The North Pacific Fishery Management Council has submitted amendments to fishery management plans (FMP) in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands and Gulf of Alaska.
One is Amendment 126 to the FMP for groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area. The other is Amendment 114 to the plan for groundfish in the Gulf of Alaska.
If approved, the amendments would expand electronic monitoring (EM) to pelagic trawl pollock catcher vessels and tenders delivering to shoreside processors or stationary floating processors in those regions.
Both amendments 126 and Amendment 114 are intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the FMPs for the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands and Gulf of Alaska.
The proposed rule was published in the Federal Register on Jan. 22 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The 60-day comment period ends March 22.
Comments may be submitted electronically via the federal e-Rulemaking portal by going to https://www.regulations.gov and typing NOAA-NMFS-2023-0125 in the Search box. Click on the “Comment” icon, complete required fields and enter or attach comments.
Comments may also be mailed to Gretchen Harrington, assistant regional administrator, Sustainable Fisheries Division Alaska Region, NMFS, at P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802-1668.
All comments received are a part of the public record and are generally posted for public viewing on https://www.regulations.gov without change.
Comprehensive, industry-funded data collection and monitoring is at the core of the NPFMC’s fisheries management system, which uses onboard observers and electronic monitoring.
Fisheries monitoring data plays a role in the Council’s decision-making process by supporting scientists to better understand the fisheries and give harvest and management advice, as well as supporting analysts as they evaluate the potential impacts of policy decisions made by the Council.