| | Draft Environmental Assessment Interactions Between the |
| | 1,82 | | MB | Pacific Cod Fisheries in the Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands, and the |
| | 205 | | stron | Gulf of Alaska and Steller Sea Lions |
| | 4812 | | ID | National Marine Fisheries Service NMFS - Alaska Region |
| | 2000 | | rok |
| | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
| | 1.0 Purpose and Need for Action 6 |
| | 1.1 Introduction . 6 |
| | 1.2 Purpose and Need 8 |
| | 1.3 Scope of the EA 8 |
| | 1.3.1 Related NEPA Documents . 8 |
| | 1.3.2 Issues Studied In Detail . 9 |
| | 1.4 Public Participation . 9 |
| | 1.6 Decisions That Must Be Made And Applicable Regulatory Requirements . 10 |
| | 2.0 DESCRIPTION OF THE ALTERNATIVES . 11 |
| | 2.1 NEPA Guidance for Alternatives . 11 |
| | 2.2 Background and History Specific to Understanding the Process Used to Formulate the |
| | Alternatives for this Federal Action . 11 |
| | 2.2.1 History of Federal Actions Affecting Steller Sea Lions or Their Critical Habitat . 12 |
| | 2.2.2 Management Framework Specific to Formulating the Alternatives for this Federal Action . 19 |
| | 2.3 Detailed Description of Alternatives . 20 |
| | 2.3.1 Alternative 1: Status Quo . 20 |
| | 2.3.2 Alternative 2 . 22 |
| | 2.3.3 Alternative 3 . 25 |
| | 3.0 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF THE ALTERNATIVES 27 |
| | 3.1 Effects on Pacific cod in the BSAI 27 |
| | 3.1.1 Stock Description and Life History . 27 |
| | 3.1.2 Trophic Interactions . 28 |
| | 3.1.3 Stock Assessment and Fishing Mortality . 30 |
| | 3.1.3.1 Methodology and Data 30 |
| | 3.1.3.2 Results from Current Stock Assessments 31 |
| | 3.1.3.3 Splitting the BSAI TAC into separate BS and AI components 32 |
| | 3.1.3.4 Assessment of Biomass in Critical Habitat . 33 |
| | 3.1.4 Effects of Historic Spatial and Temporal Fishing Patterns for P. cod . 37 |
| | 3.1.4.1 Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Area . 38 |
| | 3.1.4.1.1 Fishery Overview 38 |
| | 3.1.4.1.2 Spatial and Temporal Fishery Patterns . 39 |
| | 3.1.4.2 Gulf of Alaska . 41 |
| | 3.1.4.2.1 Fishery Overview 41 |
| | 3.1.4.2.2 Spatial and Temporal Fishing Patterns . 44 |
| | 3.1.4.2.3 State Managed Pacific Cod Fishery 45 |
| | 3.1.5 Effects of Existing Closure Areas 46 |
| | 3.1.6 Possible Fishery Induced Localized Depletions of Pacific Cod in the Bering Sea . 49 |
| | 3.1.7 Effects of the Alternatives 49 |
| | 3.1.7.1 Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Area . 50 |
| | 3.1.7.2 GOA . 51 |
| | 3.2 Effects on Marine Mammals . 53 |
| | 3.2.1 Steller Sea Lion . 53 |
| | 3.2.1.1 Prey Composition in Steller Sea Lion Diet . 55 |
| | 3.2.1.2 Possible Fishery/Steller Sea Lion Interactions 57 |
| | 3.2.1.3 Previous Actions to Protect Steller Sea Lion Prey Availability . 58 |
| | 3.2.1.4 Effects of the Alternatives on Steller Sea Lions . 59 |
| | 3.2.1.2.1 Alternative 1 . 61 |
| | 3.2.1.2.2 Alternative 2 . 62 |
| | 3.2.1.2.3 Alternative 3 . 63 |
| | 3.2.2 Northern Fur seal . 64 |
| | 3.2.3 Harbor Seal 66 |
| | 3.2.4 Other Pinnipeds 67 |
| | 3.2.5 Pacific Walrus 68 |
| | 3.2.6 Killer Whale . 68 |
| | 3.2.7 Other Toothed Whales . 69 |
| | 3.2.8 Baleen Whales . 70 |
| | 3.2.9 Sea Otter 70 |
| | 3.3 Effects on Seabirds 70 |
| | 3.4.1 Short-tailed Albatross 70 |
| | 3.4.2 Eider . 72 |
| | 3.4 Effects on Forage Species . 73 |
| | 3.5 Effects on Prohibited Species Bycatch . 74 |
| | 3.5.1 Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Area . 74 |
| | 3.5.2 Gulf of Alaska 76 |
| | 3.6 Effects on Incidental Catch 79 |
| | 3.7 Effects on Habitat - Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) 79 |
| | 3.8 Management Considerations . 79 |
| | 3.9 Endangered Species Act Considerations 81 |
| | 3.10 Coastal Zone Management Act Considerations . 83 |
| | 3.11 Marine Mammal Protection Act Considerations 83 |
| | 4.0 ECONOMIC AND SOCIOECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES 85 |
| | 4.1 Regulatory Impact Review . 85 |
| | 4.2 Problem Statement . 85 |
| | 4.3 Objectives of the Action 86 |
| | 4.4 Measuring the Economic Value of Steller Sea Lions 86 |
| | 4.5 Historical management of the P.cod fisheries 87 |
| | 4.5.1 Sector allocation 90 |
| | 4.5.2 Seasonal allocations and in-season management . 91 |
| | 4.5.3 Groundfish observer program . 91 |
| | 4.5.4 P.cod CDQ 92 |
| | 4.5.5 Vessel moratorium and limited entry 92 |
| | 4.5.6 State waters fishery . 93 |
| | 4.5.7 P.cod and Steller sea lion interactions . 94 |
| | 4.6 Alternative Mitigation Actions . 94 |
| | 4.6.1 Mitigation principle one: temporal dispersion . 94 |
| | 4.6.2 Mitigation principle two: spatial dispersion . 96 |
| | 4.6.3 Mitigation principle three: fishing exclusion zones . 97 |
| | 4.6.4 The “no action” alternative (status quo baseline) . 97 |
| | 4.6.4.1 The Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands 98 |
| | 4.6.4.2 The 1999 fishery in the Gulf of Alaska . 109 |
| | 4.6.4.3 Onshore plants and communities 119 |
| | 4.7 Economic implications of the Mitigation Principles-based alternatives . 121 |
| | 4.7.1 Product - market effects . 124 |
| | 4.7.2 TAC roll-over provisions 125 |
| | 4.8 Spill-over effects on non-P.cod fisheries . 129 |
| | 4.9 Attainment of the TAC 142 |
| | 4.10 Economic effects of the alternatives 142 |
| | 4.10.1 Alternative 2 in the BSAI 144 |
| | 4.10.1.1 P.cod CDQ 144 |
| | 4.10.1.2 Specify separate TACs for BS and AI management areas . 146 |
| | 4.10.2 Alternative 2 in the GOA 148 |
| | 4.10.3 Alternative 2 -- BSAI and GOA ‘suboptions’ 150 |
| | 4.10.3.1 Delay starting date of “B” season 150 |
| | 4.10.3.2 Open the “A” season January 1 for fixed gear 150 |
| | 4.10.3.3 Create separate gear allocations for CH limits 150 |
| | 4.10.3.4 Closure of Aleutian Islands . 151 |
| | 4.10.3.5 No CH limits beyond closure of rookeries and important haulouts 152 |
| | 4.10.3.6 Limit CH fishing only in the “A” season . 152 |
| | 4.10.4 Alternative 3 in the BSAI and GOA 153 |
| | 4.11 Summary and “net benefit” conclusions . 155 |
| | 5.0 INITIAL REGULATORY FLEXIBILITY ANALYSIS . 156 |
| | 5.1 Requirement to prepare an IRFA . 156 |
| | 5.2 What is a “small entity”? . 157 |
| | 5.2.1 Small businesses . 157 |
| | 5.2.2 Small organizations . 158 |
| | 5.2.3 Small governmental jurisdictions 158 |
| | 5.3 Reason for considering the proposed action 158 |
| | 5.4 Number and description of affected small entities . 159 |
| | 5.4.1 Small businesses in the BSAI P.cod fishery 159 |
| | 5.4.2 Small not-for-profit organizations . 161 |
| | 5.4.3 Small governmental jurisdictions 161 |
| | 5.4.4 Small businesses in the GOA P.cod fishery . 162 |
| | 5.5 Effects of the proposed mitigation action on small entities . 163 |
| | 5.5.1 Impacts on small businesses 163 |
| | 5.5.1.1 Impacts on catcher boats 163 |
| | 5.5.1.2 Impacts on onshore processors . 164 |
| | 5.5.1.3 Impacts on catcher processors 164 |
| | 5.5.2 Impacts on small organizations . 164 |
| | 5.5.3 Impacts on small governmental jurisdictions . 165 |
| | 5.5.3.1 Unalaska/Dutch Harbor . 166 |
| | 5.5.3.2 Akutan 168 |
| | 5.5.3.3 Kodiak 170 |
| | 5.5.3.4 Sand Point, King Cove and False Pass . 171 |
| | 5.5.3.5 Atka and Adak 174 |
| | 5.5.3.6 Chignik 175 |
| | 5.5.3.7 Cordova, Seward, and Homer 175 |
| | 5.5.3.8 Regional Profiles of the Bering Sea, Aleutians, and Gulf of Alaska 177 |
| | 5.6 Reporting and record keeping requirements 182 |
| | 5.7 Other relevant Federal regulations 183 |
| | 5.8 Alternatives which minimize impacts on small entities . 183 |
| | 6.0 CONCLUSIONS 183 |
| | 7.0 REFERENCES . 184 |
| | 8.0 LIST OF PREPARERS . 192 |
| | 9.0 FIGURES . 193 |
| | 10.0 TABLES 236 |