The Council reviewed the initial review draft of a Regulatory Impact Review (RIR) considering processing restrictions on squids and sculpins as part of the Ecosystem Component (EC) Category in the BSAI and GOA Groundfish FMPs. The Council approved the analysis for public review and selected Alternative 2, the action alternative that will remove processing restrictions on squids and sculpins, as their preliminary preferred alternative.
The analysis included the no action alternative that would retain processing restrictions for squids and sculpins in the EC category, and the action alternative that removes processing restrictions for squids and sculpins. Under both alternatives squids and sculpins will remain in the EC category, catch monitoring and recordkeeping remain required, and retention is limited by a 20% maximum retainable amount (MRA) for squids and sculpins.
The Council noted that when they recommended the amendments that moved squids to the EC category (Amendment 117 to the BSAI FMP and 106 to the GOA FMP), they did not intend to limit processing for squids. The action alternative matches the intention of the Council for those alternatives and corrects regulations to reflect their intention.
Staff contact is Steve MacLean.
