Regulatory Impact Review for a Regulatory Amendment to Allow Community Quota Entities in Area 3A to Purchase D Category Halibut Quota Share

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 a revision to 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 42 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. 2011 NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) AKR (Alaska Region) Submitted Public Domain 1862