Programmatic Environmental Assessment for Fisheries Research Conducted and Funded by the Alaska Fisheries Science Center

This Programmatic Environmental Assessment (DPEA) evaluates both a primary and a secondary federal action under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The purpose and need for the primary action is to continue fisheries research activities conducted and/or funded by the Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC) to produce scientific information necessary for the management and conservation of living marine resources in the North Pacific Ocean and marine waters off of Alaska. This research promotes both the recovery of certain species and the long-term sustainability of these resources. It also generates social and economic opportunities and benefits from their use. The information developed from these research activities is essential to the development of a broad array of fishery, marine mammal, and ecosystem management actions taken not only by NMFS, but also by other federal, state, and Native Alaska authorities. Each of the research activities requires one or more scientific research permits (SRPs) and the issuance of these permits is a part of the primary federal action covered under this NEPA review. The secondary action is the issuance of proposed regulations and subsequent Letters of Authorization (LOA) under Section 101(a)(5)(A) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) of 1972, as amended (MMPA; 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), the purpose and need of which is to govern the unintentional taking of small numbers of marine mammals incidental to AFSC fisheries research