View Rule

In response to action by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council in October 2020, this action would remove processing restrictions on squid and sculpin species in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (BSAI) and Gulf of Alaska (GOA). Squid and sculpins are classified as non-target ecosystem component (EC) species, and current regulations limit the processing of EC species to fishmeal only. This action would allow retained catch of squid and sculpins not exceeding the maximum retainable amount to be processed into other product forms, including but not limited to fishmeal, bait, and whole fish/food fish for sale, barter, or trade. This action would help to prevent waste of squid and sculpins bycatch as well as reducing the need for import costs for bait. This action would align regulations with the longstanding use of squid bycatch as bait. The majority of vessels in the non-pollock federal groundfish fisheries in the BSAI, as well as some in the GOA, are responsible for a very small proportion of the reported squid catch and a larger proportion (around 50 percent) of the reported sculpin catch. Only one of the vessels in the BSAI and GOA has the capability to process fish into fishmeal, and continuing to prohibit other product forms for sculpins would effectively prevent vessels from finding opportunities for sculpin products in the future to reduce waste.