Environmental Assessment for the Issuance of an Exempted Fishing Permit for Using Commercial Pollock Fishing Vessels for Acoustic Surveys within Portions of Steller Sea Lion Protection Areas in the Aleutian Islands Subarea

This document is an Environmental Assessment (EA) of the potential impacts of issuing an exempted fishing permit (EFP) to allow pollock fishing vessels to conduct acoustic surveys and limited pollock harvest within selected areas of Steller sea lion protection areas in the Aleutian Islands subarea. The purpose of the EFP is to assess pollock abundance in a portion of the Aleutian Islands and to test the technical feasibility of setting quotas for pollock at a finer temporal and spatial resolution using near real-time acoustic surveying. Exemption from certain pollock fishing closure areas within Steller sea lion protection areas in the Aleutian Islands subarea would be necessary to ensure sufficient quantities of pollock are encountered to conduct the test and to compensate the study participant. The project is intended to improve the Aleutian Islands pollock stock assessment, conservation, and management. The analysis found no significant impacts on the human environment for this action. 2006 NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) AKR (Alaska Region) AFSC (Alaska Fisheries Science Center) OSF (Office of Sustainable Fisheries) Library Public Domain 1862