Regulatory Impact Review for Proposed Amendment 103 Fishery Management Plan and Regulatory Amendment to Allow the Reapportionment of Chinook Salmon PSC between the Pollock and Non-Pollock Gulf of Alaska Trawl Fisheries

Regulatory Impact Review of reapportioning  the Chinook salmon prohibited species catch (PSC) limits from one particular sector of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) groundfish trawl fishery to another. The intent is to provide greater flexibility to reapportion the overall GOA trawl Chinook salmon PSC limit during years of high or unusual Chinook salmon PSC without revisiting the limits currently set in regulation. For example, Chinook salmon could be made available to the non-pollock catcher vessel sector after NOAA Fisheries has determined that the pollock trawl fishery’s PSC limit is greater than the amount projected to be necessary to harvest the pollock total allowable catch. In the same manner, this action would allow the inseason reapportionment of Chinook salmon PSC from the non-pollock to the pollock sector when excess Chinook salmon PSC is available. Reapportioning Chinook salmon PSC could benefit GOA trawl communities, vessel operators, crew members, processors, and support industries that are dependent on those fisheries, without modifying the overall PSC limits that were established to protect the Chinook resource. This analysis also considers whether the action could increase the total amount of Chinook salmon PSC taken across all sectors in a given year. No alternative increases the total GOA trawl PSC limit. Because that limit is not changed, reinitiation of the 2007 supplemental biological opinion on ESA-listed salmon is not required.