Final Environmental Assessment for proposed amendment 43 to the Fishery Management Plan for Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands King and Tanner Crabs and proposed amendment 103 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands To prevent overfishing and rebuild Pribilof Islands blue king crab

This environmental assessment evaluates six proposed alternative measures for the Pribilof Islands blue king crab (Paralithodes platypus) stock to minimize bycatch to the extent practicable and prevent overfishing. The Pribilof Islands blue king crab stock remains overfished and the current rebuilding plan has not achieved adequate progress towards rebuilding the stock by 2014. Four of the alternatives are different closure configurations to restrict groundfish fisheries in the areas of the stock distribution. The fifth alternative considers trigger caps and associated area closures in specific groundfish fisheries, while the sixth alternative consists of a combination of a triggered closure for groundfish fisheries combined with a year-round closure to Pacific cod pot fishing. This analysis considers the impacts of these alternatives on the bycatch of Pribilof Islands blue king crab and the potential for preventing overfishing and rebuilding the stock, as well as the environmental and social/economic impacts of these measures.