Endangered Species Act Section 7 Biological Opinion: Authorization of the Alaska groundfish fisheries under the proposed revised Steller Sea Lion Protection Measures

This ESA section 7 consultation considers the action proposed by the NMFS Alaska Region Sustainable Fisheries Division (SFD) to modify the federal groundfish fisheries and State of Alaska parallel groundfish fisheries for Atka mackerel, Pacific cod, and pollock primarily in the Aleutian Islands subarea. This consultation also considers proposed research to better understand the potential effects of these fisheries on Steller sea lions and on the efficacy of conserving prey in areas closed to fishing.