[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 228 (Monday, November 30, 2009)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 62533-62551]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-28544]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 679

[Docket No. 0910131362-91411-01]
RIN 0648-XS43


Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Gulf of 
Alaska; Proposed 2010 and 2011 Harvest Specifications for Groundfish

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Proposed rule; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS proposes 2010 and 2011 harvest specifications, 
apportionments, and Pacific halibut prohibited species catch limits for 
the groundfish fishery of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is 
necessary to establish harvest limits for groundfish during the 2010 
and 2011 fishing years and to accomplish the goals and objectives of 
the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska. The 
intended effect of this action is to conserve and manage the groundfish 
resources in the GOA in accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act.

DATES: Comments must be received by December 30, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Sue Salveson, Assistant Regional 
Administrator, Sustainable Fisheries Division, Alaska Region, NMFS, 
Attn: Ellen Sebastian. You may submit comments, identified by RIN 0648-
XS43, by any one of the following methods:
     Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic public 
comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal http://www.regulations.gov.
     Mail: P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802.
     Fax: (907) 586-7557.
     Hand delivery to the Federal Building: 709 West 9th 
Street, Room 420A, Juneau, AK.
    All comments received are a part of the public record. No comments 
will be posted to http://www.regulations.gov for public viewing until 
after the comment period has closed. Comments will generally be posted 
without change. All Personal Identifying Information (for example, 
name, address, etc.) voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be 
publicly accessible. Do not submit Confidential Business Information or 
otherwise sensitive or protected information.
    NMFS will accept anonymous comments (enter N/A in the required 
fields, if you wish to remain anonymous). You may submit attachments to 
electronic comments in Microsoft Word, Excel, WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF 
file formats only.
    Electronic copies of the Alaska Groundfish Harvest Specifications 
Final Environmental Impact Statement (Final EIS) and the Initial 
Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (IRFA) prepared for this action may be 
obtained from http://www.regulations.gov or from the Alaska Region Web 
site at http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov. Copies of the final 2008 Stock 
Assessment and Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) report for the groundfish 
resources of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA), dated November 2008, are 
available from the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) 
at 605 West 4th Avenue, Suite 306, Anchorage, AK 99510-2252, phone 907-
271-2809, or from the Council's Web site at http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/npfmc.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tom Pearson, 907-481-1780, or Obren 
Davis, 907-586-7228.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS manages the GOA groundfish fisheries in 
the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the GOA under the Fishery 
Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (FMP). The Council 
prepared the FMP under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), 16 U.S.C. 1801, 
et seq. Regulations governing U.S. fisheries and implementing the FMP 
appear at 50 CFR parts 600, 679, and 680.
    These proposed specifications are based in large part on the 2008 
SAFE report (see ADDRESSES). In December 2009, the Council will 
consider the 2009 SAFE report to develop its recommendations for the 
final 2010 and 2011 acceptable biological catch (ABC) amounts and total 
allowable catch (TAC) limits. Anticipated changes in the final 
specifications from the proposed specifications are identified in this 
notice for public review.

[[Page 62534]]

    The FMP and its implementing regulations require NMFS, after 
consultation with the Council, to specify the TACs for each target 
species and for the ``other species'' category, the sum of which must 
be within the optimum yield (OY) range of 116,000 to 800,000 metric 
tons (mt). Section 679.20(c)(1) further requires NMFS to publish and 
solicit public comment on proposed annual TACs for target species and 
``other species,'' halibut prohibited species catch (PSC) amounts, and 
seasonal allowances of pollock and inshore/offshore Pacific cod. The 
proposed specifications in Tables 1 through 18 of this document satisfy 
these requirements. For 2010 and 2011, the sum of the proposed TAC 
amounts is 284,688 mt. Under Sec.  679.20(c)(3), NMFS will publish the 
final 2010 and 2011 specifications after (1) considering comments 
received within the comment period (see DATES), (2) consulting with the 
Council at its December 2009 meeting, and (3) considering information 
presented in the Final EIS (see ADDRESSES) and the final 2009 SAFE 
report prepared for the 2010 and 2011 groundfish fisheries.

Other Actions Potentially Affecting the 2010 and 2011 Harvest 
Specifications

    The Council is developing an amendment to the FMP to comply with 
Magnuson-Stevens Act requirements associated with annual catch limits 
and accountability measures. That amendment may result in revisions to 
how total annual groundfish mortality is estimated and accounted for in 
the annual SAFE reports, which in turn may affect the overfishing 
levels (OFLs) and ABC amounts for certain groundfish species. NMFS will 
attempt to identify additional sources of mortality to groundfish 
stocks not currently reported or considered by the groundfish stock 
assessments in recommending OFL, ABC, and TAC for certain groundfish 
species. These additional sources of mortality may include recreational 
fishing, subsistence fishing, catch of groundfish during the NMFS trawl 
and hook-and-line surveys, catch taken under experimental fishing 
permits issued by NMFS, discarded catch of groundfish in the commercial 
halibut fisheries, use of groundfish as bait in the crab fisheries, or 
other sources of mortality not yet identified.
    The Council also is considering a proposal that would allocate the 
Western and Central Gulf of Alaska Pacific cod TACs among the trawl, 
pot, hook-and-line, and jig catcher vessel and catcher processor 
sectors. Sector allocations may provide stability to long-term 
participants in the fishery by reducing competition among sectors for 
access to the GOA Pacific cod resource.
    These changes will not be in effect until 2011 at the earliest, 
which could affect the 2011 OFLs, ABCs, and TACs included in this 
action.

Proposed ABC and TAC Specifications

    In October 2009, the Council, the Scientific and Statistical 
Committee (SSC), and the Advisory Panel (AP), reviewed current 
biological and harvest information about the condition of groundfish 
stocks in the GOA. This information was initially compiled by the GOA 
Groundfish Plan Team (Plan Team) and was presented in the final 2008 
SAFE report for the GOA groundfish fisheries, dated November 2008 (see 
ADDRESSES). The SAFE report contains a review of the latest scientific 
analyses and estimates of each species' biomass and other biological 
parameters, as well as summaries of the available information on the 
GOA ecosystem and the economic condition of the groundfish fisheries 
off Alaska. From these data and analyses, the Plan Team estimates an 
ABC for each species category. The Plan Team will update the 2008 SAFE 
report to include new information collected during 2009. The Plan Team 
will provide revised stock assessments in November 2009 in the final 
2009 SAFE report. The Council will review the 2009 SAFE report in 
December 2009. The final 2010 and 2011 harvest specifications may be 
adjusted from the proposed harvest specifications based on the 2009 
SAFE report.
    The proposed ABCs and TACs are based on the best available 
biological and socioeconomic data, including projected biomass trends, 
information on assumed distribution of stock biomass, and revised 
methods used to calculate stock biomass. The FMP specifies the 
formulas, or tiers, to be used to compute ABCs and OFLs. The formulas 
applicable to a particular stock or stock complex are determined by the 
level of reliable information available to fisheries scientists. This 
information is categorized into a successive series of six tiers with 
tier one representing the highest level of information quality 
available and tier six representing the lowest level of information 
quality available.
    The SSC adopted the proposed 2010 and 2011 OFLs and ABCs 
recommended by the Plan Team for all groundfish species. These proposed 
amounts are unchanged from the final 2010 harvest specifications 
published in the Federal Register on February 17, 2009 (74 FR 7333). 
The AP and the Council recommendations for the proposed 2010 and 2011 
OFL, ABC, and TAC amounts are also based on the final 2010 harvest 
specifications published in the Federal Register on February 17, 2009 
(74 FR 7333). For 2010 and 2011, the Council recommended and NMFS 
proposes the OFLs and ABCs listed in Table 1. The proposed ABCs reflect 
harvest amounts that are less than the specified overfishing amounts. 
The sum of the proposed 2010 and 2011 ABCs for all assessed groundfish 
is 562,762 mt, which is higher than the final 2009 ABC total of 516,055 
mt (74 FR 7333, February 17, 2009).

Specification and Apportionment of TAC Amounts

    The Council recommended proposed TACs for 2010 and 2011 that are 
equal to proposed ABCs for pollock, deep-water flatfish, rex sole, 
sablefish, Pacific ocean perch, shortraker rockfish, rougheye rockfish, 
northern rockfish, pelagic shelf rockfish, thornyhead rockfish, 
demersal shelf rockfish, and skates. The Council recommended proposed 
TACs for 2010 and 2011 that are less than the proposed ABCs for Pacific 
cod, flathead sole, shallow-water flatfish, arrowtooth flounder, other 
rockfish, Atka mackerel, and the ``other species'' category.
    The apportionment of annual pollock TAC among the Western and 
Central Regulatory Areas of the GOA reflects the seasonal biomass 
distribution and is discussed in greater detail below. The annual 
pollock TAC in the Western and Central Regulatory Areas of the GOA is 
apportioned among Statistical Areas 610, 620, and 630, as well as 
equally among each of the following four seasons: the A season (January 
20 through March 10), the B season (March 10 through May 31), the C 
season (August 25 through October 1), and the D season (October 1 
through November 1) (50 CFR 679.23(d)(2)(i) through (iv), and 
679.20(a)(5)(iv)(A), (B)).
    As in 2009, the SSC and Council recommended that the method of 
apportioning the sablefish ABC among management areas in 2010 and 2011 
include commercial fishery and survey data. NMFS stock assessment 
scientists believe that unbiased commercial fishery catch-per-unit-
effort data are useful for stock distribution assessments. NMFS 
annually evaluates the use of commercial fishery data to ensure that 
unbiased information is included in stock distribution models. The 
Council's recommendation for sablefish area apportionments also takes 
into account the prohibition on the use of trawl gear in the Southeast 
Outside (SEO) District of the Eastern Regulatory Area; the SEO 
District, together with the

[[Page 62535]]

West Yakutat District (WYK), comprise the Eastern Regulatory Area. 
Separate sablefish TACs are specified for each district. The Council 
continued to recommend that five percent of the combined Eastern 
Regulatory Area TAC be apportioned to trawl gear for use as incidental 
catch in other directed groundfish fisheries in the WYK District (Sec.  
679.20(a)(4)(i)).
    The AP, SSC, and Council recommended apportionment of the ABC for 
Pacific cod in the GOA among regulatory areas based on the three most 
recent NMFS summer trawl surveys. The proposed 2010 and 2011 Pacific 
cod TACs are affected by the State of Alaska's (State) fishery for 
Pacific cod in State waters in the Western and Central Regulatory 
Areas, as well as in Prince William Sound. The Plan Team, SSC, AP, and 
Council recommended that the sum of all State and Federal water Pacific 
cod removals from the GOA not exceed ABC recommendations. Accordingly, 
the Council recommended reducing the proposed 2010 and 2011 Pacific cod 
TACs from the proposed ABCs in the Western and Central Regulatory Areas 
to account for State guideline harvest levels. Therefore, the proposed 
2010 and 2011 Pacific cod TACs are less than the proposed ABCs by the 
following amounts: (1) Eastern GOA, 318 mt; (2) Central GOA, 11,329 mt; 
and (3) Western GOA, 7,751 mt. These amounts reflect the sum of the 
State's 2010 and 2011 guideline harvest levels in these areas, which 
are 10 percent, 25 percent, and 25 percent of the Eastern, Central, and 
Western GOA proposed ABCs, respectively.
    NMFS also is proposing seasonal apportionments of the annual 
Pacific cod TACs in the Western and Central Regulatory Areas. Sixty 
percent of the annual TAC is apportioned to the A season for hook-and-
line, pot, or jig gear from January 1 through June 10, and for trawl 
gear from January 20 through June 10. Forty percent of the annual TAC 
is apportioned to the B season for hook-and-line, pot, or jig gear from 
September 1 through December 31, and for trawl gear from September 1 
through November 1 (50 CFR 679.23(d)(3) and 679.20(a)(12)).
    As in 2009, NMFS proposes to establish for 2010 and 2011 an A 
season directed fishing allowance for the Pacific cod fisheries in the 
GOA based on the management area TACs minus the recent average A season 
incidental catch of Pacific cod in each management area before June 10 
(Sec.  679.20(d)(1)). The directed fishing allowance and incidental 
catch before June 10 will be managed such that total catch in the A 
season will be no more than 60 percent of the annual TAC. Incidental 
catch taken after June 10 will continue to be taken from the B season 
TAC. This action meets the intent of the Steller sea lion protection 
measures by achieving temporal dispersion of the Pacific cod removals 
and reducing the likelihood of catch exceeding 60 percent of the annual 
TAC in the A season (January 1 through June 10) (69 FR 75865, December 
20, 2004).
    The sum of the proposed TACs for all GOA groundfish is 284,688 mt 
for 2010 and 2011, which is within the OY range specified by the FMP. 
The sum of the proposed 2010 TACs and the sum of the proposed 2011 TACs 
are each higher than the sum of the 2009 TACs of 242,727 mt, but are 
unchanged from the 2010 TACs currently specified for the GOA groundfish 
fisheries (74 FR 7333, February 17, 2009).
    Table 1 lists the proposed 2010 and 2011 ABCs, TACs, and OFLs of 
groundfish. These amounts are consistent with the biological condition 
of groundfish stocks as described in the 2008 SAFE report, and adjusted 
for other biological and socioeconomic considerations, including 
maintaining the total TAC within the required OY range. These proposed 
amounts are subject to change pending the completion of the 2009 SAFE 
report and the Council's recommendations for the final 2010 and 2011 
harvest specifications during its December 2009 meeting.

  Table 1--Proposed 2010 and 2011 ABCs, TACs, and OFLs of Groundfish for the Western/Central/West Yakutat (W/C/
 WYK), Western (W), Central (C), Eastern (E) Regulatory Areas, and in the West Yakutat (WYK), Southeast Outside
                            (SEO), and Gulfwide (GW) Districts of the Gulf of Alaska
                                 [Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                  Species                              Area \1\                ABC          TAC          OFL
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pollock \2\...............................  Shumagin (610)...............       24,199       24,199          n/a
                                            Chirikof (620)...............       22,374       22,374          n/a
                                            Kodiak (630).................       17,548       17,548          n/a
                                            WYK (640)....................        1,929        1,929          n/a
                                            W/C/WYK (subtotal)...........       66,050       66,050       90,920
                                            SEO (650)....................        8,280        8,280       11,040
                                            Total........................       74,330       74,330      101,960
Pacific cod \3\...........................  W............................       31,005       23,254          n/a
                                            C............................       45,315       33,986          n/a
                                            E............................        3,180        2,862          n/a
                                            Total........................       79,500       60,102      126,000
Sablefish \4\.............................  W............................        1,523        1,523          n/a
                                            C............................        4,625        4,625          n/a
                                            WYK..........................        1,645        1,645          n/a
                                            SEO..........................        2,544        2,544          n/a
                                            E (WYK and SEO) (subtotal)...        4,189        4,189          n/a
                                            Total........................       10,337       10,337       12,321
Shallow-water flatfish \5\................  W............................       26,360        4,500          n/a
                                            C............................       29,873       13,000          n/a
                                            WYK..........................        3,333        3,333          n/a
                                            SEO..........................        1,423        1,423          n/a
                                            Total........................       60,989       22,256       74,364
Deep-water flatfish \6\...................  W............................          747          747          n/a
                                            C............................        7,405        7,405          n/a
                                            WYK..........................        1,066        1,066          n/a
                                            SEO..........................          575          575          n/a
                                            Total........................        9,793        9,793       12,367

[[Page 62536]]

 
Rex sole..................................  W............................          988          988          n/a
                                            C............................        6,506        6,506          n/a
                                            WYK..........................          503          503          n/a
                                            SEO..........................          830          830          n/a
                                            Total........................        8,827        8,827       11,535
Arrowtooth flounder.......................  W............................       29,843        8,000          n/a
                                            C............................      162,591       30,000          n/a
                                            WYK..........................       14,757        2,500          n/a
                                            SEO..........................       12,082        2,500          n/a
                                            Total........................      219,273       43,000      258,397
Flathead sole.............................  W............................       13,342        2,000          n/a
                                            C............................       30,021        5,000          n/a
                                            WYK..........................        3,622        3,622          n/a
                                            SEO..........................          667          667          n/a
                                            Total........................       47,652       11,289       59,349
Pacific ocean perch \7\...................  W............................        3,710        3,710        4,405
                                            C............................        8,239        8,239        9,782
                                            WYK..........................        1,107        1,107          n/a
                                            SEO..........................        2,042        2,042          n/a
                                            E (WYK and SEO) (subtotal)...        3,149        3,149        3,738
                                            Total........................       15,098       15,098       17,925
Northern rockfish 8,9.....................  W............................        1,965        1,965          n/a
                                            C............................        2,208        2,208          n/a
                                            E............................            0            0          n/a
                                            Total........................        4,173        4,173        4,979
Rougheye rockfish \10\....................  W............................          126          126          n/a
                                            C............................          842          842          n/a
                                            E............................          329          329          n/a
                                            Total........................        1,297        1,297        1,562
Shortraker rockfish \11\..................  W............................          120          120          n/a
                                            C............................          315          315          n/a
                                            E............................          463          463          n/a
                                            Total........................          898          898        1,197
Other rockfish 9,12.......................  W............................          357          357          n/a
                                            C............................          569          569          n/a
                                            WYK..........................          604          604          n/a
                                            SEO..........................        2,767          200          n/a
                                            Total........................        4,297        1,730        5,624
Pelagic shelf rockfish \13\...............  W............................          765          765          n/a
                                            C............................        3,179        3,179          n/a
                                            WYK..........................          219          219          n/a
                                            SEO..........................          302          302          n/a
                                            Total........................        4,465        4,465        5,420
Demersal shelf rockfish \14\..............  SEO..........................          362          362          580
Thornyhead rockfish.......................  W............................          267          267          n/a
                                            C............................          860          860          n/a
                                            E............................          783          783          n/a
                                            Total........................        1,910        1,910        2,540
Atka mackerel.............................  GW...........................        4,700        2,000        6,200
Big skate \15\............................  W............................          632          632          n/a
                                            C............................        2,065        2,065          n/a
                                            E............................          633          633          n/a
                                            Total........................        3,330        3,330        4,439
Longnose skate \16\.......................  W............................           78           78          n/a
                                            C............................        2,041        2,041          n/a
                                            E............................          768          768          n/a
                                            Total........................        2,887        2,887        3,849
Other skates \17\.........................  GW...........................        2,104        2,104        2,806
Other species \18\........................  GW...........................        6,540        4,500        8,720
                                                                          --------------------------------------
    Total.................................  .............................      562,762      284,688      722,134
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Regulatory areas and districts are defined at Sec.   679.2. (W = Western Gulf of Alaska; C = Central Gulf of
  Alaska; E = Eastern Gulf of Alaska; WYK = West Yakutat District; SEO = Southeast Outside District; GW = Gulf-
  wide).

[[Page 62537]]

 
\2\ Pollock is apportioned in the Western/Central Regulatory Areas among three statistical areas. During the A
  season, the apportionment is based on an adjusted estimate of the relative distribution of pollock biomass of
  approximately 32%, 43%, and 25% in Statistical Areas 610, 620, and 630, respectively. During the B season, the
  apportionment is based on the relative distribution of pollock biomass at 32%, 54%, and 14% in Statistical
  Areas 610, 620, and 630, respectively. During the C and D seasons, the apportionment is based on the relative
  distribution of pollock biomass at 43%, 21%, and 35% in Statistical Areas 610, 620, and 630, respectively.
  Table 4 lists the proposed 2010 and 2011 pollock seasonal apportionments. In the West Yakutat and Southeast
  Outside Districts of the Eastern Regulatory Area, pollock is not divided into seasonal allowances.
\3\ The annual Pacific cod TAC is apportioned 60% to the A season and 40% to the B season in the Western and
  Central Regulatory Areas of the GOA. Pacific cod is allocated 90% for processing by the inshore component and
  10% for processing by the offshore component. Table 5 lists the proposed 2010 and 2011 Pacific cod seasonal
  apportionments.
\4\ Sablefish is allocated to trawl and hook-and-line gears for 2010 and to trawl gear in 2011. Tables 2 and 3
  list the proposed 2010 and 2011 sablefish TACs.
\5\ ``Shallow-water flatfish'' means flatfish not including ``deep-water flatfish,'' flathead sole, rex sole, or
  arrowtooth flounder.
\6\ ``Deep-water flatfish'' means Dover sole, Greenland turbot, and deepsea sole.
\7\ ``Pacific ocean perch'' means Sebastes alutus.
\8\ ``Northern rockfish'' means Sebastes polyspinous.
\9\ ``Slope rockfish'' means Sebastes aurora (aurora), S. melanostomus (blackgill), S. paucispinis (bocaccio),
  S. goodei (chilipepper), S. crameri (darkblotch), S. elongatus (greenstriped), S. variegatus (harlequin), S.
  wilsoni (pygmy), S. babcocki (redbanded), S. proriger (redstripe), S. zacentrus (sharpchin), S. jordani
  (shortbelly), S. brevispinis (silvergrey), S. diploproa (splitnose), S. saxicola (stripetail), S. miniatus
  (vermilion), and S. reedi (yellowmouth). In the Eastern GOA only, slope rockfish also includes northern
  rockfish, S. polyspinous.
\10\ ``Rougheye rockfish'' means Sebastes aleutianus (rougheye) and Sebastes melanostictus (blackspotted).
\11\ ``Shortraker rockfish'' means Sebastes borealis.
\12\ ``Other rockfish'' in the Western and Central Regulatory Areas and in the West Yakutat District means slope
  rockfish and demersal shelf rockfish. The category ``other rockfish'' in the SEO District means slope
  rockfish.
\13\ ``Pelagic shelf rockfish'' means Sebastes ciliatus (dark), S. variabilis (dusky), S. entomelas (widow), and
  S. flavidus (yellowtail).
\14\ ``Demersal shelf rockfish'' means Sebastes pinniger (canary), S. nebulosus (china), S. caurinus (copper),
  S. maliger (quillback), S. helvomaculatus (rosethorn), S. nigrocinctus (tiger), and S. ruberrimus (yelloweye).
\15\ ``Big skate'' means Raja binoculata.
\16\ ``Longnose skate'' means Raja rhina.
\17\ ``Other skates'' means Bathyraja spp.
\18\ ``Other species'' means sculpins, sharks, squid, and octopus.

Proposed Apportionment of Reserves

    Section 679.20(b)(2) requires that 20 percent of each TAC for 
pollock, Pacific cod, flatfish, and the ``other species'' category be 
set aside in reserves for possible apportionment at a later date during 
the fishing year. In 2009, NMFS apportioned all the reserves in the 
final harvest specifications (74 FR 7340, February 17, 2009). For 2010 
and 2011, NMFS proposes to reapportion all the reserves for pollock, 
Pacific cod, flatfish, and ``other species.'' Table 1 reflects the 
proposed apportionment of reserve amounts for these species and species 
groups.

Proposed Allocations of the Sablefish TAC Amounts to Vessels Using 
Hook-and-Line and Trawl Gear

    Sections 679.20(a)(4)(i) and (ii) require allocations of sablefish 
TACs for each of the regulatory areas and districts to hook-and-line 
and trawl gear. In the Western and Central Regulatory Areas, 80 percent 
of each TAC is allocated to hook-and-line gear, and 20 percent of each 
TAC is allocated to trawl gear. In the Eastern Regulatory Area, 95 
percent of the TAC is allocated to hook-and-line gear and 5 percent is 
allocated to trawl gear. The trawl gear allocation in the Eastern GOA 
may only be used to support incidental catch of sablefish in directed 
fisheries for other target species (Sec.  679.20(a)(4)(i)). In 
recognition of the trawl ban in the SEO District of the Eastern 
Regulatory Area, the Council recommended and NMFS proposes the 
allocation of 5 percent of the combined Eastern Regulatory Area 
sablefish TAC to trawl gear in the WYK District and the allocation of 
the remainder of the WYK sablefish TAC be available to vessels using 
hook-and-line gear. As a result, NMFS proposes to allocate 100 percent 
of the sablefish TAC in the SEO District to vessels using hook-and-line 
gear. This recommendation results in a proposed 2010 allocation of 209 
mt to trawl gear and 3,960 mt to hook-and-line gear. Table 2 lists the 
allocations of the proposed 2010 sablefish TACs to hook-and-line and 
trawl gear. Table 3 lists the allocations of the proposed 2011 
sablefish TACs to trawl gear. The Council recommended that only a trawl 
sablefish TAC be established for two years so that incidental catch of 
sablefish by trawl gear could commence in January in the second year of 
the harvest specifications. However, since there is an annual 
assessment for sablefish and the final annual specifications are 
expected to be published before the Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) 
season begins, typically early March, the industry and Council 
recommended that the sablefish TAC for the IFQ season be set on an 
annual basis so that the best and most recent scientific information 
could be considered in recommending the ABCs and TACs. Since sablefish 
is on bycatch status for trawl gear from January 1, it is not likely 
that the sablefish allocation to trawl gear would be reached prior to 
the effective date of the final harvest specifications.

 Table 2--Proposed 2010 Sablefish TAC Amounts in the Gulf of Alaska and
               Allocations to Hook-and-Line and Trawl Gear
             [Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                 Hook-and-
          Area/District                TAC          line        Trawl
                                                 allocation   allocation
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Western..........................        1,523        1,218          305
Central..........................        4,625        3,700          925
West Yakutat \1\.................        1,645        1,436          209
Southeast Outside................        2,544        2,544            0
                                  --------------------------------------

[[Page 62538]]

 
    Total........................       10,337        8,898        1,439
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Represents an allocation of 5 percent of the combined Eastern
  Regulatory Area sablefish TAC to trawl gear in the WYK District.


 Table 3--Proposed 2011 Sablefish TAC Amounts in the Gulf of Alaska and
                      Allocation to Trawl Gear \1\
             [Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                 Hook-and-
          Area/District                TAC          line        Trawl
                                                 allocation   allocation
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Western..........................        1,523          n/a          305
Central..........................        4,625          n/a          925
West Yakutat \2\.................        1,645          n/a          209
Southeast Outside................        2,544          n/a            0
                                  --------------------------------------
    Total........................       10,337          n/a        1,439
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The Council recommended that harvest specifications for the hook-and-
  line gear sablefish Individual Fishing Quota fisheries be limited to 1
  year.
\2\ Represents an allocation of 5 percent of the combined Eastern
  Regulatory Area sablefish TAC to trawl gear in the WYK District.

Proposed Apportionments of Pollock TAC Among Seasons and Regulatory 
Areas, and Allocations for Processing by Inshore and Offshore 
Components

    In the GOA, pollock is apportioned by season and area, and is 
further divided between inshore and offshore processing components. 
Pursuant to Sec.  679.20(a)(5)(iv)(B), the annual pollock TAC specified 
for the Western and Central Regulatory Areas of the GOA is apportioned 
into four equal seasonal allowances of 25 percent. As established by 
Sec.  679.23(d)(2)(i) through (iv), the A, B, C, and D season 
allowances are available from January 20 through March 10, March 10 
through May 31, August 25 through October 1, and October 1 through 
November 1, respectively.
    Pollock TACs in the Western and Central Regulatory Areas of the GOA 
are apportioned among statistical areas 610, 620, and 630, pursuant to 
Sec.  679.20(a)(5)(iv)(A). In the A and B seasons, the apportionments 
are in proportion to the distribution of pollock biomass based on the 
four most recent NMFS winter surveys. In the C and D seasons, the 
apportionments are in proportion to the distribution of pollock biomass 
based on the four most recent NMFS summer surveys. For 2010 and 2011, 
the Council recommends, and NMFS proposes, averaging the winter and 
summer distribution of pollock in the Central Regulatory Area for the A 
season. The average is intended to reflect the distribution of pollock 
as indicated by the historic performance of the fishery during the A 
season. Within any fishing year, the amount by which a seasonal 
allowance is underharvested or overharvested may be added to, or 
subtracted from, subsequent seasonal allowances in a manner to be 
determined by the Regional Administrator (Sec.  679.20(a)(5)(iv)(B). 
The rollover amount is limited to 20 percent of the unharvested 
seasonal apportionment for the statistical area. Any unharvested 
pollock above the 20 percent limit could be further distributed to the 
other statistical areas, in proportion to the estimated biomass in the 
subsequent season in those statistical areas (Sec.  
679.20(a)(5)(iv)(B)). The proposed pollock TACs in the WYK of 1,929 mt 
and SEO District of 8,280 mt for 2010 and 2011 are not allocated by 
season.
    Section 679.20(a)(6)(i) requires the allocation of 100 percent of 
the pollock TAC in all regulatory areas (and for each associated 
seasonal allowance) to vessels catching pollock for processing by the 
inshore component after subtraction of amounts that are projected by 
the Regional Administrator to be caught by, or delivered to, the 
offshore component incidental to directed fishing for other groundfish 
species. Pursuant to Sec.  679.20(a)(6)(i), the amount of pollock 
available for vessels harvesting pollock for processing by the offshore 
component is that amount actually taken as incidental catch during 
directed fishing for groundfish species other than pollock, up to the 
maximum retainable amounts allowed under Sec.  679.20(e) and (f). At 
this time, these incidental catch amounts are unknown and will be 
determined during the fishing year.
    Table 4 lists the proposed 2010 and 2011 seasonal biomass 
distribution of pollock in the Western and Central Regulatory Areas, 
area apportionments, and seasonal allowances. The amounts of pollock 
for processing by the inshore and offshore components are not shown.

[[Page 62539]]



 Table 4--Proposed 2010 and 2011 Distribution of Pollock in the Central and Western Regulatory Areas of the Gulf
      of Alaska; Seasonal Biomass Distribution, Area Apportionments; and Seasonal Allowances of Annual TAC
                                 [Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                              Shumagin (Area     Chirikof (Area
                  Season                           610)               620)        Kodiak (Area 630)   Total \1\
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A (Jan 20-Mar 10).........................     5,132 (32.01%)     6,927 (43.21%)     3,972 (24.78%)       16,031
                                                                                                          (100%)
B (Mar 10-May 31).........................     5,131 (32.01%)     8,591 (53.59%)     2,308 (14.40%)       16,030
                                                                                                          (100%)
C (Aug 25-Oct 1)..........................     6,968 (43.47%)     3,428 (21.38%)     5,634 (35.15%)       16,030
                                                                                                          (100%)
D (Oct 1-Nov1)............................     6,968 (43.47%)     3,428 (21.38%)     5,634 (35.15%)       16,030
                                                                                                          (100%)
                                           ---------------------------------------------------------------------
    Annual Total..........................             24,199             22,374             17,548       64,121
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The WYK and SEO District pollock TACs are not allocated by season and are not included in the total pollock
  TACs shown in this table.

Proposed Seasonal Apportionments of Pacific Cod TAC and Allocations for 
Processing of Pacific Cod TAC Between Inshore and Offshore Components

    Pacific cod fishing is divided into two seasons in the Western and 
Central Regulatory Areas of the GOA. For hook-and-line, pot, and jig 
gear, the A season is January 1 through June 10, and the B season is 
September 1 through December 31 (Sec.  679.23(d)(3)(i)). For trawl 
gear, the A season is January 20 through June 10, and the B season is 
September 1 through November 1 (Sec.  679.23(d)(3)(ii)). After 
subtraction of an incidental catch allowance, 60 percent and 40 percent 
of the remaining annual TAC will be available for harvest during the A 
and B seasons, respectively, and will be apportioned between the 
inshore and offshore processing components, as provided in Sec.  
679.20(a)(6)(ii). Between the A and the B seasons, directed fishing for 
Pacific cod is closed, and fishermen participating in other directed 
fisheries must retain Pacific cod up to the maximum retainable amounts 
allowed under Sec.  679.20(e) and (f). Under Sec.  679.20(a)(12)(ii), 
any overage or underage of the Pacific cod allowance from the A season 
may be subtracted from or added to the subsequent B season allowance by 
the Regional Administrator.
    Section 679.20(a)(6)(ii) requires the allocation of the Pacific cod 
TAC apportionment in all regulatory areas between vessels catching 
Pacific cod for processing by the inshore and offshore components. 
Ninety percent of the Pacific cod TAC in each regulatory area is 
allocated to vessels catching Pacific cod for processing by the inshore 
component. The remaining 10 percent of the TAC is allocated to vessels 
catching Pacific cod for processing by the offshore component. Table 5 
lists the proposed 2010 and 2011 seasonal apportionments and 
allocations of the Pacific cod TAC amounts.

 Table 5--Proposed 2010 and 2011 Seasonal Apportionments and Allocations of Pacific Cod TAC Amounts in the Gulf
                 of Alaska and Allocations for Processing by the Inshore and Offshore Components
                                 [Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                     Component allocation
          Regulatory area                    Season                TAC       -----------------------------------
                                                                                Inshore (90%)    Offshore (10%)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Western............................  Annual...............            23,254            20,929             2,325
                                     A season (60%).......            13,952            12,557             1,395
                                     B season (40%).......             9,302             8,371               930
Central............................  Annual...............            33,986            30,587             3,399
                                     A season (60%).......            20,392            18,352             2,039
                                     B season (40%).......            13,594            12,235             1,359
Eastern............................  Annual...............             2,862             2,576               286
                                                           -----------------------------------------------------
                                     Total................            60,102            54,092             6,010
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Proposed Apportionments to the Central GOA Rockfish Program

    Section 679.81(a)(1) and (2) requires the allocation of the primary 
rockfish species TACs in the Central Regulatory Area, after deducting 
incidental catch needs in other directed groundfish fisheries, to 
participants in the Central GOA Rockfish Program (Rockfish Program). 
Five percent (2.5 percent to trawl gear and 2.5 percent to fixed gear) 
of the remaining proposed TACs for Pacific ocean perch, northern 
rockfish, and pelagic shelf rockfish in the Central Regulatory Area are 
allocated to the entry level rockfish fishery and 95 percent of the 
remaining TAC for those primary rockfish species to those vessels 
eligible to participate in the Rockfish Program. NMFS proposes 2010 and 
2011 incidental catch amounts of 100 mt for northern rockfish, 100 mt 
for pelagic shelf rockfish, and 500 mt for Pacific ocean perch for 
other directed groundfish fisheries in the Central Regulatory Area. 
These proposed amounts are based on recent average incidental catch in 
the Central Regulatory Area by other groundfish fisheries.

[[Page 62540]]

    Section 679.83(a)(1)(i) requires that allocations to the trawl 
entry level fishery must be made first from the allocation of Pacific 
ocean perch available to the rockfish entry level fishery. If the 
amount of Pacific ocean perch available for allocation is less than the 
total allocation allowable for trawl catcher vessels in the rockfish 
entry level fishery, then northern rockfish and pelagic shelf rockfish 
must be allocated to trawl catcher vessels. Allocations of Pacific 
ocean perch, northern rockfish, and pelagic shelf rockfish to longline 
gear vessels must be made after the allocations to trawl gear.
    Table 6 lists the proposed 2010 and 2011 allocations of rockfish in 
the Central GOA to trawl and longline gear in the entry level rockfish 
fishery. Allocations of primary rockfish species TACs among 
participants in the Rockfish Program are not included in the proposed 
harvest specifications because applications for catcher/processor and 
catcher vessel cooperatives are due to NMFS on March 1 of each calendar 
year, thereby preventing NMFS from calculating proposed 2010 
allocations. NMFS will post these allocations on the Alaska Region Web 
site at http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/sustainablefisheries/goarat/default.htm when they become available in March 2010.

Table 6--Proposed 2010 and 2011 Allocations of Rockfish in the Central Gulf of Alaska to Trawl and Longline Gear \1\ in the Entry Level Rockfish Fishery
                                                         [Values are rounded to the nearest mt]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                             Incidental                                         Entry level  Entry level
                           Species                               Proposed      catch      TAC minus      5% TAC      2.5% TAC      trawl       longline
                                                                   TAC       allowance       ICA                                 allocation   allocation
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pacific ocean perch..........................................        8,239          500        7,739          387          193          323           64
Northern rockfish............................................        2,208          100        2,108          105           53            0          105
Pelagic shelf rockfish.......................................        3,179          100        3,079          154           77            0          154
                                                              ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total....................................................       13,626          700       12,926          646          323          323          323
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Longline gear includes jig and hook-and-line gear.

Proposed Halibut Prohibited Species Catch (PSC) Limits

    Section 679.21(d) establishes annual halibut PSC limit 
apportionments to trawl and hook-and-line gear and permits the 
establishment of apportionments for pot gear. In October 2009, the 
Council recommended that NMFS maintain the 2009 halibut PSC limits of 
2,000 mt for the trawl fisheries and 300 mt for the hook-and-line 
fisheries for 2010 and 2011. Ten mt of the hook-and-line limit is 
further allocated to the demersal shelf rockfish (DSR) fishery in the 
SEO District. The DSR fishery is defined at Sec.  679.21(d)(4)(iii)(A). 
This fishery has been apportioned 10 mt in recognition of its small 
scale harvests. Most vessels in the DSR fishery are less than 60 ft 
(18.3 m) length overall making them exempt from observer coverage. 
Therefore, observer data are not available to verify actual bycatch 
amounts. NMFS assumes the halibut bycatch in the DSR fishery is low 
because of the short soak times for the gear and short duration of the 
fishery. Also, the DSR fishery occurs in the winter when less overlap 
occurs in the distribution of DSR and halibut. Finally, much of the DSR 
TAC is not available to the commercial DSR fishery. The Alaska 
Department of Fish and Game sets the quota for the commercial DSR 
fishery after estimates of incidental catch in all fisheries (including 
halibut) and anticipated recreational harvest have been deducted from 
the DSR TAC. Of the 362 mt TAC for DSR in 2009, 115 mt were available 
for the commercial fishery, of which 76 mt were harvested.
    Section 679.21(d)(4) authorizes the exemption of specified non-
trawl fisheries from the halibut PSC limit. As in past years, NMFS, 
after consultation with the Council, proposes to exempt pot gear, jig 
gear, and the sablefish IFQ hook-and-line gear fishery categories from 
the non-trawl halibut PSC limit for 2010 and 2011. The Council and NMFS 
recommend these exemptions because (1) the pot gear fisheries have low 
halibut bycatch mortality averaging 19 mt annually from 2001 through 
2008 (and 7 mt in 2009 through 11/7/2009); (2) the halibut and 
sablefish IFQ fisheries have low halibut bycatch mortality because the 
IFQ program requires retention of legal-sized halibut by vessels using 
hook-and-line gear if a halibut IFQ permit holder is aboard and is 
holding unused halibut IFQ; and (3) halibut mortality for the jig gear 
fisheries is assumed to be negligible. Halibut mortality is assumed to 
be negligible in the jig gear fisheries given the low amount of 
groundfish harvested by jig gear averaging 268 mt annually from 2001 
through 2008 (and 208 mt through 10/3/2009), the selective nature of 
jig gear, and the likelihood of high survival rates of halibut caught 
and released by jig gear.
    Section 679.21(d)(5) provides NMFS the authority to seasonally 
apportion the halibut PSC limits after consultation with the Council. 
The FMP and regulations require that the Council and NMFS consider the 
following information in seasonally apportioning halibut PSC limits: 
(1) Seasonal distribution of halibut, (2) seasonal distribution of 
target groundfish species relative to halibut distribution, (3) 
expected halibut bycatch needs on a seasonal basis relative to changes 
in halibut biomass and expected catch of target groundfish species, (4) 
expected bycatch rates on a seasonal basis, (5) expected changes in 
directed groundfish fishing seasons, (6) expected actual start of 
fishing effort, and (7) economic effects of establishing seasonal 
halibut allocations on segments of the target groundfish industry.
    The final 2009 and 2010 harvest specifications (74 FR 7333, 
February 17, 2009) summarized the Council's and NMFS's findings with 
respect to each of these FMP considerations. The Council's and NMFS's 
findings for 2010 and 2011 are unchanged from 2009. Table 7 lists the 
proposed 2010 and 2011 Pacific halibut PSC limits, allowances, and 
apportionments. Section 679.21(d)(5)(iii) and (iv), respectively, 
specify that any underages or overages of a seasonal apportionment of a 
PSC limit will be added to or removed from the next respective seasonal 
apportionment within the fishing year.

[[Page 62541]]



                               Table 7--Proposed 2010 and 2011 Pacific Halibut PSC Limits, Allowances, and Apportionments
                                                               [Values are in metric tons]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                          Trawl gear                                                              Hook-and-line gear\1\
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                  Other than DSR                                    DSR
                 Season                    Percent     Amount  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                           Season             Percent     Amount             Season              Amount
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
January 20-April 1......................      27.5%        550  January 1-June 10..........        86%        250  January 1-December 31.....         10
April 1-July 1..........................        20%        400  June 10-September 1........         2%          5
July 1-September 1......................        30%        600  September 1-December 31....        12%         35
September 1-October 1...................       7.5%        150
October 1-December 31...................        15%        300
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total...............................                 2,000                                                290                                     10
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The Pacific halibut PSC limit for hook-and-line gear is allocated to the demersal shelf rockfish (DSR) fishery and fisheries other than DSR. The
  hook-and-line sablefish fishery is exempt from halibut PSC limits.

    Section 679.21(d)(3)(ii) authorizes further apportionment of the 
trawl halibut PSC limit to trawl fishery categories. The annual 
apportionments are based on each category's proportional share of the 
anticipated halibut bycatch mortality during a fishing year and 
optimization of the total amount of groundfish harvest under the 
halibut PSC limit. The fishery categories for the trawl halibut PSC 
limits are (1) a deep-water species category, comprised of sablefish, 
rockfish, deep-water flatfish, rex sole, and arrowtooth flounder; and 
(2) a shallow-water species category, comprised of pollock, Pacific 
cod, shallow-water flatfish, flathead sole, Atka mackerel, skates, and 
``other species'' (Sec.  679.21(d)(3)(iii)). Table 8 lists the proposed 
2010 and 2011 seasonal apportionments of Pacific halibut PSC trawl 
limits as apportioned between the deep-water and shallow-water species 
categories. Based on public comment and information contained in the 
final 2009 SAFE report, the Council may recommend or NMFS may make 
changes to the seasonal, gear-type, or fishery category apportionments 
of halibut PSC limits for the final 2010 and 2011 harvest 
specifications.

Table 8--Proposed 2010 and 2011 Seasonal Apportionments of the Pacific Halibut PSC Limit Apportioned Between the
                       Trawl Gear Shallow-Water Species and Deep-Water Species Categories
                                           [Values are in metric tons]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   Season                       Shallow-water            Deep-water\1\                Total
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
January 20-April 1..........................               450  100...........................               550
April 1-July 1..............................               100  300...........................               400
July 1-September 1..........................               200  400...........................               600
September 1-October 1.......................               150  Any remainder.................               150
Subtotal January 20-October 1...............               900  800...........................             1,700
October 1-December 31 \2\...................  ................  ..............................               300
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total...................................  ................  ..............................             2,000
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Vessels participating in cooperatives in the Central Gulf of Alaska Rockfish Program will receive a portion
  of the third season (July 1-September 1) deep-water category halibut PSC apportionment. At this time, this
  amount is not known but will be posted later on the Alaska Region Web site at http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov
  when it becomes available.
\2\ There is no apportionment between shallow-water and deep-water trawl fishery categories during the fifth
  season (October 1 through December 31).

Estimated Halibut Bycatch in Prior Years

    The best available information on estimated halibut bycatch is data 
collected by observers during 2009. The calculated halibut bycatch 
mortality by trawl, hook-and-line, and pot gears through November 7, 
2009, is 1,797 mt, 266 mt, and 7 mt, respectively, for a total halibut 
mortality of 2,070 mt. Halibut bycatch restrictions seasonally 
constrained trawl gear fisheries during the 2009 fishing year. Table 9 
displays the closure dates for fisheries that resulted from the 
attainment of seasonal or annual halibut PSC limits. The amount of 
groundfish that trawl gear might have harvested if halibut PSC limits 
had not restricted some 2009 GOA groundfish fisheries is unknown.

                    Table 9--Fishery Closures Due to Attainment of Pacific Halibut PSC Limits
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
          Fishery category                 Opening date            Closure date        Federal Register citation
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trawl Deep-water, season 1.........  January 20, 2009.......  March 3, 2009.........  74 FR 9964, March 9, 2009
Trawl Deep-water, season 2.........  April 1, 2009..........  April 23, 2009........  74 FR 19459, April 29,
                                                                                       2009
Trawl Shallow-water, season 4......  September 1, 2009......  September 2, 2009.....  74 FR 45378, September 2,
                                                                                       2009
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ With the exception of vessels participating in the Central GOA Rockfish Program.


[[Page 62542]]

Expected Changes in Groundfish Stocks and Catch

    Proposed 2010 and 2011 ABCs for pollock, Pacific cod, deep-water 
flatfish, and flathead sole are higher than those established for 2009, 
while the proposed 2010 and 2011 ABCs for arrowtooth flounder, rex 
sole, sablefish, Pacific ocean perch, northern rockfish, and pelagic 
shelf rockfish are lower than those established for 2009. For the 
remaining target species, the Council recommended that ABC levels 
remain unchanged from 2009. More information on these changes is 
included in the 2008 SAFE report (see ADDRESSES) and will be updated 
with the 2009 SAFE report, which will be available for Council approval 
at its December 2009 meeting.
    In the GOA, the total proposed 2010 and 2011 TAC amounts are 
284,688 mt, an increase of 17 percent from the 2009 TAC total of 
242,727 mt. Table 10 compares the final 2009 TACs to the proposed 2010 
and 2011 TACs.

   Table 10--Comparison of Final 2009 and Proposed 2010 and 2011 Total
           Allowable Catch (TAC) Amounts in the Gulf of Alaska
                       [Values are in metric tons]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                       Proposed 2010 and
              Species                Final 2009 TACs       2011 TACs
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pollock...........................             49,900             74,330
Pacific cod.......................             41,807             60,102
Sablefish.........................             11,160             10,337
Shallow water flatfish............             22,256             22,256
Deep-water flatfish...............              9,168              9,793
Rex sole..........................              8,996              8,827
Arrowtooth flounder...............             43,000             43,000
Flathead sole.....................             11,181             11,289
Pacific ocean perch...............             15,111             15,098
Northern rockfish.................              4,362              4,173
Rougheye rockfish.................              1,284              1,297
Shortraker rockfish...............                898                898
Other rockfish....................              1,730              1,730
Pelagic shelf rockfish............              4,781              4,465
Demersal shelf rockfish...........                362                362
Thornyhead rockfish...............              1,910              1,910
Atka mackerel.....................              2,000              2,000
Big skates........................              3,330              3,330
Longnose skates...................              2,887              2,887
Other skates......................              2,104              2,104
Other species.....................              4,500              4,500
                                   -------------------------------------
    Total.........................            242,727            284,688
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Current Estimates of Halibut Biomass and Stock Condition

    The most recent halibut stock assessment was developed by the 
International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) staff in December 2008 
for the 2009 commercial fishery; this assessment was considered by the 
IPHC at its annual January 2009 meeting. Information from ongoing 
passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag recoveries, as well as 
inconsistencies in the traditional closed-area stock assessments for 
some areas, has prompted the IPHC to reexamine the stock assessment 
framework and corresponding harvest policy. Historically, the IPHC 
assumed that once the halibut reached legal commercial size there was 
little movement between regulatory areas. More recently, PIT tag 
recoveries indicate greater movement between regulatory areas than 
previously believed. In response to this new information, IPHC staff 
developed a coast-wide assessment based on a single stock. Based on the 
updated assessment, the IPHC recommends a coast-wide harvest rate of 20 
percent of the exploitable biomass overall, but a lower harvest rate of 
15 percent for Areas 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E. The current estimate of coast-
wide (United States and Canada) exploitable biomass for 2009 is 147,419 
mt, down from 163,749 mt estimated for 2008. Virtually all the decrease 
is due to lower survey and commercial catch rates of legal-sized 
halibut. Projections based on the currently estimated age compositions 
suggest that the exploitable and female spawning biomass will increase 
over the next several years as a sequence of strong year classes 
recruit to the legal-sized component of the population. The female 
spawning biomass is estimated to be 14,288 mt for 2009, an increase of 
3 percent from 2008, and approximately 35 percent of the estimated 
unfished spawning biomass of 398,258 mt.
    The halibut resource is fully utilized. Recent catches, over the 
last 15 years (1994 through 2008) in the commercial halibut fisheries 
in Alaska have averaged 33,338 mt round weight. In January 2009, the 
IPHC approved Alaska commercial catch limits totaling 27,518 mt round 
weight for 2009, a 9-percent decrease from 30,349 mt in 2008. Through 
November 12, 2009, commercial hook-and-line harvests of halibut off 
Alaska totaled 21,966 mt round weight.
    Additional information on the Pacific halibut stock assessment may 
be found in the IPHC's 2008 Pacific halibut stock assessment (December 
2008), available on the IPHC Web site at http://www.iphc.washington.edu. The IPHC considered the 2008 Pacific halibut 
assessment for 2009 at its January 2009 annual meeting when the IPHC 
set the 2009 commercial halibut fishery quotas. The IPHC will consider 
the 2009 Pacific halibut assessment for 2010 at its January 2010 annual 
meeting when it sets the 2010 commercial halibut fishery quotas.

Other Factors

    The IPHC will adjust the allowable commercial catch of halibut to 
account for the overall halibut PSC mortality limit established for 
groundfish fisheries. The 2010 and 2011 groundfish

[[Page 62543]]

fisheries are expected to use the entire proposed annual halibut PSC 
limit of 2,300 mt. The allowable directed commercial catch is 
determined by first accounting for recreational and subsistence catch, 
waste, and bycatch mortality, and then providing the remainder to the 
directed fishery. Groundfish fishing is not expected to adversely 
affect the halibut stocks. Methods available for reducing halibut 
bycatch include (1) publication of individual vessel bycatch rates on 
the NMFS Alaska Region Web site at  http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov, 
(2) modifications to gear, (3) changes in groundfish fishing seasons, 
(4) individual transferable quota programs, and (5) time/area closures.
    Reductions in groundfish TAC amounts provide no incentive for 
fishermen to reduce bycatch rates. Costs that would be imposed on 
fishermen as a result of reducing TAC amounts depend on the species and 
amounts of groundfish forgone.
    The definition of ``Authorized fishing gear'' at Sec.  679.2 
specifies requirements for biodegradable panels and tunnel openings for 
groundfish pots to reduce halibut bycatch. Under this definition, 
groundfish pots must comply with gear specification requirements (Sec.  
679.2(15)). Compliance with these requirements reduce halibut bycatch 
and mortality rates in groundfish pot fisheries. As a result, pot gear 
exemptions from PSC limits are justified.
    The definitions at Sec.  679.2 for ``Authorized fishing gear,'' 
defines ``pelagic trawl gear'' in a manner intended to reduce bycatch 
of halibut by displacing fishing effort off the bottom of the sea floor 
when certain halibut bycatch levels are reached during the fishing year 
(Sec.  679.2(14)). The definition provides standards for physical 
conformation and performance of the trawl gear in terms of crab bycatch 
(Sec.  679.7(a)(14)). Furthermore, all hook-and-line vessel operators 
are required to employ careful release measures when handling halibut 
bycatch (Sec.  679.7(a)(13)). These measures are intended to reduce 
handling mortality, thereby lowering overall halibut bycatch mortality 
in the groundfish fisheries, and to increase the amount of groundfish 
harvested under the available halibut mortality bycatch limits.
    NMFS and the Council will review the methods available for reducing 
halibut bycatch listed here to determine their effectiveness and will 
initiate changes, as necessary, in response to this review or to public 
testimony and comment.

Halibut Discard Mortality Rates

    To monitor halibut bycatch mortality allowances and apportionments, 
the Regional Administrator uses observed halibut bycatch rates, discard 
mortality rates (DMR), and estimates of groundfish catch to project 
when a fishery's halibut bycatch mortality allowance or seasonal 
apportionment is reached. The DMRs are based on the best information 
available, including information contained in the annual SAFE report.
    NMFS proposes the Council's recommendation that the halibut DMRs 
developed and recommended by the IPHC for the 2009 GOA groundfish 
fisheries be used for monitoring the proposed 2010 and 2011 halibut 
bycatch allowances (see Table 11). The IPHC developed the DMRs for the 
2009 GOA groundfish fisheries using the 10-year mean DMRs for those 
fisheries. Long-term average DMRs were not available for some 
fisheries, so rates from the most recent years were used. For the 
``other species'' and skate fisheries, where insufficient mortality 
data are available, the mortality rate of halibut caught in the Pacific 
cod fishery for that gear type was recommended as a default rate. The 
IPHC will analyze observer data annually and recommend changes to the 
DMRs when a fishery DMR shows large variation from the mean. A copy of 
the document justifying these DMRs is available from the Council (see 
ADDRESSES) and the DMRs are discussed in the Economic Status Report of 
the final 2008 SAFE report, dated November 2008. Table 11 lists the 
proposed 2010 and 2011 DMRs.
    The proposed DMRs listed in Table 11 are subject to change pending 
the results of an updated analysis on halibut DMRs in the groundfish 
fisheries that IPHC staff is scheduled to present to the Council at its 
December 2009 meeting.

  Table 11--Proposed 2010 and 2011 Halibut Discard Mortality Rates for
                  Vessels Fishing in the Gulf of Alaska
           [Values are oercent of halibut assumed to be dead]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                          Mortality rate
              Gear                    Target fishery            (%)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hook-and-line..................  Other species..........              14
                                 Skates.................              14
                                 Pacific cod............              14
                                 Rockfish...............              10
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trawl..........................  Arrowtooth flounder....              69
                                 Atka mackerel..........              60
                                 Deep-water flatfish....              53
                                 Flathead sole..........              61
                                 Non-pelagic pollock....              59
                                 Other species..........              63
                                 Skates.................              63
                                 Pacific cod............              63
                                 Pelagic pollock........              76
                                 Rex sole...............              63
                                 Rockfish...............              67
                                 Sablefish..............              65
                                 Shallow-water flatfish.              71
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pot............................  Other species..........              16
                                 Skates.................              16
                                 Pacific cod............              16
------------------------------------------------------------------------


[[Page 62544]]

American Fisheries Act (AFA) Catcher/Processor and Catcher Vessel 
Groundfish Harvest and PSC Limits

    Section 679.64 establishes groundfish harvesting and processing 
sideboard limits on AFA catcher/processors and catcher vessels in the 
GOA. These sideboard limits are necessary to protect the interests of 
fishermen and processors who do not directly benefit from the AFA from 
expansion in their fisheries by those fishermen and processors who 
receive exclusive harvesting and processing privileges under the AFA. 
Section 679.7(k)(1)(ii) prohibits listed AFA catcher/processors from 
harvesting any species of fish in the GOA. Additionally, Sec.  
679.7(k)(1)(iv) prohibits listed AFA catcher/processors from processing 
any pollock in the GOA and any groundfish harvested in Statistical Area 
630 of the GOA.
    AFA catcher vessels that are less than 125 ft (38.1 m) length 
overall, have annual landings of pollock in the Bering Sea and Aleutian 
Islands less than 5,100 mt, and have made at least 40 GOA groundfish 
landings from 1995 through 1997 are exempt from GOA sideboard limits 
under Sec.  679.64(b)(2)(ii). Sideboard limits for non-exempt AFA 
catcher vessels operating in the GOA are based on their traditional 
harvest levels in groundfish fisheries covered by the FMP. Section 
679.64(b)(3)(iii) establishes the GOA groundfish sideboard limits based 
on the retained catch of non-exempt AFA catcher vessels of each 
sideboard species from 1995 through 1997 divided by the TAC for that 
species over the same period. Table 12 lists the proposed 2010 and 2011 
groundfish sideboard limits for non-exempt AFA catcher vessels. All 
targeted or incidental catch of sideboard species made by non-exempt 
AFA catcher vessels will be deducted from the sideboard limits in Table 
12.

  Table 12--Proposed 2010 and 2011 GOA Non-Exempt American Fisheries Act Catcher Vessel (CV) Groundfish Harvest
                                                Sideboard Limits
                                 [Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                  Ratio of 1995-                   Proposed 2010
                                                                     1997 non-                     and 2011 non-
           Species             Apportionments    Area/component    exempt AFA CV   Proposed 2010   exempt AFA CV
                               by season/gear                     catch to 1995-   and 2011 TACs     sideboard
                                                                     1997 TAC                          limit
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pollock.....................  A Season:         Shumagin (610)..          0.6047           5,132           3,103
                               January 20-
                               March 10.
                                                Chirikof (620)..          0.1167           6,927             808
                                                Kodiak (630)....          0.2028           3,972             806
                             -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              B Season: March   Shumagin (610)..          0.6047           5,131           3,103
                               10-May 31.
                                                Chirikof (620)..          0.1167           8,591           1,003
                                                Kodiak (630)....          0.2028           2,308             468
                             -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              C Season: August  Shumagin (610)..          0.6047           6,968           4,214
                               25-October 1.
                                                Chirikof (620)..          0.1167           3,428             400
                                                Kodiak (630)....          0.2028           5,634           1,143
                             -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              D Season:         Shumagin (610)..          0.6047           6,968           4,214
                               October 1-
                               November 1.
                                                Chirikof (620)..          0.1167           3,428             400
                                                Kodiak (630)....          0.2028           5,634           1,143
                             -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              Annual..........  WYK (640).......          0.3495           1,929             674
                                                SEO (650).......          0.3495           8,280           2,894
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pacific cod.................  A Season \1\:     W inshore.......          0.1365          12,557           1,714
                               January 1-June
                               10.
                                                W offshore......          0.1026           1,395             143
                                                C inshore.......          0.0689          18,352           1,264
                                                C offshore......          0.0721           2,039             147
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              B Season \2\:     W inshore.......          0.1365           8,371           1,143
                               September 1-
                               December 31.
                                                W offshore......          0.1026             930              95
                                                C inshore.......          0.0689          12,235             843
                                                C offshore......          0.0721           1,359              98
                             -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              Annual..........  E inshore.......          0.0079           2,576              20
                                                E offshore......          0.0078             286               2
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sablefish...................  Annual, trawl     W...............          0.0000             305               0
                               gear.
                                                C...............          0.0642             925              59
                                                E...............          0.0433             209               9
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Flatfish, shallow-water.....  Annual..........  W...............          0.0156           4,500              70
                                                C...............          0.0587          13,000             763
                                                E...............          0.0126           4,756              60
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Flatfish, deep-water........  Annual..........  W...............          0.0000             747               0
                                                C...............          0.0647           7,405             479

[[Page 62545]]

 
                                                E...............          0.0128           1,641              21
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rex sole....................  Annual..........  W...............          0.0007             988               1
                                                C...............          0.0384           6,506             250
                                                E...............          0.0029           1,333               4
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Arrowtooth flounder.........  Annual..........  W...............          0.0021           8,000              17
                                                C...............          0.0280          30,000             840
                                                E...............          0.0002           5,000               1
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Flathead sole...............  Annual..........  W...............          0.0036           2,000               7
                                                C...............          0.0213           5,000             107
                                                E...............          0.0009           4,289               4
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pacific ocean perch.........  Annual..........  W...............          0.0023           3,710               9
                                                C...............          0.0748           8,239             616
                                                E...............          0.0466           3,149             147
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern rockfish...........  Annual..........  W...............          0.0003           1,965               1
                                                C...............          0.0277           2,208              61
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rougheye rockfish...........  Annual..........  W...............          0.0000             126               0
                                                C...............          0.0237             842              20
                                                E...............          0.0124             329               4
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shortraker rockfish.........  Annual..........  W...............          0.0000             120               0
                                                C...............          0.0218             315               7
                                                E...............          0.0110             463               5
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other rockfish..............  Annual..........  W...............          0.0034             357               1
                                                C...............          0.1699             569              97
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                E...............          0.0000             804               0
Pelagic shelf rockfish......  Annual..........  W...............          0.0001             765               0
                                                C...............          0.0000           3,179               0
                                                E...............          0.0067             521               3
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Demersal shelf rockfish.....  Annual..........  SEO.............          0.0020             362               1
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thornyhead rockfish.........  Annual..........  W...............          0.0280             267               7
                                                C...............          0.0280             860              24
                                                E...............          0.0280             783              22
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Atka mackerel...............  Annual..........  Gulfwide........          0.0309           2,000              62
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Big skates..................  Annual..........  W...............          0.0063             632               4
                                                C...............          0.0063           2,065              13
                                                E...............          0.0063             633               4
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Longnose skates.............  Annual..........  W...............          0.0063              78               0
                                                C...............          0.0063           2,041              13
                                                E...............          0.0063             768               5
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other skates................  Annual..........  Gulfwide........          0.0063           2,104              13
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other species...............  Annual..........  Gulfwide........          0.0063           4,500              28
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The Pacific cod A season for trawl gear does not open until January 20.
\2\ The Pacific cod B season for trawl gear closes November 1.

    The halibut PSC sideboard limits for non-exempt AFA catcher vessels 
in the GOA are based on the aggregate retained groundfish catch by non-
exempt AFA catcher vessels in each PSC target category from 1995 
through 1997 divided by the retained catch of all vessels in that 
fishery from 1995 through 1997 (Sec.  679.64(b)(4)). Table 13 lists the 
proposed 2010 and 2011 catcher vessel halibut PSC limits for non-exempt 
AFA vessels using trawl gear in the GOA.

[[Page 62546]]



  Table 13--Proposed 2010 and 2011 Non-Exempt American Fisheries Act Catcher Vessel Halibut Prohibited Species
                           Catch (PSC) Limits for Vessels Using Trawl Gear in the GOA
                                           [Values are in metric tons]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                  Ratio of 1995-
                                                                     1997 non-                     Proposed 2010
                                                                   exempt AFA CV   Proposed 2010   and 2011 non-
            Season               Season dates     Target fishery  retained catch   and 2011 PSC    exempt AFA CV
                                                                     to total          limit         PSC limit
                                                                  retained catch
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1............................  January 20-April  shallow-water..           0.340             450             153
                                1.
                                                 deep-water.....           0.070             100               7
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2............................  April 1-July 1..  shallow-water..           0.340             100              34
                                                 deep-water.....           0.070             300              21
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3............................  July 1-September  shallow-water..           0.340             200              68
                                1.
                                                 deep-water.....           0.070             400              28
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4............................  September 1-      shallow-water..           0.340             150              51
                                October 1.
                                                 deep-water.....           0.070               0               0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5............................  October 1-        all targets....           0.205             300              62
                                December 31.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Non-AFA Crab Vessel Groundfish Sideboard Limits

    Section 680.22 establishes groundfish catch limits for vessels with 
a history of participation in the Bering Sea snow crab fishery to 
prevent these vessels from using the increased flexibility provided by 
the Crab Rationalization Program to expand their level of participation 
in the GOA groundfish fisheries. Sideboard limits restrict these 
vessels' catch to their collective historical landings in all GOA 
groundfish fisheries (except the fixed-gear sablefish fishery). 
Sideboard limits also apply to landings made using a License Limitation 
Program (LLP) license derived from the history of a restricted vessel, 
even if that LLP is used on another vessel.
    Sideboard limits for non-AFA crab vessels operating in the GOA are 
based on their traditional harvest levels of TAC in groundfish 
fisheries covered by the FMP. Section 680.22(d) and (e) base the 
groundfish sideboard limits in the GOA on the retained catch by non-AFA 
crab vessels of each sideboard species from 1996 through 2000 divided 
by the total retained harvest of that species over the same period. 
Table 14 lists these proposed 2010 and 2011 groundfish sideboard limits 
for non-AFA crab vessels. All targeted or incidental catch of sideboard 
species made by non-AFA crab vessels will be deducted from the 
sideboard limits in Table 14.
    Vessels exempt from Pacific cod sideboards are those that landed 
less than 45,359 kilograms of Bering Sea snow crab and more than 500 mt 
of groundfish (in round weight equivalents) from the GOA between 
January 1, 1996, and December 31, 2000, and any vessel named on an LLP 
that was generated in whole or in part by the fishing history of a 
vessel meeting the criteria in Sec.  680.22(a)(3).

 Table 14--Proposed 2010 and 2011 GOA Non-American Fisheries Act Crab Vessel Groundfish Harvest Sideboard Limits
                                 [Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                  Ratio of 1996-                   Proposed 2010
                                                                   2000 non-AFA                    and 2011 non-
                                                                    crab vessel    Proposed 2010     AFA crab
           Species                Season/gear     Area/component  catch to 1996-   and 2011 TACs      vessel
                                                                    2000 total                       sideboard
                                                                      harvest                          limit
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pollock......................  A Season:         Shumagin (610).          0.0098           5,132              50
                                January 20-
                                March 10.
                                                 Chirikof (620).          0.0031           6,927              21
                                                 Kodiak (630)...          0.0002           3,972               1
                              ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               B Season: March   Shumagin (610).          0.0098           5,131              50
                                10-May 31.
                                                 Chirikof (620).          0.0031           8,591              27
                                                 Kodiak (630)...          0.0002           2,308               0
                              ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               C Season: August  Shumagin (610).          0.0098           6,968              68
                                25-October 1.
                                                 Chirikof (620).          0.0031           3,428              11
                                                 Kodiak (630)...          0.0002           5,634               1
                              ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               D Season:         Shumagin (610).          0.0098           6,968              68
                                October 1-
                                November 1.
                                                 Chirikof (620).          0.0031           3,428              11
                                                 Kodiak (630)...          0.0002           5,634               1
                              ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[[Page 62547]]

 
                               Annual..........  WYK (640)......          0.0000           1,929               0
                                                 SEO (650)......          0.0000           8,280               0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pacific cod..................  A Season: \1\     W inshore......          0.0902          12,557           1,133
                                January 1-June
                                10.
                                                 W offshore.....          0.2046           1,395             285
                                                 C inshore......          0.0383          18,352             703
                                                 C offshore.....          0.2074           2,039             423
                               B Season: \2\     W inshore......          0.0902           8,371             755
                                September 1-
                                December 31.
                                                 W offshore.....          0.2046             930             190
                                                 C inshore......          0.0383          12,235             469
                                                 C offshore.....          0.2074           1,359             282
                              ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               Annual..........  E inshore......          0.0110           2,576              28
                                                 E offshore.....          0.0000             286               0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sablefish....................  Annual, trawl     W..............          0.0000             325               0
                                gear.
                                                 C..............          0.0000             925               0
                                                 E..............          0.0000             209               0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Flatfish shallow-water.......  Annual..........  W..............          0.0059           4,500              27
                                                 C..............          0.0001          13,000               1
                                                 E..............          0.0000           4,756               0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Flatfish, deep-water.........  Annual..........  W..............          0.0035             747               3
                                                 C..............          0.0000           7,405               0
                                                 E..............          0.0000           1,641               0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rex sole.....................  Annual..........  W..............          0.0000             988               0
                                                 C..............          0.0000           6,506               0
                                                 E..............          0.0000           1,333               0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Arrowtooth flounder..........  Annual..........  W..............          0.0004           8,000               3
                                                 C..............          0.0001          30,000               3
                                                 E..............          0.0000           5,000               0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Flathead sole................  Annual..........  W..............          0.0002           2,000               0
                                                 C..............          0.0004           5,000               2
                                                 E..............          0.0000           4,289               0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pacific ocean perch..........  Annual..........  W..............          0.0000           3,710               0
                                                 C..............          0.0000           8,239               0
                                                 E..............          0.0000           3,149               0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern rockfish............  Annual..........  W..............          0.0005           1,965               1
                                                 C..............          0.0000           2,208               0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rougheye rockfish............  Annual..........  W..............          0.0067             126               1
                                                 C..............          0.0047             842               4
                                                 E..............          0.0008             329               0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shortraker rockfish..........  Annual..........  W..............          0.0013             120               0
                                                 C..............          0.0012             315               0
                                                 E..............          0.0009             463               0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other rockfish...............  Annual..........  W..............          0.0035             357               1
                                                 C..............          0.0033             569               2
                                                 E..............          0.0000             804               0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pelagic shelf rockfish.......  Annual..........  W..............          0.0017             765               1
                                                 C..............          0.0000           3,179               0
                                                 E..............          0.0000             521               0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Demersal shelf rockfish......  Annual..........  SEO............          0.0000             362               0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[[Page 62548]]

 
Thornyhead rockfish..........  Annual..........  W..............          0.0047             267               1
                                                 C..............          0.0066             860               6
                                                 E..............          0.0045             783               4
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Atka mackerel................  Annual..........  Gulfwide.......          0.0000           2,000               0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Big skate....................  Annual..........  W..............          0.0392             632              25
                                                 C..............          0.0159           2,065              33
                                                 E..............          0.0000             633               0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Longnose skate...............  Annual..........  W..............          0.0392              78               3
                                                 C..............          0.0159           2,041              32
                                                 E..............          0.0000             768               0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other skates.................  Annual..........  Gulfwide.......          0.0176           2,104              37
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other species................  Annual..........  Gulfwide.......          0.0176           4,500             79
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The Pacific cod A season for trawl gear does not open until January 20.
\2\ The Pacific cod B season for trawl gear closes November 1.

Rockfish Program Groundfish Sideboard Limitations and Halibut Mortality 
Limitations

    Section 679.82(d)(7) establishes sideboards to limit the ability of 
participants eligible for the Rockfish Program to harvest fish in 
fisheries other than the Central GOA rockfish fisheries. The Rockfish 
Program provides certain economic advantages to harvesters. Harvesters 
could use this economic advantage to increase their participation in 
other fisheries, thus possibly adversely affecting the participants in 
other fisheries. The proposed sideboards for 2010 and 2011 limit the 
total amount of catch that could be taken by eligible harvesters and 
limit the amount of halibut mortality to historic levels. The sideboard 
measures are in effect only during the month of July. Traditionally, 
the Central GOA rockfish fisheries opened in July. The sideboards are 
designed to restrict fishing during the historical season for the 
fishery, but allow eligible rockfish harvesters to participate in 
fisheries before or after the historical rockfish season. The sideboard 
provisions are discussed in detail in the proposed rule (71 FR 33040, 
June 7, 2006) and the final rule (71 FR 67210, November 20, 2006, and 
72 FR 37678, July 11, 2007) for the Rockfish Program. Table 15 lists 
the proposed 2010 and 2011 Rockfish Program harvest limits in the WYK 
District and the Western GOA. Table 16 lists the proposed 2010 and 2011 
Rockfish Program halibut mortality limits for catcher/processors and 
catcher vessels.

Table 15--Proposed 2010 and 2011 Rockfish Program Harvest Limits by Sector for West Yakutat District and Western
                        GOA by the Catcher/Processor (CP) and Catcher Vessel (CV) Sectors
                                 [Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                          Proposed     Proposed
                                                  CP sector    CV sector     Proposed     2010 and     2010 and
             Area                   Fishery       (% of TAC)   (% of TAC)    2010 and     2011 CP      2011 CV
                                                                            2011 TACs      limit        limit
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
West Yakutat District........  Pelagic shelf            72.4          1.7          219          159            4
                                rockfish.
                               Pacific ocean            76.0          2.9        1,107          841           32
                                perch.
Western GOA..................  Pelagic shelf            63.3            0          765          484            0
                                rockfish.
                               Pacific ocean            61.1            0        3,710        2,267            0
                                perch.
                               Northern                 78.9            0        1,965        1,550            0
                                rockfish.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


[[Page 62549]]


Table 16--Proposed 2010 and 2011 Rockfish Program Halibut Mortality Limits for the Catcher/Processor and Catcher
                                                 Vessel Sectors
                                 [Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                   Shallow-water    Deep-water
                                      complex         complex                     Annual shallow-  Annual deep-
                                    halibut PSC     halibut PSC   Annual halibut   water complex   water complex
             Sector                  sideboard       sideboard       mortality      halibut PSC     halibut PSC
                                       ratio           ratio        limit  (mt)      sideboard       sideboard
                                     (percent)       (percent)                      limit  (mt)     limit  (mt)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Catcher/processor...............            0.54            3.99           2,000              11              80
Catcher vessel..................            6.32            1.08           2,000             126              22
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

GOA Amendment 80 Vessel Groundfish Harvest and PSC Limits

    Amendment 80 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the 
Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area, hereinafter referred 
to as the ``Amendment 80 program,'' established a limited access 
privilege program for the non-AFA trawl catcher/processor sector. In 
order to limit the ability of participants eligible for the Amendment 
80 program to expand their harvest efforts in the GOA, the Amendment 80 
program established groundfish and halibut PSC limits for Amendment 80 
program participants in the GOA.
    Section 679.92 establishes groundfish harvesting sideboard limits 
on all Amendment 80 program vessels, other than the F/V GOLDEN FLEECE, 
to amounts no greater than the limits shown in Table 37 to part 679. 
Sideboard limits in the GOA are proposed for pollock in the Western and 
Central Regulatory Areas and in the WYK District, for Pacific cod 
gulfwide, for Pacific ocean perch and pelagic shelf rockfish in the 
Western Regulatory Area and WYK District, and for northern rockfish in 
the Western Regulatory Area. The harvest of Pacific ocean perch, 
pelagic shelf rockfish, and northern rockfish in the Central Regulatory 
Area of the GOA is subject to regulation under the Central GOA Rockfish 
Program. Amendment 80 program vessels not qualified under the Rockfish 
Program are excluded from directed fishing for these rockfish species 
in the Central GOA. Pursuant to regulations, the F/V GOLDEN FLEECE is 
prohibited from directed fishing for pollock, Pacific cod, Pacific 
ocean perch, pelagic shelf rockfish, and northern rockfish in the GOA. 
These sideboard limits are necessary to restrict the ability of 
participants eligible for the Amendment 80 program to expand their 
harvest efforts in the GOA.
    Groundfish sideboard limits for Amendment 80 vessels operating in 
the GOA are based on their average aggregate harvests from 1998 to 
2004. Table 17 lists the proposed 2010 and 2011 sideboard limits for 
Amendment 80 vessels. All targeted or incidental catch of sideboard 
species made by Amendment 80 vessels will be deducted from the 
sideboard limits in Table 17.

            Table 17--Proposed 2010 and 2011 GOA Groundfish Sideboard Limits for Amendment 80 Vessels
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                     Ratio of                      2010 and 2011
                               Apportionments                      Amendment 80                    Amendment 80
           Species            and  allocations        Area        sector vessels   2010 and 2011      vessel
                                  by season                          1998-2004       TAC  (mt)      sideboards
                                                                   catch to TAC                        (mt)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pollock.....................  A Season:         Shumagin (610)..           0.003           5,132              15
                               January 20-
                               February 25.
                                                Chirikof (620)..           0.002           6,927              14
                                                Kodiak (630)....           0.002           3,972               8
                             -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              B Season: March   Shumagin (610)..           0.003           5,131              15
                               10-May 31.
                                                Chirikof (620)..           0.002           8,591              17
                                                Kodiak (630)....           0.002           2,308               5
                             -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              C Season: August  Shumagin (610)..           0.003           6,968              21
                               25-September 15.
                                                Chirikof (620)..           0.002           3,428               7
                                                Kodiak (630)....           0.002           5,634              11
                             -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              D Season:         Shumagin (610)..           0.003           6,968              21
                               October 1-
                               November 1.
                                                Chirikof (620)..           0.002           3,428               7
                                                Kodiak (630)....           0.002           9,968              14
                             -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              Annual..........  WYK (640).......           0.002           1,929               4
                             -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pacific cod.................  A Season \1\:     W...............           0.020          13,952             279
                               January 1-June
                               10.
                                                C...............           0.044          20,392             897
                             -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              B Season \2\:     W...............           0.020           9,302             186
                               September 1-
                               December 31.

[[Page 62550]]

 
                                                C...............           0.044          13,594             598
                             -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              Annual..........  WYK.............           0.034           2,862              97
                             -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pacific ocean perch.........  Annual..........  W...............           0.994           3,710           3,688
                                                WYK.............           0.961           1,107           1,064
                             -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern rockfish...........  Annual..........  W...............           1.000           1,965           1,965
                             -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pelagic shelf rockfish......  Annual..........  W...............           0.764             765             584
                             -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                WYK.............           0.896             219             196
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The Pacific cod A season for trawl gear does not open until January 20.
\2\ The Pacific cod B season for trawl gear closes November 1.

    The halibut PSC sideboard limits for Amendment 80 vessels in the 
GOA are based on the historic use of halibut PSC by Amendment 80 
vessels in each PSC target category from 1998 through 2004 (Table 38 to 
50 CFR part 679). These values are slightly lower than the average 
historic use to accommodate two factors: Allocation of halibut PSC 
cooperative quota under the Central GOA Rockfish Program and the 
exemption of the F/V GOLDEN FLEECE from this restriction. Table 18 
lists the proposed 2010 and 2011 halibut PSC limits for Amendment 80 
vessels.

 Table 18--Proposed 2010 and 2011 Halibut Prohibited Species Catch (PSC) Limits for Amendment 80 Vessels in the
                                                       GOA
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                     Historic
                                                                   Amendment 80                    2010 and 2011
                                                                    use of the     2010 and 2011   Amendment 80
           Season               Season dates     Target fishery   annual halibut    annual PSC      vessel PSC
                                                                     PSC limit      limit  (mt)     limit  (mt)
                                                                   catch (ratio)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1...........................  January 20-April  shallow-water...          0.0048           2,000              10
                               1.
                                                deep-water......          0.0115           2,000              23
                             -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2...........................  April 1-July 1..  shallow-water...          0.0189           2,000              38
                                                deep-water......          0.1072           2,000             214
                             -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3...........................  July 1-September  shallow-water...          0.0146           2,000              29
                               1.
                                                deep-water......          0.0521           2,000             104
                             -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4...........................  September 1-      shallow-water...          0.0074           2,000              15
                               October 1.
                                                deep-water......          0.0014           2,000               3
                             -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5...........................  October 1-        shallow-water...          0.0227           2,000              45
                               December 31.
                                                deep-water......          0.0371           2,000              74
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Classification

    NMFS has determined that the proposed harvest specifications are 
consistent with the FMP and preliminarily determined that the proposed 
harvest specifications are consistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Act and 
other applicable laws.
    This action is authorized under 50 CFR 679.20 and is exempt from 
review under Executive Order 12866.
    NMFS prepared a Final EIS for this action and made it available to 
the public on January 12, 2007 (72 FR 1512). On February 13, 2007, NMFS 
issued the Record of Decision for the Final EIS. Copies of the Final 
EIS and Record of Decision for this action are available from NMFS (see 
ADDRESSES). The Final EIS analyzes the environmental consequences of 
the proposed groundfish harvest specifications and its alternatives on 
resources in the action area. The Final EIS found no significant 
environmental consequences from the proposed action or its 
alternatives.
    NMFS also prepared an Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis 
(IRFA) as required by section 603 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act. 
The IRFA evaluated the impacts on small entities of alternative harvest 
strategies for the groundfish fisheries in the exclusive economic zone 
off of Alaska. While the specification numbers may change from year to 
year, the harvest strategy for establishing those numbers remains the 
same. NMFS therefore is using the same IRFA prepared in connection with 
the EIS. NMFS published a notice of the availability of the IRFA and 
its summary in the classification section of the proposed harvest 
specifications for the groundfish fisheries in the GOA in the

[[Page 62551]]

Federal Register on December 15, 2006 (71 FR 75460). The comment period 
on the GOA proposed harvest specifications and IRFA ended on January 
16, 2007. NMFS did not receive any comments on the IRFA or the economic 
impacts of the rule generally.
    A description of the proposed action, why it is being considered, 
and the legal basis for this proposed action are contained in the 
preamble above. A copy of this analysis is available from NMFS (see 
ADDRESSES). A summary of the IRFA follows.
    The action under consideration is a harvest strategy to govern the 
catch of groundfish in the GOA. The preferred alternative is the status 
quo harvest strategy in which TACs fall within the range of ABCs 
recommended by the Council's harvest specification process and TACs 
recommended by the Council. This action is taken in accordance with the 
FMP prepared by the Council pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens Act.
    The directly regulated small entities include approximately 747 
small catcher vessels and fewer than 20 small catcher/processors. The 
entities directly regulated by this action are those that harvest 
groundfish in the exclusive economic zone of the GOA, and in parallel 
fisheries within State of Alaska waters. These include entities 
operating catcher vessels and catcher/processor vessels within the 
action area, and entities receiving direct allocations of groundfish. 
Catcher vessels and catcher/processors were considered to be small 
entities if they had annual gross receipts of $4 million per year or 
less from all economic activities, including the revenue of their 
affiliated operations. Data from 2005 were the most recent available 
and were used to determine the number of small entities.
    Estimates of first wholesale gross revenues for the GOA were used 
as indices of the potential impacts of the alternative harvest 
strategies on small entities. An index of revenues was projected to 
decline under the preferred alternative due to declines in ABCs for key 
species in the GOA. The index of revenues declined by less than 4 
percent between 2007 and 2008 and by less than one percent between 2007 
and 2009.
    The preferred alternative (Alternative 2) was compared to four 
other alternatives. These included Alternative 1, which would have set 
TACs to generate fishing rates equal to the maximum permissible ABC (if 
the full TAC were harvested), unless the sum of TACs exceeded the GOA 
OY, in which case harvests would be limited to the OY. Alternative 3 
would have set TACs to produce fishing rates equal to the most recent 
five-year average fishing rate. Alternative 4 would have set TACs to 
equal the lower limit of the GOA OY range. Alternative 5 would have set 
TACs equal to zero. Alternative 5 is the ``no action'' alternative.
    Alternatives 3, 4, and 5 were all associated with smaller levels 
for important fishery TACs than Alternative 2. Estimated total first 
wholesale gross revenues were used as an index of potential adverse 
impacts to small entities. As a consequence of the lower TAC levels, 
Alternatives 3, 4, and 5 all had smaller first wholesale revenue 
indices than Alternative 2. Thus, Alternatives 3, 4, and 5 had greater 
adverse impacts on small entities. Alternative 1 appeared to generate 
higher values of the gross revenue index for fishing operations in the 
GOA than Alternative 2. A large part of the Alternative 1 GOA revenue 
appeared to be due to the assumption that the full Alternative 1 TAC 
would be harvested. Much of the larger revenue was due to increases in 
flatfish TACs that were much greater for Alternative 1 than for 
Alternative 2. In recent years, halibut bycatch constraints in these 
fisheries have kept actual flatfish catches from reaching Alternative 1 
levels. Therefore, a large part of the revenues presumed to be 
associated with Alternative 1 are unlikely to be realized. Also, 
Alternative 2 TACs are constrained by the ABCs that the Plan Teams and 
SSC are likely to recommend to the Council on the basis of a full 
consideration of biological issues. These ABCs are often less than the 
maximum permissible ABCs of Alternative 1. Therefore higher TACs under 
Alternative 1 may not be consistent with prudent biological management 
of the resource. For these reasons, Alternative 2 is the preferred 
alternative.
    This action does not modify recordkeeping or reporting 
requirements, or duplicate, overlap, or conflict with any Federal 
rules.
    Adverse impacts on marine mammals resulting from fishing activities 
conducted under this rule are discussed in the Final EIS (see 
ADDRESSES).

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 773 et seq.; 16 U.S.C. 1540(f); 16 U.S.C. 
1801 et seq.; 16 U.S.C. 3631 et seq.; Pub. L. 105-277; Pub. L. 106-
31; Pub. L. 106-554; Pub. L. 108-199; Pub. L. 108-447; Pub. L. 109-
241; Pub. L. 109-479.

    Dated: November 23, 2009.
Samuel D. Rauch III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E9-28544 Filed 11-27-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P