Environmental Assessment an Emergency Rule to Implement Reasonable and Prudent Steller Sea Lion Protection Measures in the Pollock Fisheries of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Island Area and the Groundfish Fishery of the Gulf of Alaska
January 19, 1999
This emergency rule would implement three types of management measures for the pollock fisheries of the BSAI and GOA.
The management measures for the pollock fisheries of the BSAI and GOA are:
(1) Measures to temporally disperse fishing effort
(2) measures to spatially disperse fishing effort, and
(3) pollock trawl exclusion zones around important Steller sea lion rookeries and haulouts.
The environmental review process led NOAA Fisheries to conclude that this action will not have a significant impact on the environment. Therefore, an environmental impact statement was not prepared. A copy of the finding of no significant impact, including the environmental assessment, is enclosed.