View Rule

In response to a recommendation by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, this proposed action would revise the existing pelagic trawl gear definition for vessels fishing for groundfish with pelagic trawl gear in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) and Gulf of Alaska (GOA) management areas. The purpose of this action is to revise and modernize the outdated regulatory definition for pelagic trawl gear and facilitate gear innovation related to reducing bycatch, decreasing impacts to sensitive habitat, and reducing unobserved mortality of commercially important crab species. This action would maintain or increase fishing efficiency for vessels fishing with pelagic trawl gear in the BSAI and GOA management areas by allowing vessels more flexibility in the components that may be used in pelagic trawl gear to support bycatch reduction and monitor net performance than allowed in current regulations. This action would affect entities operating vessels with groundfish federal fisheries permits (FFPs) trawling for groundfish using pelagic trawl gear in the BSAI and GOA management areas. Based on the scope of this action, impacts to those entities is expected to be minimal and beneficial. This action is authorized under section 303(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act.