Environmental Assessment /Regulatory Impact Review Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis for a Regulatory Amendment to Permit the Seasonal Closure of Chiniak Gully in the Gulf of Alaska to Trawl Fishing : Implemented Under the Authority of the Fishery Management Plan for the Groundfish Fishery of the Gulf of Alaska

This Environmental Assessment/Regulatory Impact Review/Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (EA/RIR/FRFA) evaluates the environmental impacts, costs and benefits, and small entity impacts of a final regulatory amendment. The final amendment will impose a seasonal ban on all commercial trawl fishing in the Chiniak Gully region from August 1 to a date no later than September 20 from 2006 through 2010. The regulatory changes are needed to permit NMFS to conduct controlled experiments on the effects of fishing on pollock distribution and abundance, as part of a comprehensive research program on sea lion/fishery interactions. The experiment and this closure likely would be conducted only in three of the five years from 2006 through 2010. An Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (IRFA) was prepared for the proposed rule, and described in the classification section of the preamble to the rule. The public comment period ended on April 26, 2006. NMFS received no comments on the IRFA. This EA/RIR/FRFA addresses the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act, Presidential Executive Order 12866, and the Regulatory Flexibility Act.