Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Total Allowable Catch Amount for “Other Species” in the Groundfish Fisheries of the Gulf of Alaska

NMFS issues a final rule that implements Amendment 69 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (FMP). Amendment 69 amends the manner in which the total allowable catch (TAC) for the "other species" complex is annually determined in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). The amendment allows the TAC amount for the "other species" complex to be set less than or equal to 5 percent of the sum of groundfish targets species in the GOA. This final rule also raises the maximum retainable amount (MRA) of "other species" in the directed arrowtooth flounder fishery from 0 percent to 20 percent. This action is necessary to reduce the potential for overfishing those species in the "other species" complex in the GOA and to reduce the amount of "other species" required to be discarded in the arrowtooth flounder fishery. This action is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), the FMP, and other applicable laws.