Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis for the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Groundfish Harvest Specifications for 2015-2016

The action under consideration is adoption of harvest specifications pursuant to the strategy to govern the harvest of groundfish in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) management area, adopted by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) in December 2006. The harvest strategy is one in which total allowable catches (TACs) fall within the range of acceptable biological catches (ABCs) recommended by the Council’s BSAI Groundfish Plan Team, and its Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC), and TACs recommended by the Council. This action is taken in accordance with the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (BSAI FMP) (Council 2014), recommended by the Council pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) (NMFS 2007c). 2014 NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) AKR (Alaska Region) Submitted Public Domain 1861