NMFS Issues Regulations for Monitoring and Enforcement of Freezer Longliners in Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands

Summary

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has issued new regulations for freezer longliners operating in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area. The regulations require vessel owners to select between two monitoring options: carrying two observers or using a motion-compensated scale to weigh Pacific cod before processing, and will apply to vessels fishing for Pacific cod in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands, as well as those participating in the Western Alaska Community Development Quota (CDQ) Program.