Amendment 12 to the FMP for the Scallop Fishery Off Alaska

NOAA Fisheries issues a final rule that implements Amendment 88 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area. This amendment revises the Aleutian Islands Habitat Conservation Area boundary to allow nonpelagic trawling in an area historically fished and to prohibit nonpelagic trawling in an area of known coral and sponge occurrence. This action is necessary to ensure the AIHCA protects areas of coral and sponge habitat from the potential effects of nonpelagic trawling and allows nonpelagic trawling in areas historically fished and with unknown occurrence of corals and sponges.