Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Authorize Retention of Halibut in Pot Gear in the Bering Sea Aleutian Islands; Amendment 118

Résumé

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) submitted Amendment 118 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (FMP) (Amendment 118) to the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) for review. If approved, Amendment 118 would prohibit the use of pot gear in the Pribilof Islands Habitat Conservation Zone (PIHCZ) and a regulatory amendment would authorize the retention of halibut in pot gear under the Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) and Western Alaska Community Development Quota (CDQ) Programs in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI). Amendment 118 is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson- Stevens Act), the FMP, the Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 1982 (Halibut Act), and other applicable laws.