Endangered Species Act Section 7 Consultation Biological Opinion: Authorization of groundfish fisheries under the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area, Authorization of groundfish fisheries under the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska, State of Alaska parallel groundfish fisheries

This Biological Opinion, prepared in compliance with section 7 of the Federal Endangered Species Act (ESA), documents the consultation on the effects of the authorization of groundfish fisheries in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands region (BSAI) under the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area, and on the authorization of groundfish fisheries in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) under the FMP for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska, including the prosecution of parallel groundfish fisheries in Alaska state waters. This Biological Opinion is comprehensive in scope and considers the fisheries and the overall management framework established by the respective FMPs to determine whether that framework contains necessary measures to ensure the protection of listed species and critical habitat.