Environmental Assessment/Regulatory Impact Review for Proposed Amendment XX to the Fishery Management Plan for the Salmon Fisheries in the EEZ Off Alaska

The Fishery Management Plan for the Salmon Fisheries in the EEZ off Alaska (FMP) manages the salmon fisheries in the United States Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ; 3 nautical miles to 200 nautical miles offshore) off Alaska. The North Pacific Fishery Management Council developed this FMP under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). In 2012, the Council comprehensively revised the FMP to comply with the recent Magnuson-Stevens Act requirements, such as annual catch limits and accountability measures, and to more clearly reflect the Council’s policy with regard to State of Alaska management authority for commercial and sport salmon fisheries in the EEZ. Now, in response to a United States Court of Appeals Ninth Circuit ruling, the Council is considering how to revise the FMP to manage the commercial salmon fishery that occurs in the EEZ waters of Cook Inlet that had been removed from Federal management with the 2012 revisions to the FMP. The Council is considering new management measures that comply with Magnuson-Stevens Act requirements for the Cook Inlet commercial salmon fishery in the EEZ, such as status determination criteria, annual catch limits, and accountability measures. Two action alternatives, in addition to a no action alternative, are under consideration. The first would assume Federal management of the Cook Inlet EEZ salmon drift gillnet fishery with certain management measures delegated to the State of Alaska. The second would assume Federal management of the fishery without any delegation of management of authority to the State of Alaska.