands Pacific ocean perch, yellowfin sole, rock sole, flathead sole,
and Pacific cod to the CDQ reserves. Sections 679.20(a)(5)(i)(A) and
679.31(a) also require that 10 percent of the Bering Sea pollock TAC be
allocated to the pollock CDQ directed fishing allowance (DFA).
Similarly, Sec. Sec. 679.20(a)(5)(iii)(B)(2)(i) and 679.31(a) require
that 10 percent of the Aleutian Islands TAC be allocated to the pollock
CDQ reserve. The entire Bogoslof District pollock TAC is allocated as
an ICA pursuant to Sec. 679.20(a)(5)(ii) because the Bogoslof District
is closed to directed fishing for pollock by regulation (Sec.
679.22(a)(7)(i)(B)). With the exception of the hook-and-line or pot
gear sablefish CDQ reserve, the regulations do not further apportion
the CDQ allocations by gear.
Pursuant to Sec. 679.20(a)(5)(i)(A)(1), NMFS allocates a pollock
ICA of 3.9 percent of the BS pollock TAC after subtracting the 10
percent CDQ reserve. This allowance is based on NMFS' examination of
the pollock incidental catch, including the incidental catch by CDQ
vessels, in target fisheries other than pollock from 2000 through 2017.
During this 18-year period, the pollock incidental catch ranged from a
low of 2.4 percent in 2006 to a high of 4.8 percent in 2014, with an
18-year average of 3.3 percent. Pursuant to Sec.
679.20(a)(5)(iii)(B)(2)(ii), NMFS establishes a pollock ICA of 2,400 mt
of the AI TAC after subtracting the 10-percent CDQ DFA. This allowance
is based on NMFS' examination of the pollock incidental catch,
including the incidental catch by CDQ vessels, in target fisheries
other than pollock from 2003 through 2017. During this 15-year period,
the incidental catch of pollock ranged from a low of 5 percent in 2006
to a high of 17 percent in 2014, with a 15-year average of 8 percent.
Pursuant to Sec. 679.20(a)(8) and (10), NMFS allocates ICAs of
4,000 mt of flathead sole, 6,000 mt of rock sole, 4,000 mt of yellowfin
sole, 10 mt of WAI Pacific ocean perch, 120 mt of CAI Pacific ocean
perch, 100 mt of EAI Pacific ocean perch, 20 mt of WAI Atka mackerel,
75 mt of CAI Atka mackerel, and 800 mt of EAI and BS Atka mackerel TAC
after subtracting the 10.7 percent CDQ reserve. These ICA allowances
are based on NMFS' examination of the incidental catch in other target
fisheries from 2003 through 2016.
The regulations do not designate the remainder of the non-specified
reserve by species or species group. Any amount of the reserve may be
apportioned to a target species that contributed to the non-specified
reserves during the year, provided that such apportionments are
consistent with Sec. 679.20(a)(3) and do not result in overfishing
(see Sec. 679.20(b)(1)(i)). The Regional Administrator has determined
that the ITACs specified for the species listed in Table 1 need to be
supplemented from the non-specified reserve because U.S. fishing
vessels have demonstrated the capacity to catch the full TAC
allocations. Therefore, in accordance with Sec. 679.20(b)(3), NMFS is
apportioning the amounts shown in Table 3 from the non-specified
reserve to increase the ITAC for shortraker rockfish, blackspotted and
rougheye rockfish, ``other rockfish,'' sharks, and octopuses by 15
percent of the TAC in 2018 and 2019.
Table 3--Final 2018 and 2019 Apportionment of Non-Specified Reserves to ITAC Categories
[Amounts are in metric tons]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2018 reserve 2019 reserve 2019 final
Species-area or subarea 2018 ITAC amount 2018 final ITAC 2019 ITAC amount ITAC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shortraker rockfish-BSAI............................... 128 22 150 128 22 150
Rougheye rockfish-BS/EAI............................... 64 11 75 64 11 75
Rougheye rockfish-CAI/WAI.............................. 128 22 150 128 22 150
Other rockfish-Bering Sea subarea...................... 234 41 275 234 41 275
Other rockfish-Aleutian Islands subarea................ 485 85 570 485 85 570
Sharks................................................. 153 27 180 153 27 180
Octopuses.............................................. 213 37 250 340 60 400
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total.............................................. 1,405 245 1,650 1,532 268 1,800
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 8371]]
Allocation of Pollock TAC Under the American Fisheries Act (AFA)
Section 679.20(a)(5)(i)(A) requires that the BS pollock TAC be
apportioned as a DFA, after subtracting 10 percent for the CDQ program
and 3.9 percent for the ICA, as follows: 50 percent to the inshore
sector, 40 percent to the catcher/processor (C/P) sector, and 10
percent to the mothership sector. In the BS, 45 percent of the DFA is
allocated to the A season (January 20-June 10), and 55 percent of the
DFA is allocated to the B season (June 10-November 1) (Sec. Sec.
679.20(a)(5)(i)(B)(1) and 679.23(e)(2)). The Aleutian Islands directed
pollock fishery allocation to the Aleut Corporation is the amount of
pollock TAC remaining in the AI after subtracting 1,900 mt for the CDQ
DFA (10 percent) and 2,400 mt for the ICA (Sec.
679.20(a)(5)(iii)(B)(2)). In the AI, the total A season apportionment
of the TAC (including the AI directed fishery allocation, the CDQ
allowance, and the ICA) may equal up to 40 percent of the ABC for AI
pollock, and the remainder of the TAC is allocated to the B season
(Sec. 679.20(a)(5)(iii)(B)(3)). Tables 4 and 5 list these 2018 and
2019 amounts.
Section 679.20(a)(5)(iii)(B)(6) sets harvest limits for pollock in
the A season (January 20 to June 10) in Areas 543, 542, and 541 (see
Sec. 679.20(a)(5)(iii)(B)(6)). In Area 543, the A season pollock
harvest limit is no more than 5 percent of the Aleutian Islands pollock
ABC. In Area 542, the A season pollock harvest limit is no more than 15
percent of the Aleutian Islands pollock ABC. In Area 541, the A season
pollock harvest limit is no more than 30 percent of the Aleutian
Islands pollock ABC.
Section 679.20(a)(5)(i)(A)(4) also includes several specific
requirements regarding BS pollock allocations. First, it requires that
8.5 percent of the pollock allocated to the C/P sector be available for
harvest by AFA catcher vessels (CVs) with C/P sector endorsements,
unless the Regional Administrator receives a cooperative contract that
allows the distribution of harvest among AFA C/Ps and AFA CVs in a
manner agreed to by all members. Second, AFA C/Ps not listed in the AFA
are limited to harvesting not more than 0.5 percent of the pollock
allocated to the C/P sector. Tables 4 and 5 list the 2018 and 2019
allocations of pollock TAC. Tables 20 through 25 list the AFA C/P and
CV harvesting sideboard limits. The tables for the pollock allocations
to the BS inshore pollock cooperatives and open access sector will be
posted on the Alaska Region website at https://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov.
Tables 4 and 5 also list seasonal apportionments of pollock and
harvest limits within the Steller Sea Lion Conservation Area (SCA). The
harvest within the SCA, as defined at Sec. 679.22(a)(7)(vii), is
limited to no more than 28 percent of the annual pollock DFA before
12:00 noon, April 1, as provided in Sec. 679.20(a)(5)(i)(C). The A
season pollock SCA harvest limit will be apportioned to each sector in
proportion to each sector's allocated percentage of the DFA. Tables 4
and 5 list these 2018 and 2019 amounts by sector.
Table 4--Final 2018 Allocations of Pollock TACS to the Directed Pollock Fisheries and to the CDQ Directed
Fishing Allowances (DFA) \1\
[Amounts are in metric tons]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2018 A season \1\ 2018 B season
2018 -------------------------------- \1\
Area and sector allocations SCA harvest ---------------
A season DFA limit \2\ B season DFA
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bering Sea subarea TAC \1\...................... 1,364,341 n/a n/a n/a
CDQ DFA......................................... 136,434 61,395 38,202 75,039
ICA\1\.......................................... 47,888 n/a n/a n/a
Total Bering Sea non-CDQ DFA.................... 1,180,019 531,008 330,405 649,010
AFA Inshore..................................... 590,009 265,504 165,203 324,505
AFA Catcher/Processors \3\...................... 472,007 212,403 132,162 259,604
Catch by C/Ps............................... 431,887 194,349 n/a 237,538
Catch by CVs \3\............................ 40,121 18,054 n/a 22,066
Unlisted C/P Limit \4\...................... 2,360 1,062 n/a 1,298
AFA Motherships................................. 118,002 53,101 33,041 64,901
Excessive Harvesting Limit \5\.................. 206,503 n/a n/a n/a
Excessive Processing Limit \6\.................. 354,006 n/a n/a n/a
Aleutian Islands subarea ABC.................... 40,788 n/a n/a n/a
Aleutian Islands subarea TAC \1\................ 19,000 n/a n/a n/a
CDQ DFA......................................... 1,900 760 n/a 1,140
ICA............................................. 2,400 1,200 n/a 1,200
Aleut Corporation............................... 14,700 14,355 n/a 345
Area harvest limit \7\.......................... n/a n/a n/a n/a
541......................................... 12,236 n/a n/a n/a
542......................................... 6,118 n/a n/a n/a
543......................................... 2,039 n/a n/a n/a
Bogoslof District ICA \8\....................... 450 n/a n/a n/a
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Pursuant to Sec. 679.20(a)(5)(i)(A), the Bering Sea subarea pollock, after subtracting the CDQ DFA (10
percent) and the ICA (3.9 percent), is allocated as a DFA as follows: Inshore sector--50 percent, catcher/
processor sector (C/P)--40 percent, and mothership sector--10 percent. In the Bering Sea subarea, 45 percent
of the DFA is allocated to the A season (January 20-June 10) and 55 percent of the DFA is allocated to the B
season (June 10-November 1). Pursuant to Sec. 679.20(a)(5)(iii)(B)(2)(i) through (iii), the annual Aleutian
Islands pollock TAC, after subtracting first for the CDQ DFA (10 percent) and second for the ICA (2,400 mt),
is allocated to the Aleut Corporation for a pollock directed fishery. In the Aleutian Islands subarea, the A
season is allocated up to 40 percent of the ABC, and the B season is allocated the remainder of the pollock
directed fishery.
\2\ In the Bering Sea subarea, pursuant to Sec. 679.20(a)(5)(i)(C), no more than 28 percent of each sector's
annual DFA may be taken from the SCA before noon, April 1.
\3\ Pursuant to Sec. 679.20(a)(5)(i)(A)(4), 8.5 percent of the DFA allocated to listed catcher/processors
shall be available for harvest only by AFA catcher vessels with catcher/processor sector endorsements
delivering to listed catcher/processors, unless there is a C/P sector cooperative contract for the year.
[[Page 8372]]
\4\ Pursuant to Sec. 679.20(a)(5)(i)(A)(4)(iii), the AFA unlisted catcher/processors are limited to harvesting
not more than 0.5 percent of the catcher/processors sector's allocation of pollock.
\5\ Pursuant to Sec. 679.20(a)(5)(i)(A)(6), NMFS establishes an excessive harvesting share limit equal to 17.5
percent of the sum of the non-CDQ pollock DFAs.
\6\ Pursuant to Sec. 679.20(a)(5)(i)(A)(7), NMFS establishes an excessive processing share limit equal to 30.0
percent of the sum of the non-CDQ pollock DFAs.
\7\ Pursuant to Sec. 679.20(a)(5)(iii)(B)(6), NMFS establishes harvest limits for pollock in the A season in
Area 541 of no more than 30 percent, in Area 542 of no more than 15 percent, and in Area 543 of no more than 5
percent of the Aleutian Islands pollock ABC.
\8\ Pursuant to Sec. 679.22(a)(7)(i)(B), the Bogoslof District is closed to directed fishing for pollock. The
amounts specified are for ICA only and are not apportioned by season or sector.
Note: Seasonal or sector apportionments may not total precisely due to rounding.
Table 5--Final 2019 Allocations of Pollock TACS to the Directed Pollock Fisheries and to the CDQ Directed
Fishing Allowances (DFA) \1\
[Amounts are in metric tons]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2019 A season \1\ 2019 B season
2019 -------------------------------- \1\
Area and sector allocations SCA harvest ---------------
A season DFA limit \2\ B season DFA
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bering Sea subarea TAC \1\...................... 1,383,000 n/a n/a n/a
CDQ DFA......................................... 138,300 62,235 38,724 76,065
ICA \1\......................................... 48,543 n/a n/a n/a
Total Bering Sea non-CDQ DFA.................... 1,196,157 538,271 334,924 657,886
AFA Inshore..................................... 598,078 269,135 167,462 328,943
AFA Catcher/Processors \3\...................... 478,463 215,308 133,970 263,154
Catch by C/Ps............................... 437,793 197,007 n/a 240,786
Catch by CVs \3\............................ 40,669 18,301 n/a 22,368
Unlisted C/P Limit \4\...................... 2,392 1,077 n/a 1,316
AFA Motherships................................. 119,616 53,827 33,492 65,789
Excessive Harvesting Limit \5\.................. 209,327 n/a n/a n/a
Excessive Processing Limit \6\.................. 358,847 n/a n/a n/a
Aleutian Islands subarea ABC.................... 30,803 n/a n/a n/a
Aleutian Islands subarea TAC \1\................ 19,000 n/a n/a n/a
CDQ DFA......................................... 1,900 760 n/a 1,140
ICA............................................. 2,400 1,200 n/a 1,200
Aleut Corporation............................... 14,700 10,361 n/a 4,339
Area harvest limit \7\.......................... n/a n/a n/a n/a
541......................................... 9,241 n/a n/a n/a
542......................................... 4,620 n/a n/a n/a
543......................................... 1,540 n/a n/a n/a
Bogoslof District ICA \8\....................... 500 n/a n/a n/a
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Pursuant to Sec. 679.20(a)(5)(i)(A), the Bering Sea subarea pollock, after subtracting the CDQ DFA (10
percent) and the ICA (3.9 percent), is allocated as a DFA as follows: inshore sector--50 percent, catcher/
processor sector (C/P)--40 percent, and mothership sector--10 percent. In the Bering Sea subarea, 45 percent
of the DFA is allocated to the A season (January 20-June 10) and 55 percent of the DFA is allocated to the B
season (June 10-November 1). Pursuant to Sec. 679.20(a)(5)(iii)(B)(2)(i) through (iii), the annual Aleutian
Islands pollock TAC, after subtracting first for the CDQ DFA (10 percent) and second the ICA (2,400 mt), is
allocated to the Aleut Corporation for a pollock directed fishery. In the Aleutian Islands subarea, the A
season is allocated up to 40 percent of the ABC, and the B season is allocated the remainder of the pollock
directed fishery.
\2\ In the Bering Sea subarea, pursuant to Sec. 679.20(a)(5)(i)(C), no more than 28 percent of each sector's
annual DFA may be taken from the SCA before noon, April 1.
\3\ Pursuant to Sec. 679.20(a)(5)(i)(A)(4), 8.5 percent of the DFA allocated to listed catcher/processors
shall be available for harvest only by AFA catcher vessels with catcher/processor sector endorsements
delivering to listed catcher/processors, unless there is a C/P sector cooperative contract for the year.
\4\ Pursuant to Sec. 679.20(a)(5)(i)(A)(4)(iii), the AFA unlisted catcher/processors are limited to harvesting
not more than 0.5 percent of the catcher/processors sector's allocation of pollock.
\5\ Pursuant to Sec. 679.20(a)(5)(i)(A)(6), NMFS establishes an excessive harvesting share limit equal to 17.5
percent of the sum of the non-CDQ pollock DFAs.
\6\ Pursuant to Sec. 679.20(a)(5)(i)(A)(7), NMFS establishes an excessive processing share limit equal to 30.0
percent of the sum of the non-CDQ pollock DFAs.
\7\ Pursuant to Sec. 679.20(a)(5)(iii)(B)(6), NMFS establishes harvest limits for pollock in the A season in
Area 541 of no more than 30 percent, in Area 542 of no more than 15 percent, and in Area 543 of no more than 5
percent of the Aleutian Islands pollock ABC.
\8\ Pursuant to Sec. 679.22(a)(7)(i)(B), the Bogoslof District is closed to directed fishing for pollock. The
amounts specified are for ICA only and are not apportioned by season or sector.
Note: Seasonal or sector apportionments may not total precisely due to rounding.
Allocation of the Atka Mackerel TACs
Section 679.20(a)(8) allocates the Atka mackerel TACs to the
Amendment 80 and BSAI trawl limited access sectors, after subtracting
the CDQ reserves, ICAs for the BSAI trawl limited access sector and
non-trawl gear sector, and the jig gear allocation (Tables 6 and 7).
The percentage of the ITAC for Atka mackerel allocated to the Amendment
80 and BSAI trawl limited access sectors is listed in Table 33 to 50
CFR part 679 and in Sec. 679.91. Pursuant to Sec. 679.20(a)(8)(i), up
to 2 percent of the EAI and the BS Atka mackerel ITAC may be allocated
to vessels using jig gear. The percent of this allocation is
recommended annually by the Council based on several criteria,
including, among other criteria, the anticipated harvest capacity of
the jig gear fleet. The Council recommended, and NMFS approves, a 0.5
percent allocation of the Atka mackerel ITAC in the EAI and BS to the
jig gear sector in 2018 and 2019.
Section 679.20(a)(8)(ii)(A) apportions the Atka mackerel TAC into
two equal
[[Page 8373]]
seasonal allowances. Section 679.23(e)(3) sets the first seasonal
allowance for directed fishing with trawl gear from January 20 through
June 10 (A season), and the second seasonal allowance from June 10
through December 31 (B season). Section 679.23(e)(4)(iii) applies Atka
mackerel seasons to CDQ Atka mackerel trawl fishing. The ICA and jig
gear allocations are not apportioned by season.
Section 679.20(a)(8)(ii)(C)(1)(i) and (ii) limits Atka mackerel
catch within waters 0 nm to 20 nm of Steller sea lion sites listed in
Table 6 to 50 CFR part 679 and located west of 178[deg] W longitude to
no more than 60 percent of the annual TACs in Areas 542 and 543, and
equally divides the annual TAC between the A and B seasons as defined
at Sec. 679.23(e)(3). Section 679.20(a)(8)(ii)(C)(2) requires that the
annual TAC in Area 543 will be no more than 65 percent of the ABC in
Area 543. Section 679.20(a)(8)(ii)(D) requires that any unharvested
Atka mackerel A season allowance that is added to the B season be
prohibited from being harvested within waters 0 nm to 20 nm of Steller
sea lion sites listed in Table 6 to 50 CFR part 679 and located in
Areas 541, 542, and 543.
Tables 6 and 7 list these 2018 and 2019 Atka mackerel seasonal and
area allowances, and the sector allocations. One Amendment 80
cooperative has formed for the 2018 fishing year. The 2019 allocations
for Atka mackerel between Amendment 80 cooperatives and the Amendment
80 limited access sector will not be known until eligible participants
apply for participation in the program by November 1, 2018.
Table 6--Final 2018 Seasonal and Spatial Allowances, Gear Shares, CDQ Reserve, Incidental Catch Allowance, and
Amendment 80 Allocations of the BSAI ATKA Mackerel TAC
[Amounts are in metric tons]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2018 allocation by area
--------------------------------------------------------
Sector \1\ Season \2\ \3\ \4\ Eastern Aleutian
District/Bering Central Aleutian Western Aleutian
Sea District \5\ District
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TAC.............................. n/a................. 36,500 21,000 13,500
CDQ reserve...................... Total............... 3,906 2,247 1,445
A................... 1,953 1,124 722
Critical Habitat.... n/a 674 433
B................... 1,953 1,124 722
Critical Habitat.... n/a 674 433
Non-CDQ TAC...................... n/a................. 32,595 18,753 12,056
ICA.............................. Total............... 800 75 20
Jig \6\.......................... Total............... 159 0 0
BSAI trawl limited access........ Total............... 3,164 1,868 0
A................... 1,582 934 0
Critical Habitat.... n/a 560 0
B................... 1,582 934 0
Critical Habitat.... n/a 560 0
Amendment 80 sector.............. Total............... 28,472 16,885 12,056
A................... 14,236 8,443 6,028
Critical Habitat.... n/a 5,066 3,617
B................... 14,236 8,443 6,028
Critical Habitat.... n/a 5,066 3,617
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Section 679.20(a)(8)(ii) allocates the Atka mackerel TACs, after subtracting the CDQ reserves, jig gear
allocation, and ICAs, to the Amendment 80 and BSAI trawl limited access sectors. The allocation of the ITAC
for Atka mackerel to the Amendment 80 and BSAI trawl limited access sectors is established in Table 33 to 50
CFR part 679 and Sec. 679.91. The CDQ reserve is 10.7 percent of the TAC for use by CDQ participants (see
Sec. Sec. 679.20(b)(1)(ii)(C) and 679.31).
\2\ Sections 679.20(a)(8)(ii)(A) and 679.22(a) establish temporal and spatial limitations for the Atka mackerel
fishery.
\3\ The seasonal allowances of Atka mackerel are 50 percent in the A season and 50 percent in the B season.
\4\ Section 679.23(e)(3) authorizes directed fishing for Atka mackerel with trawl gear during the A season from
January 20 to June 10 and the B season from June 10 to December 31.
\5\ Section 679.20(a)(8)(ii)(C)(1)(i) limits no more than 60 percent of the annual TACs in Areas 542 and 543 to
be caught inside of Steller sea lion critical habitat; section 679.20(a)(8)(ii)(C)(1)(ii) equally divides the
annual TACs between the A and B seasons as defined at Sec. 679.23(e)(3); and section 679.20(a)(8)(ii)(C)(2)
requires the TAC in Area 543 shall be no more than 65 percent of ABC in Area 543.
\6\ Section 679.20(a)(8)(i) requires that up to 2 percent of the Eastern Aleutian District and the Bering Sea
subarea TAC be allocated to jig gear after subtracting the CDQ reserve and the ICA. NMFS set the amount of
this allocation for 2018 at 0.5 percent. The jig gear allocation is not apportioned by season.
Note: Seasonal or sector apportionments may not total precisely due to rounding.
Table 7--Final 2019 Seasonal and Spatial Allowances, Gear Shares, CDQ Reserve, Incidental Catch Allowance, and
Amendment 80 Allocation of the BSAI ATKA Mackerel TAC
[Amounts are in metric tons]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2019 allocation by area
--------------------------------------------------------
Sector \1\ Season \2\ \3\ \4\ Eastern Aleutian
District/Bering Central Aleutian Western Aleutian
Sea \5\ District \5\ District \5\
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TAC.............................. n/a................. 33,780 24,895 13,825
CDQ reserve...................... Total............... 3,614 2,664 1,479
A................... 1,807 1,332 740
Critical Habitat.... n/a 799 444
B................... 1,807 1,332 740
[[Page 8374]]
Critical Habitat.... n/a 799 444
non-CDQ TAC...................... n/a................. 30,166 22,231 12,346
ICA.............................. Total............... 800 75 20
Jig \6\.......................... Total............... 147 0 0
BSAI trawl limited access........ Total............... 2,922 2,216 0
A................... 1,461 1,108 0
Critical Habitat.... n/a 665 0
B................... 1,461 1,108 0
Critical Habitat.... n/a 665 0
Amendment 80 sectors \7\......... Total............... 26,297 20,016 12,346
A................... 13,148 10,008 6,173
Critical Habitat.... n/a 6,005 3,704
B................... 13,148 10,008 6,173
Critical Habitat.... n/a 6,005 3,704
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Section 679.20(a)(8)(ii) allocates the Atka mackerel TACs, after subtracting the CDQ reserves, jig gear
allocation, and ICAs, to the Amendment 80 and BSAI trawl limited access sectors. The allocation of the ITAC
for Atka mackerel to the Amendment 80 and BSAI trawl limited access sectors is established in Table 33 to 50
CFR part 679 and Sec. 679.91. The CDQ reserve is 10.7 percent of the TAC for use by CDQ participants (see
Sec. Sec. 679.20(b)(1)(ii)(C) and 679.31).
\2\ Sections 679.20(a)(8)(ii)(A) and 679.22(a) establish temporal and spatial limitations for the Atka mackerel
fishery.
\3\ The seasonal allowances of Atka mackerel are 50 percent in the A season and 50 percent in the B season.
\4\ Section 679.23(e)(3) authorizes directed fishing for Atka mackerel with trawl gear during the A season from
January 20 to June 10 and the B season from June 10 to December 31.
\5\ Section 679.20(a)(8)(ii)(C)(1)(i) limits no more than 60 percent of the annual TACs in Areas 542 and 543 to
be caught inside of Steller sea lion critical habitat; section 679.20(a)(8)(ii)(C)(1)(ii) equally divides the
annual TACs between the A and B seasons as defined at Sec. 679.23(e)(3); and section 679.20 (a)(8)(ii)(C)(2)
requires the TAC in Area 543 shall be no more than 65 percent of ABC in Area 543.
\6\ Section 679.20(a)(8)(i) requires that up to 2 percent of the Eastern Aleutian District and the Bering Sea
subarea TAC be allocated to jig gear after subtracting the CDQ reserve and the ICA. NMFS set the amount of
this allocation for 2019 at 0.5 percent. The jig gear allocation is not apportioned by season.
\7\ The 2019 allocations for Atka mackerel between Amendment 80 cooperatives and the Amendment 80 limited access
sector will not be known until eligible participants apply for participation in the program by November 1,
2018. NMFS will post 2019 Amendment 80 allocations when they become available in December 2018.
Note: Seasonal or sector apportionments may not total precisely due to rounding.
Allocation of the Pacific Cod TAC
The Council separated Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands subarea OFLs,
ABCs, and TACs for Pacific cod in 2014 (79 FR 12108, March 4, 2014).
Section 679.20(b)(1)(ii)(C) allocates 10.7 percent of the Bering Sea
TAC and Aleutian Islands TAC to the CDQ program. After CDQ allocations
have been deducted from the respective Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands
Pacific cod TACs, the remaining Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Pacific
cod TACs are combined for calculating further BSAI Pacific cod sector
allocations. If the non-CDQ Pacific cod TAC is or will be reached in
either the Bering Sea or the Aleutian Islands subareas, NMFS will
prohibit non-CDQ directed fishing for Pacific cod in that subarea as
provided in Sec. 679.20(d)(1)(iii).
Section 679.20(a)(7)(i) and (ii) allocates to the non-CDQ sectors
the Pacific cod TAC in the combined BSAI TAC, after subtracting 10.7
percent for the CDQ program, as follows: 1.4 percent to vessels using
jig gear; 2.0 percent to hook-and-line or pot CVs less than 60 ft (18.3
m) length overall (LOA); 0.2 percent to hook-and-line CVs greater than
or equal to 60 ft (18.3 m) LOA; 48.7 percent to hook-and-line C/Ps; 8.4
percent to pot CVs greater than or equal to 60 ft (18.3 m) LOA; 1.5
percent to pot C/Ps; 2.3 percent to AFA trawl C/Ps; 13.4 percent to
Amendment 80 sector; and 22.1 percent to trawl CVs. The ICA for the
hook-and-line and pot sectors will be deducted from the aggregate
portion of Pacific cod TAC allocated to the hook-and-line and pot
sectors. For 2018 and 2019, the Regional Administrator establishes an
ICA of 400 mt based on anticipated incidental catch by these sectors in
other fisheries.
The ITAC allocation of Pacific cod to the Amendment 80 sector is
established in Table 33 to 50 CFR part 679 and Sec. 679.91. One
Amendment 80 cooperative has formed for the 2018 fishing year. The 2019
allocations for Amendment 80 species between Amendment 80 cooperatives
and the Amendment 80 limited access sector will not be known until
eligible participants apply for participation in the program by
November 1, 2018.
The Pacific cod ITAC is apportioned into seasonal allowances to
disperse the Pacific cod fisheries over the fishing year (see
Sec. Sec. 679.20(a)(7)(i)(B), 679.20(a)(7)(iv)(A), and 679.23(e)(5)).
In accordance with Sec. 679.20(a)(7)(iv)(B) and (C), any unused
portion of a seasonal Pacific cod allowance for any sector, except the
jig sector, will become available at the beginning of that sector's
next seasonal allowance.
Section 679.20(a)(7)(vii) requires the Regional Administrator to
establish an Area 543 Pacific cod harvest limit based on Pacific cod
abundance in Area 543. Based on the 2017 stock assessment, the Regional
Administrator determined the Area 543 Pacific cod harvest limit to be
25.6 percent of the Aleutian Islands Pacific cod TAC for 2018 and 2019.
NMFS will first subtract the State GHL Pacific cod amount from the
Aleutian Islands Pacific cod ABC. Then NMFS will determine the harvest
limit in Area 543 by multiplying the percentage of Pacific cod
estimated in Area 543 by the remaining ABC for Aleutian Islands Pacific
cod. Based on these calculations, the Area 543 harvest limit is 4,018
mt.
[[Page 8375]]
Section 679.20(a)(7)(viii) requires specification of annual Pacific
cod allocations for the Aleutian Islands non-CDQ ICA, non-CDQ DFA, CV
Harvest Set-Aside, and Unrestricted Fishery, as well as the Bering Sea
Trawl CV A-Season Sector Limitation. The CV Harvest Set-Aside is a
portion of the AI Pacific cod TAC that is available for harvest by
catcher vessels directed fishing for AI Pacific cod and delivering
their catch for processing to an AI shoreside processor. The CV Harvest
Set-Aside will be effective in a fishing year if certain notification
and performance requirements are met. First, in accordance with Sec.
679.20(a)(7)(viii)(D), NMFS must receive timely and complete
notification of intent to process AI Pacific cod from either the City
Manager of the City of Adak or the City Administrator for Atka prior to
the start of that fishing year. Second, if the performance requirement
in Sec. 679.20(a)(7)(viii)(E)(4), which requires a set amount of the
Aleutian Islands CV Harvest Set-Aside to be landed at Aleutian Islands
shoreplants on or before February 28, 2018, is not met during that
fishing year, then the Aleutian Islands CV Harvest Set-Aside is lifted
and the Bering Sea Trawl CV A-Season Sector Limitation is suspended for
the remainder of that fishing year.
For 2018, NMFS received prior to October 31, 2017, timely and
complete notice from the City of Adak indicating an intent to process
AI Pacific cod in 2018. Accordingly, the harvest limits in Table 9a
will be in effect in 2018, subject to the requirements outlined in
Sec. 679.20(a)(7)(viii)(E)(4): If less than 1,000 mt of the Aleutian
Islands CV Harvest Set-Aside is landed at Aleutian Islands shoreplants
on or before February 28, 2018, then for the remainder of the year the
Aleutian Islands CV Harvest Set-Aside is lifted and the Bering Sea
Trawl CV A-Season Sector Limitation is suspended. If the entire
Aleutian Islands CV Harvest Set-Aside is fully harvested and delivered
to Aleutian Islands shoreplants before March 15, 2018, then the Bering
Sea Trawl CV A-Season Sector Limitation will be suspended for the
remainder of the fishing year.
The CDQ and non-CDQ seasonal allowances by gear based on the 2018
and 2019 Pacific cod TACs are listed in Tables 8 and 9, and are based
on the sector allocation percentages and seasonal allowances for
Pacific cod set forth at Sec. 679.20(a)(7)(i)(B) and (a)(7)(iv)(A);
and the seasons for Pacific cod set forth at Sec. 679.23(e)(5).
Table 8--Final 2018 Gear Shares and Seasonal Allowances of the BSAI Pacific Cod TAC
[Amounts are in metric tons]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2018 share of 2018 seasonal apportionment
Gear sector Percent gear sector 2018 share of ---------------------------------
total sector total Seasons Amount
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BS TAC........................ n/a 188,136 n/a n/a............. n/a
BS CDQ........................ n/a 20,131 n/a see Sec. n/a
679.20(a)(7)(i)
(B).
BS non-CDQ TAC................ n/a 168,005 n/a n/a............. n/a
AI TAC........................ n/a 15,695 n/a n/a............. n/a
AI CDQ........................ n/a 1,679 n/a see Sec. n/a
679.20(a)(7)(i)
(B).
AI non-CDQ TAC................ n/a 14,016 n/a n/a............. n/a
Western Aleutian Island Limit. n/a 4,018 n/a n/a............. n/a
Total BSAI non-CDQ TAC \1\.... 100 182,021 n/a n/a............. n/a
Total hook-and-line/pot gear.. 60.8 110,669 n/a n/a............. n/a
Hook-and-line/pot ICA \2\..... n/a 400 n/a see Sec. n/a
679.20(a)(7)(ii
)(B).
Hook-and-line/pot sub-total... n/a 110,269 n/a n/a............. n/a
Hook-and-line catcher/ 48.7 n/a 88,324 Jan 1-Jun 10.... 45,045
processor.
Jun 10-Dec 31... 43,279
Hook-and-line catcher vessel 0.2 n/a 363 Jan 1-Jun 10.... 185
[gteqt]60 ft LOA.
Jun 10-Dec 31... 178
Pot catcher/processor......... 1.5 n/a 2,720 Jan 1-Jun 10.... 1,387
Sept 1-Dec 31... 1,333
Pot catcher vessel [gteqt]60 8.4 n/a 15,235 Jan 1-Jun 10.... 7,770
ft LOA.
Sept 1-Dec 31... 7,465
Catcher vessel <60 ft LOA 2 n/a 3,627 n/a............. n/a
using hook-and-line or pot
gear.
Trawl catcher vessel.......... 22.1 40,227 n/a Jan 20-Apr 1.... 29,768
Apr 1-Jun 10.... 4,425
Jun 10-Nov 1.... 6,034
AFA trawl catcher/processor... 2.3 4,186 n/a Jan 20-Apr 1.... 3,140
Apr 1-Jun 10.... 1,047
Jun 10-Nov 1.... 0
Amendment 80.................. 13.4 24,391 n/a Jan 20-Apr 1.... 18,293
Apr 1-Jun 10.... 6,098
Jun 10-Nov 1.... 0
Jig........................... 1.4 2,548 n/a Jan 1-Apr 30.... 1,529
Apr 30-Aug 31... 510
Aug 31-Dec 31... 510
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The gear shares and seasonal allowances for BSAI Pacific cod TAC are based on the sum of the BS and AI
Pacific cod TACs, after the subtraction of CDQ. If the TAC for Pacific cod in either the AI or BS is reached,
then directed fishing for Pacific cod in that subarea may be prohibited, even if a BSAI allowance remains.
\2\ The ICA for the hook-and-line and pot sectors will be deducted from the aggregate portion of Pacific cod TAC
allocated to the hook-and-line and pot sectors. The Regional Administrator approves an ICA of 400 mt for 2018
based on anticipated incidental catch in these fisheries.
Note: Seasonal or sector apportionments may not total precisely due to rounding.
[[Page 8376]]
Table 9--Final 2019 Gear Shares and Seasonal Allowances of the BSAI Pacific Cod TAC
[Amounts are in metric tons]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2019 share of 2019 seasonal apportionment
Gear sector Percent gear sector 2019 share of ---------------------------------
total sector total Seasons Amount
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BS TAC........................ n/a 159,120 n/a n/a............. n/a
BS CDQ........................ n/a 17,026 n/a see Sec. n/a
679.20(a)(7)(i)
(B).
BS non-CDQ TAC................ n/a 142,094 n/a n/a............. n/a
AI TAC........................ n/a 15,695 n/a n/a............. n/a
AI CDQ........................ n/a 1,679 n/a see Sec. n/a
679.20(a)(7)(i)
(B).
AI non-CDQ TAC................ n/a 14,016 n/a n/a............. n/a
Western Aleutian Island Limit. n/a 4,018 n/a n/a............. n/a
Total BSAI non-CDQ TAC \1\.... n/a 156,110 n/a n/a............. n/a
Total hook-and-line/pot gear.. 60.8 94,915 n/a n/a............. n/a
Hook-and-line/pot ICA \2\..... n/a 400 n/a see Sec. n/a
679.20(a)(7)(ii
)(B).
Hook-and-line/pot sub-total... n/a 94,515 n/a n/a............. n/a
Hook-and-line catcher/ 48.7 n/a 75,705 Jan 1-Jun 10.... 38,610
processor.
Jun 10-Dec 31... 37,095
Hook-and-line catcher vessel 0.2 n/a 311 Jan 1-Jun 10.... 159
[gteqt]60 ft LOA.
Jun 10-Dec 31... 152
Pot catcher/processor......... 1.5 n/a 2,332 Jan 1-Jun 10.... 1,189
Sept 1-Dec 31... 1,143
Pot catcher vessel [gteqt]60 8.4 n/a 13,058 Jan 1-Jun 10.... 6,660
ft LOA.
Sept 1-Dec 31... 6,398
Catcher vessel <60 ft LOA 2 n/a 3,109 n/a............. n/a
using hook-and-line or pot
gear.
Trawl catcher vessel.......... 22.1 34,500 n/a Jan 20-Apr 1.... 25,530
Apr 1-Jun 10.... 3,795
Jun 10-Nov 1.... 5,175
AFA trawl catcher/processor... 2.3 3,591 n/a Jan 20-Apr 1.... 2,693
Apr 1-Jun 10.... 898
Jun 10-Nov 1.... 0
Amendment 80.................. 13.4 20,919 n/a Jan 20-Apr 1.... 15,689
Apr 1-Jun 10.... 5,230
Jun 10-Dec 31... 0
Jig........................... 1.4 2,186 n/a Jan 1-Apr 30.... 1,311
Apr 30-Aug 31... 437
Aug 31-Dec 31... 437
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The gear shares and seasonal allowances for BSAI Pacific cod TAC are based on the sum of the BS and AI
Pacific cod TACs, after the subtraction of CDQ. If the TAC for Pacific cod in either the AI or BS is reached,
then directed fishing for Pacific cod in that subarea may be prohibited, even if a BSAI allowance remains.
\2\ The ICA for the hook-and-line and pot sectors will be deducted from the aggregate portion of Pacific cod TAC
allocated to the hook-and-line and pot sectors. The Regional Administrator approves an ICA of 400 mt for 2019
based on anticipated incidental catch in these fisheries.
Note: Seasonal or sector apportionments may not total precisely due to rounding.
Table 9a--2018 and 2019 BSAI A-Season Pacific Cod Allocations and Limits
if the Notification and Performance Requirements in Sec.
679.20(a)(7)(viii) Are Met
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2018 and 2019 Allocations under Aleutian Islands CV
Harvest Set-Aside Amount (mt)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
AI non-CDQ TAC.......................................... 14,016
AI ICA.................................................. 2,500
AI DFA.................................................. 11,516
BS non-CDQ TAC.......................................... 168,005
BSAI Trawl CV A-Season Allocation....................... 29,768
BSAI Trawl CV A-Season Allocation minus Sector 24,768
Limitation \1\.........................................
BS Trawl CV A-Season Sector Limitation.................. 5,000
AI CV Harvest Set-Aside \2\............................. 5,000
AI Unrestricted Fishery \3\............................. 6,516
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ This is the amount of the BSAI trawl CV A-season allocation that may
be harvested in the Bering Sea prior to March 21, 2018, unless the BS
Trawl CV A-Season Sector Limitation is suspended for the remainder of
the fishing year because the performance requirements pursuant to Sec.
679.20(a)(7)(viii)(E) were not met.
\2\ Prior to March 15, 2018, only catcher vessels that deliver their
catch of AI Pacific cod to AI shoreplants for processing may directed
fish for that portion of the AI Pacific cod non-CDQ DFA that is
specified as the AI CV Harvest Set-Aside, unless lifted because the
performance requirements pursuant to Sec. 679.20(a)(7)(viii)(E) were
not met.
\3\ Prior to March 15, 2018, vessels otherwise authorized to directed
fish for Pacific cod in the AI may directed fish for that portion of
the AI Pacific cod non-CDQ DFA that is specified as the AI
Unrestricted Fishery.
[[Page 8377]]
Sablefish Gear Allocation
Section 679.20(a)(4)(iii) and (iv) require allocation of the
sablefish TAC for the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands subareas between
trawl and hook-and-line or pot gear sectors. Gear allocations of the
TAC for the BS are 50 percent for trawl gear and 50 percent for hook-
and-line or pot gear. Gear allocations of the TAC for the AI are 25
percent for trawl gear and 75 percent for hook-and-line or pot gear.
Section 679.20(b)(1)(ii)(B) requires NMFS to apportion 20 percent of
the hook-and-line or pot gear allocation of sablefish to the CDQ
reserve for each subarea. Also, Sec. 679.20(b)(1)(ii)(D)(1) requires
that 7.5 percent of the trawl gear allocation of sablefish from the
non-specified reserves, established under Sec. 679.20(b)(1)(i), be
assigned to the CDQ reserve. The Council recommended that only trawl
sablefish TAC be established biennially. The harvest specifications for
the hook-and-line gear or pot gear sablefish Individual Fishing Quota
(IFQ) fisheries are limited to the 2018 fishing year to ensure those
fisheries are conducted concurrently with the halibut IFQ fishery.
Concurrent sablefish and halibut IFQ fisheries reduce the potential for
discards of halibut and sablefish in those fisheries. The sablefish IFQ
fisheries remain closed at the beginning of each fishing year until the
final harvest specifications for the sablefish IFQ fisheries are in
effect. Table 10 lists the 2018 and 2019 gear allocations of the
sablefish TAC and CDQ reserve amounts.
Table 10--Final 2018 and 2019 Gear Shares and CDQ Reserve of BSAI Sablefish TACS
[Amounts are in metric tons]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2018 Share of 2018 CDQ 2019 Share of 2019 CDQ
Subarea and gear Percent of TAC TAC 2018 ITAC reserve TAC 2019 ITAC reserve
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bering Sea:
Trawl \1\........................... 50 732 622 55 1,031 876 77
Hook-and-line/pot gear \2\.......... 50 732 586 146 n/a n/a n/a
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total........................... 100 1,464 1,208 201 1,031 876 77
Aleutian Islands:
Trawl \1\........................... 25 497 422 37 700 595 52
Hook-and-line/pot gear \2\.......... 75 1,491 1,193 298 n/a n/a n/a
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total........................... 100 1,988 1,615 335 700 595 52
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Except for the sablefish hook-and-line and pot gear allocation, 15 percent of TAC is apportioned to the non-specific reserve (Sec.
679.20(b)(1)(i)). The ITAC is the remainder of the TAC after the subtracting these reserves.
\2\ For the portion of the sablefish TAC allocated to vessels using hook-and-line or pot gear, 20 percent of the allocated TAC is reserved for use by
CDQ participants (Sec. 679.20(b)(1)(ii)(B)). The Council recommended that specifications for the hook-and-line gear sablefish IFQ fisheries be
limited to one year.
Note: Sector apportionments may not total precisely due to rounding.
Allocation of the Aleutian Islands Pacific Ocean Perch, and BSAI
Flathead Sole, Rock Sole, and Yellowfin Sole TACs
Section 679.20(a)(10)(i) and (ii) require that NMFS allocate
Aleutian Islands Pacific ocean perch, and BSAI flathead sole, rock
sole, and yellowfin sole ITAC between the Amendment 80 sector and the
BSAI trawl limited access sector, after subtracting 10.7 percent for
the CDQ reserve and an ICA for the BSAI trawl limited access sector and
vessels using non-trawl gear. The allocation of the ITAC for Aleutian
Islands Pacific ocean perch, and BSAI flathead sole, rock sole, and
yellowfin sole to the Amendment 80 sector is established in accordance
with Tables 33 and 34 to 50 CFR part 679 and Sec. 679.91.
One Amendment 80 cooperative has formed for the 2018 fishing year.
The 2019 allocations for Amendment 80 species between Amendment 80
cooperatives and the Amendment 80 limited access sector will not be
known until eligible participants apply for participation in the
program by November 1, 2018. Tables 11 and 12 list the 2018 and 2019
allocations of the Aleutian Islands Pacific ocean perch, and BSAI
flathead sole, rock sole, and yellowfin sole TACs.
Table 11--Final 2018 Community Development Quota (CDQ) Reserves, Incidental Catch Amounts (ICAS), and Amendment 80 Allocations of the Aleutian Islands
Pacific Ocean Perch, and BSAI Flathead Sole, Rock Sole, and Yellowfin Sole TACS
[Amounts are in metric tons]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pacific ocean perch Flathead sole Rock sole Yellowfin sole
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sector Eastern Central Western
Aleutian Aleutian Aleutian BSAI BSAI BSAI
District District District
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TAC..................................................... 9,000 7,500 9,000 14,500 47,100 154,000
CDQ..................................................... 963 803 963 1,552 5,040 16,478
ICA..................................................... 100 120 10 4,000 6,000 4,000
BSAI trawl limited access............................... 794 658 161 0 0 18,351
Amendment 80............................................ 7,143 5,920 7,866 8,949 36,060 115,171
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: Sector apportionments may not total precisely due to rounding.
[[Page 8378]]
Table 12--Final 2019 Community Development Quota (CDQ) Reserves, Incidental Catch Amounts (ICAS), and Amendment 80 Allocations of the Aleutian Islands
Pacific Ocean Perch, and BSAI Flathead Sole, Rock Sole, and Yellowfin Sole TACS
[Amounts are in metric tons]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pacific ocean perch Flathead sole Rock sole Yellowfin sole
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sector Eastern Central Western
Aleutian Aleutian Aleutian BSAI BSAI BSAI
District District District
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TAC..................................................... 9,715 7,549 9,117 16,500 49,100 156,000
CDQ..................................................... 1,040 808 976 1,766 5,254 16,692
ICA..................................................... 100 120 10 4,000 6,000 4,000
BSAI trawl limited access............................... 858 662 163 0 0 19,065
Amendment 80\1\......................................... 7,718 5,959 7,969 10,735 37,846 116,243
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The 2019 allocations for Amendment 80 species between Amendment 80 cooperatives and the Amendment 80 limited access sector will not be known until
eligible participants apply for participation in the program by November 1, 2018. NMFS will publish 2019 Amendment 80 allocations when they become
available in December 2018.
Note: Sector apportionments may not total precisely due to rounding.
Section 679.2 defines the ABC surplus for flathead sole, rock sole,
and yellowfin sole as the difference between the annual ABC and TAC for
each species. Section 679.20(b)(1)(iii) establishes ABC reserves for
flathead sole, rock sole, and yellowfin sole. The ABC surpluses and the
ABC reserves are necessary to mitigate the operational variability,
environmental conditions, and economic factors that may constrain the
CDQ groups and the Amendment 80 cooperatives from achieving, on a
continuing basis, the optimum yield in the BSAI groundfish fisheries.
NMFS, after consultation with the Council, may set the ABC reserve at
or below the ABC surplus for each species thus maintaining the TAC
below ABC limits. An amount equal to 10.7 percent of the ABC reserves
will be allocated as CDQ ABC reserves for flathead sole, rock sole, and
yellowfin sole. Section 679.31(b)(4) establishes the annual allocations
of CDQ ABC reserves among the CDQ groups. The Amendment 80 ABC reserves
shall be the ABC reserves minus the CDQ ABC reserves. Section
679.91(i)(2) establishes each Amendment 80 cooperative ABC reserve to
be the ratio of each cooperatives' quota share units and the total
Amendment 80 quota share units, multiplied by the Amendment 80 ABC
reserve for each respective species. Table 13 lists the 2018 and 2019
ABC surplus and ABC reserves for BSAI flathead sole, rock sole, and
yellowfin sole.
Table 13--Final 2018 and 2019 ABC Surplus, ABC Reserves, Community Development Quota (CDQ) ABC Reserves, and Amendment 80 ABC Reserves in the BSAI for
Flathead Sole, Rock sole, and Yellowfin Sole
[Amounts are in metric tons]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2018 flathead 2018 yellowfin 2019 \1\ 2019 \1\ rock 2019 \1\
Sector sole 2018 rock sole sole flathead sole sole yellowfin sole
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ABC..................................................... 66,773 143,100 277,500 65,227 132,000 267,500
TAC..................................................... 14,500 47,100 154,000 16,500 49,100 156,000
ABC surplus............................................. 52,273 96,000 123,500 48,727 82,900 111,500
ABC reserve............................................. 52,273 96,000 123,500 48,727 82,900 111,500
CDQ ABC reserve......................................... 5,593 10,272 13,215 5,214 8,870 11,931
Amendment 80 ABC reserve................................ 46,680 85,728 110,286 43,513 74,030 99,570
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The 2019 allocations for Amendment 80 species between Amendment 80 cooperatives and the Amendment 80 limited access sector will not be known until
eligible participants apply for participation in the program by November 1, 2018.
PSC Limits for Halibut, Salmon, Crab, and Herring
Section 679.21(b), (e), (f), and (g) sets forth the BSAI PSC
limits. Pursuant to Sec. 679.21(b)(1), the annual BSAI halibut PSC
limits total 3,515 mt. Section 679.21(b)(1) allocates 315 mt of the
halibut PSC limit as the PSQ reserve for use by the groundfish CDQ
program, 1,745 mt of the halibut PSC limit for the Amendment 80 sector,
745 mt of the halibut PSC limit for the BSAI trawl limited access
sector, and 710 mt of the halibut PSC limit for the BSAI non-trawl
sector.
Section 679.21(b)(1)(iii)(A) and (B) authorize apportionment of the
BSAI non-trawl halibut PSC limit into PSC allowances among six fishery
categories, and Sec. 679.21(b)(1)(ii)(A) and (B), (e)(3)(i)(B), and
(e)(3)(iv) require apportionment of the BSAI trawl limited access
halibut and crab PSC limits into PSC allowances among seven fishery
categories. Tables 15 and 16 list the fishery PSC allowances for the
trawl fisheries, and Table 17 lists the fishery PSC allowances for the
non-trawl fisheries.
Pursuant to Section 3.6 of the FMP, the Council recommends, and
NMFS agrees, that certain specified non-trawl fisheries be exempt from
the halibut PSC limit. As in past years, after consultation with the
Council, NMFS exempts pot gear, jig gear, and the sablefish IFQ hook-
and-line gear fishery categories from halibut bycatch restrictions for
the following reasons: (1) The pot gear fisheries have low halibut
bycatch mortality; (2) NMFS estimates halibut mortality for the jig
gear fleet to be negligible because of the small size of the fishery
and the selectivity of the gear; and (3) the sablefish and halibut IFQ
fisheries have low halibut bycatch mortality because the IFQ program
requires legal-size halibut to be retained by vessels using hook-and-
line gear if a halibut IFQ permit holder or a hired master is aboard
and is holding unused
[[Page 8379]]
halibut IFQ for that vessel category and the IFQ regulatory area in
which the vessel is operating (Sec. 679.7(f)(11)).
The 2017 total groundfish catch for the pot gear fishery in the
BSAI was 46,868 mt, with an associated halibut bycatch mortality of 17
mt. The 2017 jig gear fishery harvested about 13 mt of groundfish. Most
vessels in the jig gear fleet are exempt from observer coverage
requirements. As a result, observer data are not available on halibut
bycatch in the jig gear fishery. However, as mentioned above, NMFS
estimates a negligible amount of halibut bycatch mortality because of
the selective nature of jig gear and the low mortality rate of halibut
caught with jig gear and released.
Under Sec. 679.21(f)(2), NMFS annually allocates portions of
either 33,318, 45,000, 47,591, or 60,000 Chinook salmon PSC limits
among the AFA sectors, depending on past bycatch performance, on
whether Chinook salmon bycatch incentive plan agreements (IPAs) are
formed, and on whether NMFS determines it is a low Chinook salmon
abundance year. NMFS will determine that it is a low Chinook salmon
abundance year when abundance of Chinook salmon in western Alaska is
less than or equal to 250,000 Chinook salmon. The State of Alaska
provides to NMFS an estimate of Chinook salmon abundance using the 3-
System Index for western Alaska based on the Kuskokwim, Unalakleet, and
Upper Yukon aggregate stock grouping.
If an AFA sector participates in an approved IPA and has not
exceeded its performance standard under Sec. 679.21(f)(6) and if it is
not a low Chinook salmon abundance year, then NMFS will allocate a
portion of the 60,000 Chinook salmon PSC limit to that sector as
specified in Sec. 679.21(f)(3)(iii)(A). If no IPA is approved, or if
the sector has exceeded its performance standard under Sec.
679.21(f)(6), and it is not a low abundance year, NMFS will allocate a
portion of the 47,591 Chinook salmon PSC limit to that sector as
specified in Sec. 679.21(f)(3)(iii)(C). If an AFA sector participates
in an approved IPA and has not exceeded its performance standard under
Sec. 679.21(f)(6) in a low abundance year, then NMFS will allocate a
portion of the 45,000 Chinook salmon PSC limit to that sector as
specified in Sec. 679.21(f)(3)(iii)(B). If no IPA is approved, or if
the sector has exceeded its performance standard under Sec.
679.21(f)(6), in a low abundance year, NMFS will allocate a portion of
the 33,318 Chinook salmon PSC limit to that sector as specified in
Sec. 679.21(f)(3)(iii)(D).
NMFS has determined that 2017 was not a low Chinook salmon
abundance year based on the State of Alaska's estimate that Chinook
salmon abundance in western Alaska is greater than 250,000 Chinook
salmon. Therefore, in 2018, the Chinook salmon PSC limit is 60,000 and
is allocated to each AFA sector as specified in Sec.
679.21(f)(3)(iii)(A). The AFA sector Chinook salmon PSC limit
allocations are seasonally apportioned with 70 percent of the
allocation for the A season pollock fishery, and 30 percent of the
allocation for the B season pollock fishery (Sec. Sec. 679.21(f)(3)(i)
and 679.23(e)(2)). Additionally, in 2018, the Chinook salmon bycatch
performance standard under Sec. 679.21(f)(6) is 47,591 Chinook salmon,
allocated to each sector as specified in Sec. 679.21(f)(3)(iii)(C).
The basis for these PSC limits is described in detail in the final
rules implementing management measures for Amendment 91 (75 FR 53026,
August 30, 2010) and Amendment 110 (81 FR 37534, June 10, 2016). NMFS
publishes the approved IPAs, allocations, and reports at https://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/sustainablefisheries/bycatch/default.htm.
Section 679.21(g)(2)(i) specifies 700 fish as the 2018 and 2019
Chinook salmon PSC limit for the AI pollock fishery. Section
679.21(g)(2)(ii) allocates 7.5 percent, or 53 Chinook salmon, as the AI
PSQ reserve for the CDQ program, and allocates the remaining 647
Chinook salmon to the non-CDQ fisheries.
Section 679.21(f)(14)(i) specifies 42,000 fish as the 2018 and 2019
non-Chinook salmon PSC limit for vessels using trawl gear from August
15 through October 14 in the Catcher Vessel Operational Area (CVOA).
Section 679.21(f)(14)(ii) allocates 10.7 percent, or 4,494 non-Chinook
salmon, in the CVOA as the PSQ reserve for the CDQ program, and
allocates the remaining 37,506 non-Chinook salmon in the CVOA as the
PSC limit for the non-CDQ fisheries.
PSC limits for crab and herring are specified annually based on
abundance and spawning biomass. Section 679.21(e)(3)(i)(A)(1) allocates
10.7 percent from each trawl gear PSC limit specified for crab as a PSQ
reserve for use by the groundfish CDQ program.
Based on the 2017 survey data, the red king crab mature female
abundance is estimated at 18.5 million mature red king crabs, and the
effective spawning biomass is estimated at 39.8 million lbs (18,042
mt). Based on the criteria set out at Sec. 679.21(e)(1)(i), the 2018
and 2019 PSC limit of red king crab in Zone 1 for trawl gear is 97,000
animals. This limit derives from the mature female abundance estimate
of more than 8.4 million mature king crab and the effective spawning
biomass estimate of more than 14.5 million lbs (6,477 mt) but less than
55 million lbs (24,948 mt).
Section 679.21(e)(3)(ii)(B)(2) establishes criteria under which
NMFS must specify an annual red king crab bycatch limit for the Red
King Crab Savings Subarea (RKCSS). The regulations limit the RKCSS red
king crab bycatch limit to 25 percent of the red king crab PSC limit,
based on the need to optimize the groundfish harvest relative to red
king crab bycatch. In December 2017, the Council recommended and NMFS
concurs that the red king crab bycatch limit be equal to 25 percent of
the red king crab PSC limit within the RKCSS (Table 15).
Based on 2017 survey data, Tanner crab (Chionoecetes bairdi)
abundance is estimated at 344 million animals. Pursuant to criteria set
out at Sec. 679.21(e)(1)(ii), the calculated 2018 and 2019 C. bairdi
crab PSC limit for trawl gear is 830,000 animals in Zone 1, and
2,520,000 animals in Zone 2. The limit in Zone 1 is based on the
abundance of C. bairdi estimated at 344 million animals, which is
greater than 270 million animals and less than 400 million animals. The
limit in Zone 2 is based on the abundance of C. bairdi estimated at 344
million animals, which is greater than 290 million animals and less
than 400 million animals.
Pursuant to Sec. 679.21(e)(1)(iii), the PSC limit for snow crab
(C. opilio) is based on total abundance as indicated by the NMFS annual
bottom trawl survey. The C. opilio crab PSC limit is set at 0.1133
percent of the Bering Sea abundance index minus 150,000 crab. Based on
the 2017 survey estimate of 8.182 billion animals, which is above the
minimum PSC limit of 4.5 million and below the maximum PSC limit of 13
million animals, the calculated C. opilio crab PSC limit is 9,120,539
animals.
Pursuant to Sec. 679.21(e)(1)(v), the PSC limit of Pacific herring
caught while conducting any trawl operation for BSAI groundfish is 1
percent of the annual eastern Bering Sea herring biomass. The best
estimate of 2018 and 2019 herring biomass is 183,017 mt. This amount
was developed by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game based on
biomass for spawning aggregations. Therefore, the herring PSC limit for
2018 and 2019 is 1,830 mt for all trawl gear as listed in Tables 14 and
15.
Section 679.21(e)(3)(i)(A) requires crab PSQ reserves to be
subtracted from the total trawl gear crab PSC limits. The 2018 crab and
halibut PSC limits
[[Page 8380]]
assigned to the Amendment 80 and BSAI trawl limited access sectors are
specified in Table 35 to 50 CFR part 679. The resulting allocations of
PSC limit to CDQ PSQ reserves, the Amendment 80 sector, and the BSAI
trawl limited access sector are listed in Table 14. Pursuant to
Sec. Sec. 679.21(b)(1)(i), 679.21(e)(3)(vi), and 679.91(d) through
(f), crab and halibut trawl PSC limits assigned to the Amendment 80
sector are then further allocated to Amendment 80 cooperatives as
cooperative quota. Crab and halibut PSC cooperative quota assigned to
Amendment 80 cooperatives is not allocated to specific fishery
categories. In 2018, there are no vessels in the Amendment 80 limited
access sector and one Amendment 80 cooperative. The 2019 PSC
allocations between Amendment 80 cooperatives and the Amendment 80
limited access sector will not be known until eligible participants
apply for participation in the program by November 1, 2018. Section
679.21(e)(3)(i)(B) requires NMFS to apportion each trawl PSC limit for
crab and herring not assigned to Amendment 80 cooperatives into PSC
bycatch allowances for seven specified fishery categories in Sec.
679.21(e)(3)(iv).
Section 679.21(b)(2) and (e)(5) authorizes NMFS, after consulting
with the Council, to establish seasonal apportionments of PSC amounts
for the BSAI trawl limited access and non-trawl sectors in order to
maximize the ability of the fleet to harvest the available groundfish
TAC and to minimize bycatch. The factors to be considered are (1)
seasonal distribution of prohibited species, (2) seasonal distribution
of target groundfish species relative to prohibited species
distribution, (3) PSC bycatch needs on a seasonal basis relevant to
prohibited species biomass and expected catches of target groundfish
species, (4) expected variations in bycatch rates throughout the year,
(5) expected changes in directed groundfish fishing seasons, (6)
expected start of fishing effort, and (7) economic effects of
establishing seasonal prohibited species apportionments on segments of
the target groundfish industry. The Council recommended and NMFS
approves the seasonal PSC apportionments in Tables 16 and 17 to
maximize harvest among gear types, fisheries, and seasons while
minimizing bycatch of PSC based on the above criteria.
Table 14--Final 2018 and 2019 Apportionment of Prohibited Species Catch Allowances to Non-Trawl Gear, the CDQ Program, Amendment 80, and the BSAI Trawl
Limited Access Sectors
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trawl PSC BSAI trawl
PSC species and area \1\ Total PSC Non-trawl PSC CDQ PSQ remaining Amendment 80 limited access
reserve \2\ after CDQ PSQ sector \3\ fishery
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Halibut mortality (mt) BSAI............................. 3,515 710 315 n/a 1,745 745
Herring (mt) BSAI....................................... 1,830 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
Red king crab (animals) Zone 1.......................... 97,000 n/a 10,379 86,621 43,293 26,489
C. opilio (animals) COBLZ............................... 9,120,539 n/a 975,898 8,144,641 4,003,091 2,617,688
C. bairdi crab (animals) Zone 1......................... 830,000 n/a 88,810 741,190 312,115 348,285
C. bairdi crab (animals) Zone 2......................... 2,520,000 n/a 269,640 2,250,360 532,660 1,053,394
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Refer to Sec. 679.2 for definitions of zones.
\2\ The PSQ reserve for crab species is 10.7 percent of each crab PSC limit.
\3\ The Amendment 80 program reduced apportionment of the trawl PSC limits for crab below the total PSC limit. These reductions are not apportioned to
other gear types or sectors.
Table 15--Final 2018 and 2019 Herring and Red King Crab Savings Subarea
Prohibited Species Catch Allowances for All Trawl Sectors
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Red king crab
Fishery Categories Herring (mt) (animals) Zone
BSAI 1
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yellowfin sole.......................... 80 n/a
Rock sole/flathead sole/other flatfish 39 n/a
\1\....................................
Greenland turbot/arrowtooth flounder/ 5 n/a
Kamchatka flounder/sablefish...........
Rockfish................................ 5 n/a
Pacific cod............................. 9 n/a
Midwater trawl pollock.................. 1,662 n/a
Pollock/Atka mackerel/other species \2\ 30 n/a
\3\....................................
Red king crab savings subarea non- n/a 24,250
pelagic trawl gear \4\.................
-------------------------------
Total trawl PSC..................... 1,830 97,000
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ ``Other flatfish'' for PSC monitoring includes all flatfish species,
except for halibut (a prohibited species), arrowtooth flounder,
flathead sole, Greenland turbot, Kamchatka flounder, rock sole, and
yellowfin sole.
\2\ Pollock other than pelagic trawl pollock, Atka mackerel, and ``other
species'' fishery category.
\3\ ``Other species'' for PSC monitoring includes skates, sculpins,
sharks, squids, and octopuses.
\4\ In December 2017, the Council recommended and NMFS concurs that the
red king crab bycatch limit for non-pelagic trawl fisheries within the
RKCSS be limited to 25 percent of the red king crab PSC allowance (see
Sec. 679.21(e)(3)(ii)(B)(2)).
Note: Species apportionments may not total precisely due to rounding.
[[Page 8381]]
Table 16--Final 2018 and 2018 Prohibited Species Bycatch Allowances for the
BSAI Trawl Limited Access Sector
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prohibited species and area \1\
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BSAI trawl limited access Halibut Red king crab C. opilio C. bairdi (animals)
fisheries mortality (mt) (animals) Zone (animals) -------------------------------
BSAI 1 COBLZ Zone 1 Zone 2
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yellowfin sole.................. 150 23,338 2,467,662 293,234 1,005,879
Rock sole/flathead sole/other 0 0 0 0 0
flatfish \2\...................
Greenland turbot/arrowtooth 0 0 0 0 0
flounder/Kamchatka flounder/
sablefish......................
Rockfish April 15--December 31.. 4 0 4,076 0 849
Pacific cod..................... 391 2,954 105,182 50,816 42,424
Pollock/Atka mackerel/other 200 197 40,768 4,235 4,243
species \3\....................
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total BSAI trawl limited 745 26,489 2,617,688 348,285 1,053,395
access PSC.................
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Refer to Sec. 679.2 for definitions of areas.
\2\ ``Other flatfish'' for PSC monitoring includes all flatfish species, except for halibut (a prohibited
species), flathead sole, Greenland turbot, rock sole, yellowfin sole, Kamchatka flounder, and arrowtooth
flounder.
\3\ ``Other species'' for PSC monitoring includes skates, sculpins, sharks, squids, and octopuses.
Note: Seasonal or sector apportionments may not total precisely due to rounding.
Table 17--Final 2018 and 2019 Halibut Prohibited Species Bycatch Allowances for Non-Trawl Fisheries
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Halibut mortality (mt) BSAI
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Catcher/
Non-trawl fisheries Seasons processor Catcher vessel All non-trawl
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pacific cod....................... Total Pacific cod.... 648 13 661.
January 1-June 10 388 9 n/a.
June 10-August 15 162 2 n/a.
August 15-December 98 2 n/a.
31
Non-Pacific cod non-trawl--Total.. May 1-December 31.... n/a n/a 49.
Groundfish pot and jig............ n/a.................. n/a n/a Exempt.
Sablefish hook-and-line........... n/a.................. n/a n/a Exempt.
------------------------------------------------------
Total for all non-trawl PSC... n/a.................. n/a n/a 710.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: Seasonal or sector apportionments may not total precisely due to rounding.
Estimates of Halibut Biomass and Stock Condition
The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) annually
assesses the abundance and potential yield of the Pacific halibut stock
using all available data from the commercial and sport fisheries, other
removals, and scientific surveys. Additional information on the Pacific
halibut stock assessment may be found in the IPHC's 2017 Pacific
halibut stock assessment (December 2017), available on the IPHC website
at www.iphc.int. The IPHC considered the 2017 Pacific halibut stock
assessment at its January 2018 annual meeting when it set the 2018
commercial halibut fishery catch limits.
Halibut Discard Mortality Rates
To monitor halibut bycatch mortality allowances and apportionments,
the Regional Administrator uses observed halibut incidental catch
rates, halibut discard mortality rates (DMRs), and estimates of
groundfish catch to project when a fishery's halibut bycatch mortality
allowance or seasonal apportionment is reached. Halibut incidental
catch rates are based on observers' estimates of halibut incidental
catch in the groundfish fishery. DMRs are estimates of the proportion
of incidentally caught halibut that do not survive after being returned
to the sea. The cumulative halibut mortality that accrues to a
particular halibut PSC limit is the product of a DMR multiplied by the
estimated halibut PSC. DMRs are estimated using the best scientific
information available in conjunction with the annual BSAI stock
assessment process. The DMR methodology and findings are included as an
appendix to the annual BSAI groundfish SAFE report.
In 2016, the DMR estimation methodology underwent revisions per the
Council's directive. An interagency halibut working group (IPHC,
Council, and NMFS staff) developed improved estimation methods that
have undergone review by the Plan Team, SSC, and the Council. A summary
of the revised methodology is included in the BSAI proposed 2017 and
2018 harvest specifications (81 FR 87863, December 6, 2016), and the
comprehensive discussion of the working group's statistical methodology
is available from the Council (see ADDRESSES). The DMR working group's
revised methodology is intended to improve estimation accuracy as well
as transparency and transferability in the methodology used for
calculating DMRs. The working group will continue to consider
improvements to the methodology used to calculate halibut mortality,
including potential changes to the reference period (the period of data
used for calculating the DMRs). Future DMRs, including the 2019 DMRs,
may change based on an additional year of observer sampling that could
provide more recent and accurate data and could improve the accuracy of
estimation and progress on methodology. The new methodology will
continue to ensure that NMFS is using DMRs that more accurately reflect
halibut mortality, which will inform the different sectors of their
estimated halibut mortality and
[[Page 8382]]
allow specific sectors to respond with methods that could reduce
mortality and, eventually, the DMR for that sector.
At the December 2017 meeting, the SSC, AP, and Council reviewed and
concurred in the revised DMRs. For 2018 and 2019, the Council
recommended and NMFS adopts the halibut DMRs derived from this revised
process. The final 2018 and 2019 DMRs are unchanged from the DMRs
proposed in the 2018 and 2019 harvest specifications (82 FR 57906,
December 8, 2017). Table 18 lists the final 2018 and 2019 DMRs.
Table 18--2018 and 2019 Pacific Halibut Discard Mortality Rates for the
BSAI
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Halibut
discard
Gear Sector mortality rate
(percent)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pelagic trawl..................... All................. 100
Non-pelagic trawl................. Mothership and 84
catcher/processor.
Non-pelagic trawl................. Catcher vessel...... 60
Hook-and-line..................... Catcher/processor... 8
Hook-and-line..................... Catcher vessel...... 17
Pot............................... All................. 9
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Directed Fishing Closures
In accordance with Sec. 679.20(d)(1)(i), the Regional
Administrator may establish a DFA for a species or species group if the
Regional Administrator determines that any allocation or apportionment
of a target species has been or will be reached. If the Regional
Administrator establishes a DFA, and that allowance is or will be
reached before the end of the fishing year, NMFS will prohibit directed
fishing for that species or species group in the specified subarea,
regulatory area, or district (see Sec. 679.20(d)(1)(iii)). Similarly,
pursuant to Sec. 679.21(b)(4) and (e)(7), if the Regional
Administrator determines that a fishery category's bycatch allowance of
halibut, red king crab, C. bairdi crab, or C. opilio crab for a
specified area has been reached, the Regional Administrator will
prohibit directed fishing for each species or species group in that
fishery category in the area specified by regulation for the remainder
of the fishing year.
Based on historic catch patterns and anticipated fishing activity,
the Regional Administrator has determined that the groundfish
allocation amounts in Table 19 will be necessary as incidental catch to
support other anticipated groundfish fisheries for the 2018 and 2019
fishing years. Consequently, in accordance with Sec. 679.20(d)(1)(i),
the Regional Administrator establishes the DFA for the species and
species groups in Table 19 as zero mt. Therefore, in accordance with
Sec. 679.20(d)(1)(iii), NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for these
sectors and species or species groups in the specified areas effective
at 1200 hrs, A.l.t., February 27, 2018, through 2400 hrs, A.l.t.,
December 31, 2019. Also, for the BSAI trawl limited access sector,
bycatch allowances of halibut, red king crab, C. bairdi crab, and C.
opilio crab listed in Table 19 are insufficient to support directed
fisheries. Therefore, in accordance with Sec. 679.21(b)(4)(i) and
(e)(7), NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for these sectors,
species, and fishery categories in the specified areas effective at
1200 hrs, A.l.t., February 27, 2018, through 2400 hrs, A.l.t., December
31, 2019.
Table 19--2018 and 2018 Directed Fishing Closures \1\
[Groundfish and halibut amounts are in metric tons. Crab amounts are in number of animals.]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2018 2019
incidental incidental
Area Sector Species catch catch
allowance allowance
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bogoslof District................. All.................. Pollock.............. 450 500
Aleutian Islands subarea.......... All.................. ICA pollock.......... 2,400 2,400
``Other rockfish'' 570 570
\2\.
Eastern Aleutian District/Bering Non-amendment 80, ICA Atka mackerel.... 800 800
Sea. CDQ, and BSAI trawl
limited access.
Eastern Aleutian District/Bering All.................. Blackspotted/Rougheye 75 75
Sea. rockfish.
Eastern Aleutian District......... Non-amendment 80, ICA Pacific ocean 100 100
CDQ, and BSAI trawl perch.
limited access.
Central Aleutian District......... Non-amendment 80, ICA Atka mackerel.... 75 75
CDQ, and BSAI trawl
limited access.
ICA Pacific ocean 60 60
perch.
Western Aleutian District......... Non-amendment 80, ICA Atka mackerel.... 20 20
CDQ, and BSAI trawl
limited access.
ICA Pacific ocean 10 10
perch.
Western and Central Aleutian All.................. Blackspotted/Rougheye 150 150
Districts. rockfish.
Bering Sea subarea................ All.................. Pacific ocean perch.. 10,082 9,774
``Other rockfish'' 275 275
\2\.
ICA pollock.......... 47,888 48,543
Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands... All.................. Northern rockfish.... 5,185 5,525
Shortraker rockfish.. 150 150
Skates............... 22,950 22,950
Sculpins............. 4,250 4,250
Sharks............... 180 180
[[Page 8383]]
Squids............... 1,020 1,020
Octopuses............ 250 200
Hook-and-line and pot ICA Pacific cod...... 400 400
gear.
Non-amendment 80 and ICA flathead sole.... 4,000 4,000
CDQ.
ICA rock sole........ 6,000 6,000
Non-amendment 80, ICA yellowfin sole... 4,000 4,000
CDQ, and BSAI trawl
limited access.
BSAI trawl limited Rock sole/flathead 0 0
access. sole/other flatfish--
halibut mortality,
red king crab Zone
1, C. opilio COBLZ,
C. bairdi Zone 1 and
2.
Turbot/arrowtooth/ 0 0
sablefish--halibut
mortality, red king
crab Zone 1, C.
opilio COBLZ, C.
bairdi Zone 1 and 2.
Rockfish--red king 0 0
crab Zone 1.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Maximum retainable amounts may be found in Table 11 to 50 CFR part 679.
\2\ ``Other rockfish'' includes all Sebastes and Sebastolobus species except for Pacific ocean perch, northern
rockfish, shortraker rockfish, and blackspotted/rougheye rockfish.
Closures implemented under the final 2017 and 2018 BSAI harvest
specifications for groundfish (82 FR 11826, February 27, 2017) remain
effective under authority of these final 2018 and 2019 harvest
specifications and until the date specified in those notices. Closures
are posted at the following websites: https://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/cm/info_bulletins/ and https://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/fisheries_reports/reports/. While these closures are in effect, the
maximum retainable amounts at Sec. 679.20(e) and (f) apply at any time
during a fishing trip. These closures to directed fishing are in
addition to closures and prohibitions found at 50 CFR part 679.
Listed AFA Catcher/Processor Sideboard Limits
Pursuant to Sec. 679.64(a), the Regional Administrator is
responsible for restricting the ability of listed AFA C/Ps to engage in
directed fishing for groundfish species other than pollock to protect
participants in other groundfish fisheries from adverse effects
resulting from the AFA and from fishery cooperatives in the pollock
directed fishery. These restrictions are set out as sideboard limits on
catch. The basis for these sideboard limits is described in detail in
the final rules implementing the major provisions of the AFA (67 FR
79692, December 30, 2002) and Amendment 80 (72 FR 52668, September 14,
2007). Table 20 lists the 2018 and 2019 AFA C/P groundfish sideboard
limits. Section 679.64(a)(1)(v) exempts AFA catcher/processors from a
yellowfin sole sideboard limit because the 2018 and 2019 aggregate ITAC
of yellowfin sole assigned to the Amendment 80 sector and BSAI trawl
limited access sector is greater than 125,000 mt.
All harvest of groundfish sideboard species by listed AFA C/Ps,
whether as targeted catch or incidental catch, will be deducted from
the sideboard limits in Table 20. However, groundfish sideboard species
that are delivered to listed AFA C/Ps by CVs will not be deducted from
the 2018 and 2019 sideboard limits for the listed AFA C/Ps.
Table 20--Final 2018 and 2019 Listed BSAI American Fisheries Act Catcher/Processor Groundfish Sideboard Limits
[Amounts are in metric tons]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1995-1997
------------------------------------------------ 2018 ITAC 2018 AFA C/P 2019 ITAC 2019 AFA C/P
Target species Area/season Ratio of available to sideboard available to sideboard
Retained catch Total catch retained catch trawl C/Ps \1\ limit trawl C/Ps* limit
to total catch \1\
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sablefish trawl............................... BS.............................. 8 497 0.016 622 10 876 14
AI.............................. 0 145 0 422 0 595 0
Atka mackerel................................. Central AI A season \2\......... n/a n/a 0.115 9,377 1,078 11,116 1,278
Central AI B season \2\......... n/a n/a 0.115 9,377 1,078 11,116 1,278
Western AI A season \2\......... n/a n/a 0.2 6,028 1,206 6,173 1,235
Western AI B season \2\......... n/a n/a 0.2 6,028 1,206 6,173 1,235
Rock sole..................................... BSAI............................ 6,317 169,362 0.037 42,060 1,556 43,846 1,622
Greenland turbot.............................. BS.............................. 121 17,305 0.007 4,356 30 4,356 30
AI.............................. 23 4,987 0.005 144 1 144 1
Arrowtooth flounder........................... BSAI............................ 76 33,987 0.002 11,578 23 11,900 24
Kamchatka flounder............................ BSAI............................ 76 33,987 0.002 4,250 9 4,250 9
Flathead sole................................. BSAI............................ 1,925 52,755 0.036 12,949 466 14,735 530
Alaska plaice................................. BSAI............................ 14 9,438 0.001 13,685 14 13,814 14
[[Page 8384]]
Other flatfish................................ BSAI............................ 3,058 52,298 0.058 3,400 197 3,400 197
Pacific ocean perch........................... BS.............................. 12 4,879 0.002 10,082 20 9,774 20
Eastern AI...................... 125 6,179 0.02 8,037 161 8,675 174
Central AI...................... 3 5,698 0.001 6,698 7 6,741 7
Western AI...................... 54 13,598 0.004 8,037 32 8,141 33
Northern rockfish............................. BSAI............................ 91 13,040 0.007 5,185 36 5,525 39
Shortraker rockfish........................... BSAI............................ 50 2,811 0.018 150 3 150 3
Blackspotted/Rougheye rockfish................ BS/EAI.......................... 50 2,811 0.018 75 1 75 1
CAI/WAI......................... 50 2,811 0.018 150 3 150 3
Other rockfish................................ BS.............................. 18 621 0.029 275 8 275 8
AI.............................. 22 806 0.027 570 15 570 15
Skates........................................ BSAI............................ 553 68,672 0.008 22,950 184 22,950 184
Sculpins...................................... BSAI............................ 553 68,672 0.008 4,250 34 4,250 34
Sharks........................................ BSAI............................ 553 68,672 0.008 180 1 180 1
Squids........................................ BSAI............................ 73 3,328 0.022 1,020 22 1,020 22
Octopuses..................................... BSAI............................ 553 68,672 0.008 250 2 200 2
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Aleutian Islands Pacific ocean perch, and BSAI Atka mackerel, flathead sole, and rock sole are multiplied by the remainder of the TAC for each species after the subtraction of the CDQ
reserve under Sec. 679.20(b)(1)(ii)(C).
\2\ The seasonal apportionment of Atka mackerel in the open access fishery is 50 percent in the A season and 50 percent in the B season. Listed AFA catcher/processors are limited to harvesting
no more than zero in the Eastern Aleutian District and Bering Sea subarea, 20 percent of the annual ITAC specified for the Western Aleutian District, and 11.5 percent of the annual ITAC
specified for the Central Aleutian District.
Section 679.64(a)(2) and Tables 40 and 41 of 50 CFR part 679
establish a formula for calculating PSC sideboard limits for halibut
and crab caught by listed AFA C/Ps. The basis for these sideboard
limits is described in detail in the final rules implementing the major
provisions of the AFA (67 FR 79692, December 30, 2002) and Amendment 80
(72 FR 52668, September 14, 2007).
PSC species listed in Table 21 that are caught by listed AFA C/Ps
participating in any groundfish fishery other than pollock will accrue
against the 2018 and 2019 PSC sideboard limits for the listed AFA C/Ps.
Section 679.21(b)(4)(iii), (e)(3)(v), and (e)(7) authorizes NMFS to
close directed fishing for groundfish other than pollock for listed AFA
C/Ps once a 2018 or 2019 PSC sideboard limit listed in Table 21 is
reached.
Pursuant to Sec. 679.21(b)(1)(ii)(C) and (e)(3)(ii)(C), halibut or
crab PSC caught by listed AFA C/Ps while fishing for pollock will
accrue against the bycatch allowances annually specified for the
pollock/Atka mackerel/``other species'' fishery categories under Sec.
679.21(b)(1)(ii)(B) and (e)(3)(iv).
Table 21--Final 2018 and 2019 BSAI AFA Listed Catcher/Processor Prohibited Species Catch Sideboard Limits
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2018 and 2019
PSC available 2018 and 2019
Ratio of PSC to trawl AFA catcher/
PSC species and area \1\ catch to total vessels after processor
PSC subtraction of sideboard
PSQ \2\ limit \2\
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Halibut mortality BSAI.......................................... n/a n/a 286
Red king crab zone 1............................................ 0.007 86,621 606
C. opilio (COBLZ)............................................... 0.153 8,144,641 1,246,130
C. bairdi Zone 1................................................ 0.140 741,190 103,767
C. bairdi Zone 2................................................ 0.050 2,250,360 112,518
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Refer to Sec. 679.2 for definitions of areas.
\2\ Halibut amounts are in metric tons of halibut mortality. Crab amounts are in numbers of animals.
AFA Catcher Vessel Sideboard Limits
Pursuant to Sec. 679.64(b), the Regional Administrator is
responsible for restricting the ability of AFA CVs to engage in
directed fishing for groundfish species other than pollock to protect
participants in other groundfish fisheries from adverse effects
resulting from the AFA and from fishery cooperatives in the pollock
directed fishery. Section 679.64(b)(3) and (4) establishes a formula
for setting AFA CV groundfish and halibut and crab PSC sideboard limits
for the BSAI. The basis for these sideboard limits is described in
detail in the final rules implementing the major provisions of the AFA
(67 FR 79692, December 30, 2002) and Amendment 80 (72 FR 52668,
September 14, 2007). Section 679.64(b)(6) exempts AFA CVs from a
yellowfin sole sideboard limit because the 2018 and 2019 aggregate ITAC
of yellowfin sole assigned to the Amendment 80 sector and BSAI trawl
limited access sector is greater than 125,000 mt. Tables 22 and 23 list
the 2018 and 2019 AFA CV sideboard limits.
All catch of groundfish sideboard species made by non-exempt AFA
CVs, whether as targeted catch or incidental catch, will be deducted
from the 2018
[[Page 8385]]
and 2019 sideboard limits listed in Table 22.
Halibut and crab PSC limits listed in Table 23 that are caught by
AFA CVs participating in any groundfish fishery for groundfish other
than pollock will accrue against the 2018 and 2019 PSC sideboard limits
for the AFA CVs. Section 679.21(b)(4)(iii), (e)(3)(v), and (e)(7)
authorizes NMFS to close directed fishing for groundfish other than
pollock for AFA CVs once a 2018 or 2019 PSC sideboard limit listed in
Table 23 is reached. Pursuant to Sec. 679.21(b)(1)(ii)(C) and
(e)(3)(ii)(C), the PSC that is caught by AFA CVs while fishing for
pollock in the BSAI will accrue against the bycatch allowances annually
specified for the pollock/Atka mackerel/``other species'' fishery
categories under Sec. 679.21(b)(1)(ii)(B) and (e)(3)(iv).
Table 22--Final 2018 and 2019 American Fisheries Act Catcher Vessel BSAI Groundfish Sideboard Limits
[Amounts are in metric tons]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ratio of 1995- 2018 AFA 2019 AFA
1997 AFA CV 2018 initial catcher vessel 2019 initial catcher vessel
Species/gear Fishery by area/season catch to 1995- TAC \1\ sideboard TAC \1\ sideboard
1997 TAC limits limits
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pacific cod/Hook-and-line CV [gteqt]60 BSAI Jan 1-Jun 10........... 0.0006 185 0 159 0
feet LOA.
BSAI Jun 10-Dec 31.......... 0.0006 178 0 152 0
Pacific cod pot gear CV................... BSAI Jan 1-Jun 10........... 0.0006 7,770 5 6,660 4
BSAI Sept 1-Dec 31.......... 0.0006 7,465 4 6,398 4
Pacific cod CV <=60 feet LOA using hook- BSAI........................ 0.0006 3,627 2 3,109 2
and-line or pot gear.
Pacific cod trawl gear CV................. BSAI Jan 20-Apr 1........... 0.8609 29,768 25,627 25,530 21,979
BSAI Apr 1-Jun 10........... 0.8609 4,425 3,809 3,795 3,267
BSAI Jun 10-Nov 1........... 0.8609 6,034 5,195 5,175 4,455
Sablefish trawl gear...................... BS.......................... 0.0906 622 56 876 79
AI.......................... 0.0645 422 27 595 38
Atka mackerel............................. Eastern AI/BS Jan 1-Jun 10.. 0.0032 16,298 52 15,083 48
Eastern AI/BS Jun 10-Nov 1.. 0.0032 16,298 52 15,083 48
Central AI Jan 1-Jun 10..... 0.0001 9,377 1 11,116 1
Central AI Jun 10-Nov 1..... 0.0001 9,377 1 11,116 1
Western AI Jan 1-Jun 10..... 0 6,028 0 6,173 0
Western AI Jun 10-Nov 1..... 0 6,028 0 6,173 0
Rock sole................................. BSAI........................ 0.0341 42,060 1,434 43,846 1,495
Greenland turbot.......................... BS.......................... 0.0645 4,356 281 4,356 281
AI.......................... 0.0205 144 3 144 3
Arrowtooth flounder....................... BSAI........................ 0.069 11,578 799 11,900 821
Kamchatka flounder........................ BSAI........................ 0.069 4,250 293 4,250 293
Alaska plaice............................. BSAI........................ 0.0441 13,685 604 13,814 609
Other flatfish............................ BSAI........................ 0.0441 3,400 150 3,400 150
Flathead sole............................. BS.......................... 0.0505 12,949 654 14,735 744
Pacific ocean perch....................... BS.......................... 0.1 10,082 1,008 9,774 977
Eastern AI.................. 0.0077 8,037 62 8,675 67
Central AI.................. 0.0025 6,698 17 6,741 17
Western AI.................. 0 8,037 0 8,141 0
Northern rockfish......................... BSAI........................ 0.0084 5,185 44 5,525 46
Shortraker rockfish....................... BSAI........................ 0.0037 150 1 150 1
Blackspotted/Rougheye rockfish............ BS/EAI...................... 0.0037 75 0 75 0
CAI/WAI..................... 0.0037 150 1 150 1
Other rockfish............................ BS.......................... 0.0048 275 1 275 1
AI.......................... 0.0095 570 5 570 5
Skates.................................... BSAI........................ 0.0541 22,950 1,242 22,950 1,242
Sculpins.................................. BSAI........................ 0.0541 4,250 230 4,250 230
Sharks.................................... BSAI........................ 0.0541 180 10 180 10
Squids.................................... BSAI........................ 0.3827 1,020 390 1,020 390
Octopuses................................. BSAI........................ 0.0541 250 14 200 11
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Aleutians Islands Pacific ocean perch, and BSAI Atka mackerel, flathead sole, Pacific cod, and rock sole are multiplied by the remainder of the TAC
for each species after the subtraction of the CDQ reserve under Sec. 679.20(b)(1)(ii)(C).
[[Page 8386]]
Table 23--Final 2018 and 2019 American Fisheries Act Catcher Vessel Prohibited Species Catch Sideboard Limits
for the BSAI \1\
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2018 and 2019
AFA catcher PSC limit 2018 and 2019
vessel PSC after AFA catcher
PSC species and area \1\ Target fishery category \2\ sideboard subtraction of vessel PSC
limit ratio PSQ reserves sideboard
\3\ limit \3\
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Halibut............................ Pacific cod trawl.......... n/a n/a 887
Pacific cod hook-and-line n/a n/a 2
or pot.
Yellowfin sole total....... n/a n/a 101
Rock sole/flathead sole/ n/a n/a 228
other flatfish \4\.
Greenland turbot/arrowtooth/ n/a n/a 0
sablefish \5\.
Rockfish................... n/a n/a 2
Pollock/Atka mackerel/other n/a n/a 5
species \6\.
Red king crab Zone 1............... n/a........................ 0.299 86,621 25,900
C. opilio COBLZ.................... n/a........................ 0.168 8,144,641 1,368,300
C. bairdi Zone 1................... n/a........................ 0.330 741,190 244,593
C. bairdi Zone 2................... n/a........................ 0.186 2,250,360 418,567
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Refer to Sec. 679.2 for definitions of areas.
\2\ Target trawl fishery categories are defined at Sec. 679.21(b)(1)(ii)(B) and (e)(3)(iv).
\3\ Halibut amounts are in metric tons of halibut mortality. Crab amounts are in numbers of animals.
\4\ ``Other flatfish'' for PSC monitoring includes all flatfish species, except for halibut (a prohibited
species), flathead sole, Greenland turbot, rock sole, yellowfin sole, Kamchatka flounder, and arrowtooth
flounder.
\5\ Arrowtooth for PSC monitoring includes Kamchatka flounder.
\6\ ``Other species'' for PSC monitoring includes skates, sculpins, sharks, squids, and octopuses.
AFA Catcher/Processor and Catcher Vessel Sideboard Directed Fishing
Closures
Based on historical catch patterns, the Regional Administrator has
determined that many of the AFA C/P and CV sideboard limits listed in
Tables 24 and 25 are necessary as incidental catch to support other
anticipated groundfish fisheries for the 2018 and 2019 fishing years.
In accordance with Sec. 679.20(d)(1)(iv), the Regional Administrator
establishes the sideboard limits listed in Tables 24 and 25 as DFAs.
Because many of these DFAs will be reached before the end of 2018, the
Regional Administrator has determined, in accordance with Sec.
679.20(d)(1)(iii), that NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing by listed
AFA C/Ps for the species in the specified areas set out in Table 24,
and prohibiting directed fishing by non-exempt AFA CVs for the species
in the specified areas set out in Table 25.
Table 24--Final 2018 and 2019 American Fisheries Act Listed Catcher/Processor Sideboard Directed Fishing
Closures \1\
[Amounts are in metric tons]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2018 sideboard 2019 sideboard
Species Area Gear types limit limit
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sablefish trawl................... BS................... trawl................ 10 14
AI................... trawl................ 0 0
Rock sole......................... BSAI................. all.................. 1,556 1,622
Greenland turbot.................. BS................... all.................. 30 30
AI................... all.................. 1 1
Arrowtooth flounder............... BSAI................. all.................. 23 24
Kamchatka flounder................ BSAI................. all.................. 9 9
Alaska plaice..................... BSAI................. all.................. 14 14
Other flatfish \2\................ BSAI................. all.................. 197 197
Flathead sole..................... BSAI................. all.................. 466 530
Pacific ocean perch............... BS................... all.................. 20 20
Eastern AI........... all.................. 161 174
Central AI........... all.................. 7 7
Western AI........... all.................. 32 33
Northern rockfish................. BSAI................. all.................. 36 39
Shortraker rockfish............... BSAI................. all.................. 3 3
Blackspotted/Rougheye rockfish.... BS/EAI............... all.................. 1 1
CAI/WAI.............. all.................. 3 3
Other rockfish \3\................ BS................... all.................. 8 8
AI................... all.................. 15 15
Skates............................ BSAI................. all.................. 184 184
Sculpins.......................... BSAI................. all.................. 34 34
Sharks............................ BSAI................. all.................. 1 1
Squids............................ BSAI................. all.................. 25 22
Octopuses......................... BSAI................. all.................. 2 2
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Maximum retainable amounts may be found in Table 11 to 50 CFR part 679.
[[Page 8387]]
\2\ ``Other flatfish'' includes all flatfish species, except for halibut, Alaska plaice, flathead sole,
Greenland turbot, rock sole, yellowfin sole, Kamchatka flounder, and arrowtooth flounder.
\3\ ``Other rockfish'' includes all Sebastes and Sebastolobus species except for Pacific ocean perch, northern
rockfish, shortraker rockfish, and blackspotted/rougheye rockfish.
Table 25--Final 2018 and 2019 American Fisheries Act Catcher Vessel Sideboard Directed Fishing Closures \1\
[Amounts are in metric tons]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2018 sideboard 2019 sideboard
Species Area Gear types limit limit
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pacific cod....................... BSAI................. hook-and-line CV 0 0
[gteqt]60 feet LOA.
BSAI................. pot CV [gteqt]60 feet 9 8
LOA.
BSAI................. hook-and-line or pot 2 2
CV <=60 feet LOA.
BSAI................. jig.................. 0 0
Sablefish......................... BS................... trawl................ 56 79
AI................... trawl................ 27 38
Atka mackerel..................... Eastern AI/BS........ all.................. 104 96
Central AI........... all.................. 2 2
Western AI........... all.................. 0 0
Greenland turbot.................. BS................... all.................. 281 281
AI................... all.................. 3 3
Arrowtooth flounder............... BSAI................. all.................. 799 821
Kamchatka flounder................ BSAI................. all.................. 293 293
Alaska plaice..................... BSAI................. all.................. 501 609
Other flatfish \2\................ BSAI................. all.................. 150 150
Flathead sole..................... BSAI................. all.................. 654 744
Rock sole......................... BSAI................. all.................. 1,434 1,495
Pacific ocean perch............... BS................... all.................. 1008 977
Eastern AI........... all.................. 62 67
Central AI........... all.................. 17 17
Western AI........... all.................. 0 0
Northern rockfish................. BSAI................. all.................. 44 46
Shortraker rockfish............... BSAI................. all.................. 1 1
Blackspotted/Rougheye rockfish.... BS/EAI............... all.................. 0 0
CAI/WAI.............. all.................. 1 1
Other rockfish \3\................ BS................... all.................. 1 1
AI................... all.................. 5 5
Skates............................ BSAI................. all.................. 1,242 1,242
Sculpins.......................... BSAI................. all.................. 230 230
Sharks............................ BSAI................. all.................. 10 10
Squids............................ BSAI................. all.................. 390 390
Octopuses......................... BSAI................. all.................. 14 11
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\1\ Maximum retainable amounts may be found in Table 11 to 50 CFR part 679.
\2\ ``Other flatfish'' includes all flatfish species, except for halibut, Alaska plaice, flathead sole,
Greenland turbot, rock sole, yellowfin sole, Kamchatka flounder, and arrowtooth flounder.
\3\ ``Other rockfish'' includes all Sebastes and Sebastolobus species except for Pacific ocean perch, northern
rockfish, shortraker rockfish, and blackspotted/rougheye rockfish.
Response to Comments
NMFS received no substantive comments during the public comment
period for the proposed BSAI groundfish harvest specifications. No
changes were made to the final rule in response to the comment letters
received.
Classification
NMFS has determined that these final harvest specifications are
consistent with the FMP and with the Magnuson-Stevens Act and other
applicable laws.
This action is authorized under 50 CFR 679.20 and is exempt from
review under Executive Order 12866.
NMFS prepared an EIS that covers this action (see ADDRESSES) and
made it available to the public on January 12, 2007 (72 FR 1512). On
February 13, 2007, NMFS issued the Record of Decision (ROD) for the
EIS. In January 2018, NMFS prepared a Supplemental Information Report
(SIR) for this action. Copies of the EIS, ROD, and SIR for this action
are available from NMFS (see ADDRESSES). The EIS analyzes the
environmental consequences of the groundfish harvest specifications and
alternative harvest strategies on resources in the action area. The EIS
found no significant environmental consequences of this action and its
alternatives. The SIR evaluates the need to prepare a Supplemental EIS
(SEIS) for the 2018 and 2019 groundfish harvest specifications.
An SEIS should be prepared if (1) the agency makes substantial
changes in the proposed action that are relevant to environmental
concerns; or (2) significant new circumstances or information exist
relevant to environmental concerns and bearing on the proposed action
or its impacts (40 CFR 1502.9(c)(1)). After reviewing the information
contained in the SIR and SAFE reports, the Regional Administrator has
determined that (1) approval of the 2018 and 2019 harvest
specifications, which were set according to the preferred harvest
strategy in the EIS, does not constitute a substantial change in the
action; and (2) there are no significant new circumstances or
information relevant to environmental concerns and bearing on the
action or its impacts. Additionally, the 2018 and 2019 harvest
specifications will result in
[[Page 8388]]
environmental impacts within the scope of those analyzed and disclosed
in the EIS. Therefore, supplemental National Environmental Policy Act
documentation is not necessary to implement the 2018 and 2019 harvest
specifications.
Section 604 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) (5 U.S.C. 604)
requires that, when an agency promulgates a final rule under section
553 of Title 5 of the United States Code, after being required by that
section, or any other law, to publish a general notice of proposed
rulemaking, the agency shall prepare a final regulatory flexibility
analysis (FRFA). The following constitutes the FRFA prepared in the
final action.
The required contents of a FRFA, as described in section 604, are:
(1) A statement of the need for, and objectives of, the rule; (2) a
statement of the significant issues raised by the public comments in
response to the initial regulatory flexibility analysis, a statement of
the assessment of the agency of such issues, and a statement of any
changes made in the proposed rule as a result of such comments; (3) the
response of the agency to any comments filed by the Chief Counsel for
Advocacy of the Small Business Administration in response to the
proposed rule, and a detailed statement of any change made to the
proposed rule in the final rule as a result of the comments; (4) a
description of and an estimate of the number of small entities to which
the rule will apply or an explanation of why no such estimate is
available; (5) a description of the projected reporting, recordkeeping,
and other compliance requirements of the rule, including an estimate of
the classes of small entities which will be subject to the requirement
and the type of professional skills necessary for preparation of the
report or record; and (6) a description of the steps the agency has
taken to minimize the significant economic impact on small entities
consistent with the stated objectives of applicable statutes, including
a statement of the factual, policy, and legal reasons for selecting the
alternative adopted in the final rule and why each one of the other
significant alternatives to the rule considered by the agency which
affect the impact on small entities was rejected.
A description of this action, its purpose, and its legal basis are
included at the beginning of the preamble to this final rule and are
not repeated here.
NMFS published the proposed rule on December 8, 2017 (82 FR 57906).
NMFS prepared an Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (IRFA) to
accompany the proposed action, and included a summary in the proposed
rule. The comment period closed on January 8, 2018. No comments were
received on the IRFA or on the economic impacts of the rule more
generally. The Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business
Administration did not file any comments on the proposed rule.
The entities directly regulated by this action are those that
harvest groundfish in the exclusive economic zone of the BSAI and in
parallel fisheries within State waters. These include entities
operating catcher vessels and catcher/processors within the action area
and entities receiving direct allocations of groundfish.
For RFA purposes only, NMFS has established a small business size
standard for businesses, including their affiliates, whose primary
industry is commercial fishing (see 50 CFR 200.2). A business primarily
engaged in commercial fishing (NAICS code 11411) is classified as a
small business if it is independently owned and operated, is not
dominant in its field of operation (including its affiliates), and has
combined annual gross receipts not in excess of $11 million for all its
affiliated operations worldwide.
The estimated number of directly regulated small entities in 2016
include approximately 119 catcher vessels, five catcher/processors, and
six CDQ groups. Some of these vessels are members of AFA inshore
pollock cooperatives, Gulf of Alaska rockfish cooperatives, or BSAI
Crab Rationalization Program cooperatives, and, since under the RFA the
aggregate gross receipts of all participating members of the
cooperative must meet the ``under $11 million'' threshold, the
cooperatives are considered to be large entities within the meaning of
the RFA. Thus, the estimate of 119 catcher vessels may be an
overstatement of the number of small entities. Average gross revenues
were $690,000 for small hook-and-line vessels, $1.25 million for small
pot vessels, and $3.44 million for small trawl vessels. The average
gross revenue for catcher/processor hook-and-line vessels was $2.90
million. The revenue data for other catcher/processors are not
reported, due to confidentiality considerations.
This action does not modify recordkeeping or reporting
requirements.
The significant alternatives were those considered as alternative
harvest strategies when the Council selected its preferred harvest
strategy (Alternative 2) in December 2006. These included the
following:
Alternative 1: Set TAC to produce fishing mortality rates,
F, that are equal to maxFABC, unless the sum of the TAC is constrained
by the OY established in the fishery management plans. This is
equivalent to setting TAC to produce harvest levels equal to the
maximum permissible ABC, as constrained by OY. The term ``maxFABC''
refers to the maximum permissible value of FABC under Amendment 56 to
the BSAI and Gulf of Alaska groundfish fishery management plans.
Historically, the TAC has been set at or below the ABC; therefore, this
alternative represents a likely upper limit for setting the TAC within
the OY and ABC limits.
Alternative 3: For species in Tiers 1, 2, and 3, set TAC
to produce F equal to the most recent 5-year average actual F. For
species in Tiers 4, 5, and 6, set TAC equal to the most recent 5-year
average actual catch. For stocks with a high level of scientific
information, TAC would be set to produce harvest levels equal to the
most recent 5-year average actual fishing mortality rates. For stocks
with insufficient scientific information, TAC would be set equal to the
most recent 5-year average actual catch. This alternative recognizes
that for some stocks, catches may fall well below ABC, and recent
average F may provide a better indicator of actual F than FABC does.
Alternative 4: First, set TAC for rockfish species in Tier
3 at F 75%; set TAC for rockfish species in Tier 5 at F = 0.5M; and set
spatially explicit TAC for shortraker and rougheye rockfish in the
BSAI. Second, taking the rockfish TAC as calculated above, reduce all
other TAC by a proportion that does not vary across species, so that
the sum of all TAC, including rockfish TAC, is equal to the lower bound
of the area OY (1,400,000 mt in the BSAI). This alternative sets
conservative and spatially explicit TAC for rockfish species that are
long-lived and late to mature, and sets conservative TAC for the other
groundfish species.
Alternative 5: (No Action) Set TAC at zero.
Alternative 2 is the preferred alternative chosen by the Council:
Set TAC that fall within the range of ABC recommended through the
Council harvest specifications process and TACs recommended by the
Council. Under this scenario, F is set equal to a constant fraction of
maxFABC. The recommended fractions of maxFABC may vary among species or
stocks, based on other considerations unique to each. This is the
method for determining TAC that has been used in the past.
Alternatives 1, 3, 4, and 5 do not meet the objectives of this
action, and
[[Page 8389]]
although Alternatives 1 and 3 may have a smaller adverse economic
impact on small entities than the preferred alternative, Alternatives 4
and 5 likely would have a significant adverse economic impact on small
entities. The Council rejected these alternatives as harvest strategies
in 2006, and the Secretary of Commerce did so in 2007.
Alternative 1 would lead to TAC limits whose sum exceeds the
fishery OY, which is set out in statute and the FMP. As shown in Table
1 and Table 2, the sum of ABCs in 2018 and 2019 would be 3,779,809 mt
and 3,578,956 mt, respectively. Both of these are substantially in
excess of the fishery OY for the BSAI. This result would be
inconsistent with the objectives of this action, in that it would
violate the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2004, Public Law 108-
199, Division B, section 803(c), and the FMP, which both set a 2
million mt maximum harvest for BSAI groundfish.
Alternative 3 selects harvest rates based on the most recent 5
years' worth of harvest rates (for species in Tiers 1 through 3) or
based on the most recent 5 years' worth of harvests (for species in
Tiers 4 through 6). This alternative is also inconsistent with the
objectives of this action because it does not take into account the
most recent biological information for this fishery. NMFS annually
conducts at-sea stock surveys for different species, as well as
statistical modeling, to estimate stock sizes and permissible harvest
levels. Actual harvest rates or harvest amounts are a component of
these estimates, but in and of themselves may not accurately portray
stock sizes and conditions. Harvest rates are listed for each species
category for each year in the SAFE report (see ADDRESSES).
Alternative 4 would lead to significantly lower harvests of all
species to reduce TAC from the upper end of the OY range in the BSAI to
its lower end of 1.4 million mt. This result would lead to significant
reductions in harvests of species by small entities. While reductions
of this size could be associated with offsetting price increases, the
size of these increases is uncertain, and, assuming volume decreases
would lead to price increases, it is unclear whether price increases
would be sufficient to offset the volume decreases and to leave
revenues unchanged for small entities. Thus, this action would have an
adverse economic impact on small entities, compared to the preferred
alternative.
Alternative 5, which sets all harvests equal to zero, may also
address conservation issues, but would have a significant adverse
economic impact on small entities.
Impacts on marine mammals resulting from fishing activities
conducted under this rule are discussed in the EIS (see ADDRESSES).
Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3), the Assistant Administrator for
Fisheries, NOAA, finds good cause to waive the 30-day delay in
effectiveness for this rule because delaying this rule is contrary to
the public interest. The Plan Team review occurred in November 2017,
and the Council considered and recommended the final harvest
specifications in December 2017. Accordingly, NMFS' review could not
begin until after the December 2017 Council meeting, and after the
public had time to comment on the proposed action. If this rule's
effectiveness is delayed, fisheries that might otherwise remain open
under these rules may prematurely close based on the lower TACs
established in the final 2017 and 2018 harvest specifications (82 FR
11826, February 27, 2017). If implemented immediately, this rule would
allow these fisheries to continue fishing because some of the new TACs
implemented by this rule are higher than the TACs under which they are
currently fishing.
In addition, immediate effectiveness of this action is required to
provide consistent management and conservation of fishery resources
based on the best available scientific information. This is
particularly pertinent for those species that have lower 2018 ABCs and
TACs than those established in the 2017 and 2018 harvest specifications
(82 FR 11826, February 27, 2017). If implemented immediately, this rule
would ensure that NMFS can properly manage those fisheries for which
this rule sets lower 2018 ABCs and TACs, which are based on the most
recent biological information on the condition of stocks, rather than
managing species under the higher TACs set in the previous year's
harvest specifications.
Certain fisheries, such as those for pollock and Pacific cod, are
intensive, fast-paced fisheries. Other fisheries, such as those for
flatfish, rockfish, skates, sculpins, sharks, and octopuses, are
critical as directed fisheries and as incidental catch in other
fisheries. U.S. fishing vessels have demonstrated the capacity to catch
the TAC allocations in these fisheries. Any delay in allocating the
final TAC limits in these fisheries would cause confusion in the
industry and potential economic harm through unnecessary discards, thus
undermining the intent of this rule. Predicting which fisheries may
close is impossible because these fisheries are affected by several
factors that cannot be predicted in advance, including fishing effort,
weather, movement of fishery stocks, and market price. Furthermore, the
closure of one fishery has a cascading effect on other fisheries, for
example by freeing up fishing vessels, which would allow them to move
from closed fisheries to open ones and lead to an increase in the
fishing capacity in those open fisheries, causing those open fisheries
to close at an accelerated pace.
Additionally, in fisheries subject to declining sideboards,
delaying this rule's effectiveness could allow some vessels to
inadvertently reach or exceed their new sideboard limits. Because
sideboards are intended to protect traditional fisheries in other
sectors, allowing one sector to exceed its new sideboards by delaying
this rule's effectiveness would effectively reduce the available catch
for sectors without sideboard limits. Moreover, the new TAC and
sideboard limits protect the fisheries from being overfished. Thus, the
delay is contrary to the public interest in protecting traditional
fisheries and fish stocks.
If the final harvest specifications are not effective by March 24,
2018, which is the start of the 2018 Pacific halibut season as
specified by the IPHC, the hook-and-line sablefish fishery will not
begin concurrently with the Pacific halibut IFQ season. Delayed
effectiveness of this action would result in confusion for sablefish
harvesters and economic harm from unnecessary discard of sablefish that
are caught along with Pacific halibut, as both hook-and-line sablefish
and Pacific halibut are managed under the same IFQ program. Immediate
effectiveness of the final 2018 and 2019 harvest specifications will
allow the sablefish IFQ fishery to begin concurrently with the Pacific
halibut IFQ season.
Finally, immediate effectiveness also would provide the fishing
industry the earliest possible opportunity to plan and conduct its
fishing operations with respect to new information about TAC limits.
Therefore, NMFS finds good cause to waive the 30-day delay in
effectiveness under 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3).
Small Entity Compliance Guide
This final rule is a plain language guide to assist small entities
in complying with this final rule as required by the Small Business
Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996. This final rule's primary
purpose is to announce the final 2018 and 2019 harvest specifications
and prohibited species bycatch allowances for the groundfish fisheries
of the BSAI. This
[[Page 8390]]
action is necessary to establish harvest limits and associated
management measures for groundfish during the 2018 and 2019 fishing
years and to accomplish the goals and objectives of the FMP. This
action directly affects all fishermen who participate in the BSAI
fisheries. The specific amounts of OFL, ABC, TAC, and PSC amounts are
provided in tables to assist the reader. NMFS will announce closures of
directed fishing in the Federal Register and information bulletins
released by the Alaska Region. Affected fishermen should keep
themselves informed of such closures.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 773 et seq.; 16 U.S.C. 1540(f); 16 U.S.C.
1801 et seq.; 16 U.S.C. 3631 et seq.; Pub. L. 105-277; Pub. L. 106-
31; Pub. L. 106-554; Pub. L. 108-199; Pub. L. 108-447; Pub. L. 109-
241; Pub. L. 109-479.
Dated: February 21, 2018.
Samuel D. Rauch III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-03918 Filed 2-26-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
