Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Maximum Retainable Bycatch Percentages, Gulf of Alaska

NMFS issues a regulatory amendment that separates shortraker and rougheye (SR/RE) rockfish from the aggregated rockfish species group for purposes of calculating maximum retainable bycatch (MRB) and reduces the percentages for SR/RE rockfish in the Eastern Regulatory Area (ERA) of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) groundfish fisheries. This action is necessary to slow the harvest rate of SR/RE thereby reducing the potential for overfishing. This action is intended to further the objectives of the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (FMP).