Issuance of an exempted fishing permit for limited entry groundfish bottom trawl and non-whiting midwater trawl vessels in the Shorebased Individual Quota Program : trawl gear EFP : an evironmental assessment Trawl gear EFP

"This Environmental Assessment (EA) provides an assessment of the effects of implementing the proposed action compared to the no action alternative (i.e. status quo). This EA is an integrated document that also addresses the statutory requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) and other applicable laws. Section 10 of the Companion Manual for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration2s (NOAA) Administrative Order (NAO) 216-6A recommends that the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documents be combined with other analyses to support fishery management actions to produce one combined document (NOAA, 2017) ... The proposed action considers an exempted fishing permit (EFP) for the Pacific Coast groundfish limited entry trawl fishery to collect information regarding if and how the modification of certain gear, time, and area restrictions for the Shorebased IFQ Program would impact the nature and extent of bycatch. The Council's Operating Procedure (COP) 19 defines EFPs as federal permits that authorize a vessel to engage in an activity that is otherwise prohibited by the MSA or other fishery regulations"--Page 9.