Regulatory Impact Review/Environmental Assessment for Proposed Amendment to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area and Gulf of Alaska Management Area BSAI PACIFIC COD TRAWL CATCHER VESSEL COOPERATIVE PROGRAM

This Environmental Assessment and Regulatory Impact Review analyzes a proposed Pacific Cod Trawl catcher vessel Program considers allocations of quota shares to groundfish License Limitation Program licenses based on the harvest of targeted Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Pacific cod during the qualifying years. The action also considers allocating harvest shares to a processor permit based on processing history of BSAI Pacific cod during the qualifying years. This would yield an exclusive harvest privilege allocation for use in a BSAI trawl CV Pacific cod catch share program cooperatives. The purpose of this action is to improve the prosecution of the fishery by promoting safety and stability in the harvesting and processing sectors, increasing the value of the fishery, minimizing bycatch to the extent practicable, providing for the sustained participation of fishery dependent communities, and ensuring the sustainability and viability of the resource.