Fishing Year 2014 Northeast Multispecies Sector Operations Plans And Contracts PDF Download

"The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) prepared this analysis to evaluate potential impacts that would result from the approval of additional exemptions for each of the 17 fishing year (FY) 2013 Multispecies sector operations plans and complimentary changes to the American Lobster Fishery Management Plan (FMP). In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), this Environmental Assessement (EA) presents impact information on the physical, biological, habitat, and socio-economic ecosystem components that would result in the approval of additional exemptions described herein. As of May 1, 2013, NMFS has approved a total of 17 sectors to operate according to their sectorspecific operations plans under an Annual Catch Entitlement (ACE). A sector is defined as a group of persons holding limited access vessel permits who have voluntarily entered into a contract and agree to certain fishing restrictions for a specified period of time, and which has been granted an ACE in order to achieve objectives consistent with applicable fisheries management plan (FMP) goals and objectives. In the formation of a sector, sector participants can select who could participate (NEFMC 2009). An ACE is defined as the amount of each allocated groundfish stock (in pounds) that a sector can harvest in a fishing year. All other groundfish vessels that are not associated with a sector operate under Common Pool rules, which, among other restrictions, generally control fishing mortality by limiting the number of days-at-sea (DAS)"--Introduction (page 13).