"This final rule would amend federal fishing permits (FFPs) and license limitation program licenses to require Pot and Hook-and-Line catcher/processors to have the same endoresements on those permits and licenses to catch Pacific cod in the State of Alaska parallel fishery as are required for them to participate in the federal fisheries. It would also prevent vessels from surrendering an FFP or removing endorsements on an FFP to avoid federal recordkeeping and reporting, vessel monitoring systems, and observer requirements"--Cover letter.

This Environmental Assessment/Regulatory Impact Review/Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (EA/RIR/IRFA) evaluates the environmental impacts, costs and benefits, and small entity impacts of a proposed regulatory amendment to increase the maximum retainable amounts of selected groundfish in the arrowtooth flounder and Kamchatka flounder fishery in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). The purpose of the proposed amendment is to reduce the amount of regulatory discards of otherwise marketable groundfish in the developing arrowtooth and Kamchatka flounder fishery and to allow the Amendment 80 fleet to retain those regulatory discards thereby reducing waste. The proposed action also would revise regulations at 50 CFR part 679 to accommodate the North Pacific Fishery Management Council's removal of Kamchatka flounder from the arrowtooth flounder complex in the BSAI. This EA/RIR/IRFA addresses the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act, Presidential Executive Order 12866, and the Regulatory Flexibility Act.

This Regulatory Impact Review/Environmental Assessment analyzes management measures that would apply to catcher vessels (CVs) targeting Pacific cod in the Bering Sea (BS) and Aleutian Islands (AI). The management measures under consideration would designate a portion of the AI Pacific cod total allowable catch (TAC) for harvest by vessels that deliver their catch to shoreplants in the AI for processing. The intent of this action is to provide stability to AI harvesters, AI shoreplant operations, and AI fishing communities dependent on AI Pacific cod harvesting and shoreside processing activity.

This document evaluates alternatives to allow vessels with Federal Fisheries Permits (FFPs) to transit walrus protection areas at Round Island and Cape Peirce from April 1 through August 15 while tendering herring or salmon or delivering groundfish to trampers or processors. The purpose of this action is to maintain suitable protection for walruses on Round Island and Cape Peirce, restore access to vessels with FFPs serving as tenders for the northern Bristol Bay herring and salmon fisheries to the routes used by tenders before implementation of GOA FMP Amendment 83, to allow vessels delivering groundfish access to the route north of Round Island, and to reduce the likelihood of disturbance to walrus on Hagemeister Island and Cape Peirce. Alternatives include: 1) no action – vessels with FFPs remain excluded from the walrus protection area, 2) open portion of the Round Island walrus protection area to transit with three options of increasing distance and 3) open portion of the Cape Peirce walrus protection area to transit. Three transit options are considered under Alternative 2: 1) open up to 3 nm from Round Island, 2) open up to 4.5 nm from Round Island, and 3) open up to 6 nm from Round Island. The Council recommended Alternative 2, Option 1 and Alternative 3 as the Preferred Alternative. None of the alternatives analyzed, including the Preferred Alternative, are likely to result in significant impacts to the human environment of northern Bristol Bay, or to result in significant economic impacts to individuals or entities in northern Bristol Bay.

"Amendment 93 would amend the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Amendment 80 Program to modify the criteria for forming and participating in a harvesting cooperative. This action is necessary to encourage greater participation in harvesting cooperatives, and provide for more precise total allowable catch management. This action is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the Fishery Fishery Plan, and other applicable law. The Environmental Assessment did not identify any significant environmental impacts that would result from Amendment 93. The Environmental Assessment provides decision makers and the public with an evaluation of the environmental, social, and economic effects of the proposed action"--Cover letter; Portfolio comprised of three related PDF documents digitized and organized by: NOAA Office of Program Planning and Integration (PPI) National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) staff.

"This Environmental Assessment/Regulatory Impact Review/Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis evaluates the environmental effects, as well as costs and benefits, of different alternatives to modify fishery management regulations for the Community Development Quota (CDQ) fisheries conducted in the Bering Sea and Aleuitian Islands. Proposed changes to 50 CFR part 679 include revising CDQ regulations associated with fisheries observer coverage requirements, bycatch retention, vessel licensing, and reporting requirements to ensure that they are no more restrictive than the regulations in effect for comparable individual fishing quota fisheries and fisheries managed with cooperatives. These proposed changes are necessary to comply with the requirements of Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, as amended by the Coast Guard and Maritime Transporation Act of 2006"--Abstract.

"This final action will modify the permitting and retention requirements for Atlantic HMS to address the incidental catch of North Atlantic swordfish in the Illex squid trawl fishery, and the incidental catch of species in the smoothhound shark complex (genus Mustelus) in all Atlantic trawl fisheries. The action will reduce regulatory dead discards of incidentally caught swordfish in the Illex squid trawl fishery by establishing a new Incidental HMS Squid Trawl permit. It will also establish a retention limit for smoothhound sharks in all Atlantic trawl fisheries. This action will be consistent with the 2006 Consolidated Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan. The action is not expected to significantly alter current fishing practices or increase fishing effort, and is not be expected to change previously analyzed endangered species or marine mammal interaction rates or magnitudes, or affect critical habitat"--Cover letter; Portfolio comprised of two related PDF documents digitized and organized by: NOAA Office of Program Planning and Integration (PPI) National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) staff.

"This EA is prepared pursuant to NEPA to assess the environmental impacts associated with NOAA Fisheries Service proceeding with management measures to repeal the subject FMP. These actions are purely administrative and procedural and would not change how the fishery is prosecuted because current federal regulations are identical to state regulations"--Cover letter; Portfolio comprised of three related PDF documents digitized and organized by: NOAA Office of Program Planning and Integration (PPI) National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) staff.