Modifications to the Harbor Porpoise Take Reduction Plan : environmental assessment Final environmental assessment on modifications to the Harbor Porpoise Take Reduction Plan

"In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), this Environmental Assessment (EA) evaluates potential environmental impacts of a rule proposed by NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) under Section 118 of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) to modify the regulations implementing the Harbor Porpoise Take Reduction Plan (Plan). The Plan affects the Gulf of Maine/Bay of Fundy (GOM/BOF) stock of harbor porpoises in Northeast Category I commercial gillnet fisheries. The proposed modification would remove a faulty consequence closure regulatory system in which seasonal gillnet closures are implemented if observed harbor porpoise bycatch rates exceed target rates for two consecutive years"--Introduction (page 1).