Final Regulatory Impact Review / Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Amendment 96 to the Fishery Management Plan For Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska Remove the Community Quota Entity Small Block Restriction

This Regulatory Impact Review (RIR) was prepared to evaluate the economic and socioeconomic effects of a proposed Federal regulatory amendment, as required under Presidential Executive Order 12866. The proposed amendment would be to revise the Gulf of Alaska Community Quota Entity (CQE) Program, which was approved by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) in 2002 and implemented by NMFS in 2004, under Amendment 66 to the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) Fishery Management Plan. The program was developed in order to allow a distinct set of small, remote coastal communities located in the Gulf of Alaska to purchase catcher vessel quota share (QS) under the existing halibut and sablefish Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Program.