Annual Report to the International Pacific Halibut Commission From the Alaska Region, National Marine Fisheries Service January 2015

Transcription

1 Annual Report to the International Pacific Halibut Commission From the Alaska Region, National Marine Fisheries Service January Section 1: Charter Halibut Fisheries Guided Angler Fish Program Summary In 2014, NMFS implemented the guided angler fish (GAF) program to authorize limited annual transfers of commercial halibut individual fishing quota (IFQ) as GAF to qualified charter halibut permit holders for harvest by charter vessel anglers in International Pacific Halibut Commission Regulatory Areas 2C (Southeast Alaska) and 3A (South Central Alaska). Using GAF, qualified charter halibut permit holders may offer charter vessel anglers the opportunity to retain halibut up to the limit for unguided anglers when the charter management measure in place limits charter vessel anglers to a more restrictive harvest limit. NMFS processed 111 transfers totaling 41,152 lb of IFQ to 43 different charter halibut permit holders. These transfers allowed the harvest of up to 2,027 additional halibut as GAF by charter vessel anglers (Table 1). Overall, nearly 20% of all GAF transfers were - transferred the IFQ to himself (Table 1). In Area 3A, 47% of all transfers were selftransfers, while only 14% were self-transfers in Area 2C. No transfers of IFQ to GAF occurred after September 15. Charter vessel anglers harvested 1,069 GAF (53%) in 2014, mostly in Area 2C (Table 2). Unused GAF were automatically returned to the IFQ account from which they originated on October 23, Approximately, 8,300 lb of Area 2C IFQ and 6,100 pounds of Area 3A IFQ were returned from the charter sector to the commercial sector under the automatic return provision. NMFS issues GAF in numbers of halibut based on a conversion factor from IFQ pounds. In this first year of the GAF program, the conversion factors were based on the average weight of charter halibut harvested by area in the most recent year without a size limit in effect. The 2014 conversion factors were 26.4 lb IFQ per GAF in Area 2C and 12.8 lb IFQ per GAF in Area 3A. For future years, the conversion factor will be based on the average net weight of GAF harvested by area. The average length of GAF harvested in 2014 was 55 inches in Area 2C and 45 inches in Area 3A (Table 2). Using the IPHC halibut length weight conversion table, these lengths translate into estimated average net weights of 67.3 lb in Area 2C and 38.4 lb in Area 3A. The 2015 conversion factors will increase in 2015 compared to NMFS will announce the official GAF conversion factors early in

2 Table 1. Summary of 2014 IFQ to GAF transfers IPHC Regulatory Area IFQ Pounds transferred Number of GAF transferred Number of transfers (Permits Issued) Avg. price per pound Percentage of self-transfers 2C (Southeast) 29,498 1, $ % 3A (South Central) 11, $ % Total 41,152 2, $ % Table 2. Summary of 2014 GAF harvest IPHC Regulatory Area Number of GAF harvested Average length in inches Pounds of IFQ harvested 2015 conversion factor (net lb) 2014 conversion factor (net lb) (% of total) (range) as GAF 2C 800 (72%) 55 (18-77) 21, A 269 (30%) 45 (30-75) 3, Total 1,069 (53%) 24,553 NMFS published a proposed rule on December 3, 2014 (79 FR 71729) to revise Federal regulations regarding sport fishing guide services for Pacific halibut in IPHC Regulatory Areas 2C and 3A. The proposed action would align Federal regulations with State of Alaska regulations by removing the requirement that a guided sport (charter) vessel guide be on board the same vessel as a charter vessel angler to provide sport fishing guide services. The proposed action would clarify that all sport fishing for halibut in which anglers receive assistance from a compensated guide would be managed under charter fishery regulations and all harvest would accrue toward charter allocations. The proposed action makes additional minor changes to Federal regulations pertaining to the charter halibut fishery to maintain consistency in the regulations. The proposed action would affect several IPHC annual management measures that facilitate enforcement of Federal charter fishery management measures. NMFS anticipates that the revisions to Federal regulations could be effective for the 2015 halibut fishing season. To maintain consistency between the annual management measures and Federal regulations, NMFS recommends that the IPHC consider revisions to the annual management measures that would be affected by the proposed revisions to Federal regulations at its 2015 annual meeting. NMFS staff will review these recommended revisions for the IPHC during the annual meeting. If the IPHC adopts changes to the annual management measures that are affected by the proposed revisions to Federal regulations, NMFS staff will coordinate with IPHC staff to implement the revisions and ensure consistency in regulations governing the charter halibut fisheries. 2

3 The proposed rule to revise the definition of sport fishing guide services is available on the NMFS Alaska Region website at: Proposed Management Measures for 2015 Charter Fisheries in Areas 2C and 3A The Area 2C and 3A Halibut Catch Sharing Plan was effective in 2014, and replaced the Guideline Harvest Level as the method for determining allowable levels of charter halibut harvests in those areas. The Catch Sharing Plan also endorses a process through which the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) recommends annual management measures to the IPHC that are likely to limit charter harvests to their annual catch limits. In Area 2C, the 2014 charter catch limit was 761,280 lb, and the fishery was managed under a daily bag limit of one fish that had to be less than 44 inches or greater than 76 inches total length. In Area 3A, the 2014 charter catch limit was and 1,782,270 lb, and the fishery was managed under a two-fish daily bag limit, with a maximum size limit of 29 inches total length on one fish, and a one-trip per day per charter vessel limit. A prohibition on halibut harvest by skipper and crew during charter vessel fishing trips was effective in both management areas. Preliminary charter halibut harvest estimates indicate that harvest exceeded the catch limits in both areas in 2014; therefore, the Council recommends several changes to the management measures for charter anglers in Areas 2C and 3A for NMFS supports 5 management measures in the Area 2C and Area 3A charter halibut fisheries. These management measures are estimated to keep charter harvests below the projected charter catch limits in both areas. The Council recommends continuing the prohibition on skipper and crew harvest in both areas in In Area 2C, the Council recommends a daily bag limit of one fish that is less than 40 inches or greater than 80 inches total length. In Area 3A, the Council recommends continuing the two-fish daily bag limit, with a maximum size limit of 29 inches total length on one fish, and the one-trip per day per charter vessel limit. Additionally, the Council recommends that the charter fishery in Area 3A observe a one-day-per-week closure on Thursdays from June 15, 2015, through August 31, 2015, and an annual limit of five fish per charter angler. Halibut harvested as GAF would be exempt from these charter management measures. The Council has recommended NMFS will continue to provide staff support to the IPHC to implement management measures for the 2015 directed halibut fisheries. NMFS Alaska Region staff will prepare the 2015 annual management measures final rule and upon acceptance by the Secretary of State with the concurrence of the Secretary of Commerce, will publish the annual management measures in the Federal Register. 3

4 Section 2: Commercial Groundfish Fisheries Halibut Bycatch Current Halibut Bycatch Amounts and Management Halibut bycatch mortality in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) and Gulf of Alaska (GOA) groundfish fisheries is highly regulated and closely managed by the Council and NMFS through the Fishery Management Plans (FMP) for each management area. Through regulations implementing the FMPs, NMFS manages halibut bycatch by (1) establishing annual halibut prohibited species catch (PSC) limits, and (2) apportioning those limits to fishery categories and seasons to accommodate halibut PSC needs in specific groundfish fisheries. The FMPs specify that halibut bycatch in groundfish fisheries is managed as PSC. Catch of PSC species must be avoided while fishing for groundfish and PSC species may not be retained unless required under the FMP. Halibut PSC limits are an apportioned, nonretainable amount of halibut provided to a groundfish fishery to provide an upper limit on the bycatch of halibut in a fishery. NMFS annually establishes halibut PSC limits to constrain the amount of halibut bycatch in the groundfish fisheries. When a halibut PSC limit is reached in an area, further fishing with specific types of gear or modes of operation is prohibited by those who take their halibut PSC limit in that area. The total halibut PSC limit in the BSAI and GOA groundfish fisheries is allocated between trawl fisheries and non-trawl fisheries. As of December 27, 2014, the specified halibut PSC limits and total estimated halibut PSC mortality were as follows: Table BSAI halibut PSC limits and estimated halibut mortality BSAI Fishery Halibut PSC Limit metric tons (mt) Halibut Mortality mt Remaining PSC limit - mt (%) Trawl 3,200 2, mt (12%) Non-trawl mt (52%) Community Development Quota mt (38%) Table GOA halibut PSC limits and estimated halibut mortality GOA Fishery Halibut PSC Limit mt Halibut Mortality mt Remaining PSC limit - mt (%) Trawl 1,848 1, mt (25%) Non-trawl mt (6%) 4

5 As shown in Figures 1-3 below, halibut PSC mortality has not exceeded established limits in the trawl or non-trawl fisheries in either the BSAI or GOA in recent years. Figure 1. Total BSAI and GOA halibut prohibited species catch mortality and limits for groundfish fisheries, ,%%% +%%% *%%% )%%%.6-2 (%%% '%%% &%%% %.6-2 # C@C7> 56/ >=?=C C@C7> 56/?@AC7>=CD / >=?=C /?@AC7>=CD 14-56/ >=?=C 14-56/?@AC7>=CD " 97C7 0;8 ',$ '%&) #&$' 5

6 Figure 2. BSAI halibut prohibited species catch mortality and limits for trawl and nontrawl groundfish fisheries, )%%% (*%% (%%% '*%% '%%% &*%% &%%% *%% % '% "56/ >=?=C '% "56/?@AC7>=CD $ '% "56/ >=?=C $ '% "56/?@AC7>=CD "97C7 0;8 ',$ '%&) #&$' Figure 3. GOA halibut prohibited species catch mortality and limits for trawl and nontrawl groundfish fisheries, (%%% '*%% '%%% &*%% &%%% *%% % '% "56/ >=?=C '% "56/?@AC7>=CD $ '% "56/ >=?=C $ '% "56/?@AC7>=CD "97C7 0;8 ',$ '%&) #&$' 6

7 The Council has recommended and NMFS has implemented a number of groundfish fishery management programs to establish catch share programs and other management tools to enable fishery participants to reduce bycatch of halibut. Bering Sea Aleutian Islands Current Halibut PSC Management 1. Under the Amendment 80 catch share program, BSAI groundfish species and halibut PSC are allocated to the Amendment 80 trawl sector and the BSAI trawl limited access sector. From 2008 through 2012, the amount of halibut PSC allocated to the Amendment 80 trawl groundfish fisheries was reduced by approximately 2% annually according to schedule shown in Table 5. Table 5. Amendment 80 reductions to the BSAI trawl sector halibut PSC limits Year BSAI Halibut PSC Limit (metric tons) , , , , and all future years 2,325 Source: Table 35 to 50 CFR part 679 at 2. If NMFS projects that the BSAI trawl limited access sector will not harvest its allocation of Amendment 80 groundfish species, the BSAI trawl limited access Amendment 80 sector. Current regulations specify that 95% of the halibut PSC will be rolled over to the Amendment 80 sector and the remaining 5% of halibut PSC would not be harvested for that year. In 2014, the BSAI trawl limited access sector did not use all of its halibut PSC so there was a rollover of 76 mt to the Amendment 80 sector (October 24, 2014, 79 FR 63577). Gulf of Alaska Current Halibut PSC Management 1. The GOA Rockfish Program was effective on January 1, 2012, and replaced the Rockfish Pilot Program, which was in place from Like the Pilot Program, the Rockfish Program allocates amounts of target rockfish species, secondary groundfish species, and halibut PSC to trawl fishery cooperatives. Under the Rockfish Program and Pilot Program, halibut PSC allocations to cooperatives were reduced by 12.5% of historical catch levels ( ), resulting in 27.4 metric tons (mt) of The Rockfish Program differs from the Pilot Program in that the revised program allows unharvested halibut PSC to be rolled over to a fifth season. Starting in 2012, 55% of the unused trawl halibut PSC could be rolled over to a fifth season late in the fishing year and the remaining 45% would not be harvested. 7

8 In 2014, 77 mt of the 191 mt halibut PSC limit (40%) were harvested by Rockfish Program participants. There was no rollover of halibut PSC to the fifth season, and 114 mt of halibut PSC allocated to the Rockfish Program stayed in the water in In 2014, NMFS continued to implement Amendment 95 to the GOA FMP, which phases in reductions to halibut PSC limits for the GOA groundfish fisheries. The halibut PSC limits for the GOA groundfish sectors were reduced from the 2013 annual halibut PSC limits as follows: Trawl: 15-percent reduction, phased-in over 3 years with a 7 percent reduction the first year, an additional 5 percent reduction the second year, and a final 3 percent reduction in the third year. Hook-and-line catcher/processor: 7 percent reduction. Hook-and-line catcher vessel: 15-percent reduction phased in over 3 years with a 7 percent reduction the first year, an additional 5 percent reduction the second year, and a final 3 percent reduction in the third year. Hook-and-line demersal shelf rockfish Southeast Outside District: 1 metric ton reduction to 9 metric tons. Amendment 95 reduces halibut PSC limits for the GOA trawl sector as shown in Table 6. Table 6. Amendment 95 reductions to the GOA trawl sector halibut PSC limits Effective dates GOA annual trawl sector PSC limit (mt) Cumulative percent reduction 2013 (status quo) 1,973 N/A ,848 7% ,759 12% 2016 and each year thereafter 1,706 15% Amendment 95 reduces halibut PSC limits for the hook and line sector as shown in Table 7. 8

9 Table 7. Amendment 95 reductions to the GOA hook-and-line sector halibut PSC limits Effective dates 2013 (status quo) Hook and Line Sector GOA annual hook and line sector PSC limit (mt) Total Cumulative percent reduction Catcher vessel 166 N/A Catcher/processor 124 N/A Total * Catcher vessel % and each year thereafter Catcher/processor % Total 261 Catcher vessel % Catcher/processor % Total 256 Catcher vessel % Catcher/processor % * The Southeast Outside District halibut PSC limit was reduced by 1 metric ton in The final rule for Amendment 95 is available on the NMFS Alaska Region website at: Halibut Bycatch Estimates Discussions at the 2014 IPHC Interim Meeting noted differences between the 2014 bycatch numbers estimated by NMFS and those used by IPHC staff for portions of the Bering Sea. Consequently, the IPHC requested the staffs of the two agencies to try to reconcile and resolve the apparent 2014 differences via a technical working group, before NMFS and IPHC staff participated in a teleconference on December 17, 2014, in which: 1. NMFS Alaska Regional Office agreed to provide updated information to the IPHC that reflect updates to actual bycatch in the Gulf of Alaska (Areas 2C, Area 3A, and Area 3B) and the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands (Areas 4A, 4B, 4CDE). 2. The group agreed that NMFS estimates of bycatch using the IPHC methodology closely matched for the full-year estimates in 2011 through In 2014, using the same methods the IPHC uses to estimate bycatch, NMFS derived slightly higher bycatch amounts in the GOA but lower amounts in the BSAI, and in particular lower bycatch in Area 4CDE. The difference is due to the fact that the IPHC necessarily used estimates for bycatch that were extracted from the NMFS database as of October 25, 2014, when the stock IPHC stock assessment was conducted. The current NMFS estimate is using data to December 16 and projecting to the end of the year. This

10 estimate is lower than that projected by IPHC in October and due primarily to lower bycatch in December. 3. In Area 4CDE the NMFS total bycatch mortality projection is approximately 251,000 pounds lower than that used in the IPHC Interim Meeting Assessment. This is likely to result in roughly 150,000 pounds less O26 bycatch than originally projected by the IPHC. 4. IPHC staff will review final NMFS data for 2014 when it is made available and can provide the Commission with updated catch tables that reflect the impact of these updated bycatch numbers prior to the annual meeting. 5. The group agreed that improved protocols on data-sharing could aid IPHC staff in the preparation of their bycatch estimates by providing more timely and complete access to data. 6. The IPHC, the NFMS Alaska Regional Office, and the Alaska Fisheries Science Center Observer Program staff agreed that longer term improvements to our process would enhance our ability to assign bycatch to specific IPHC regulatory areas, including the U26/O26 partition with greater precision. The goal of this work during 2015 will be to develop improved data resolution and analysis procedures and an agreed protocol for how estimation and projection will be conducted. Given upcoming meeting schedules it is unlikely that additional work or in-person meetings could occur until after the February 2015 Council meeting. Halibut Bycatch Management Actions in Progress 1. Exempted fishing permit application to reduce halibut mortality in NMFS is currently reviewing an exempted fishing application from Amendment 80 participants to conduct a new halibut mortality experiment in The experiment would expand on results of previous exempted fishing permit experiments in 2012 to explore the feasibility of deck sorting halibut in additional fisheries, on more vessels, and during a longer interval of time during the fishing season. The primary objective is to reduce halibut mortality in the Amendment 80 groundfish fisheries in NMFS anticipates publishing a notice in the Federal Register requesting public comment on the exempted fishing permit design prior to the IPHC annual meeting. The Council will review the exempted fishing permit application at its February 2015 meeting. NMFS anticipates that the exempted fishing permit would be effective by late-march or early-april when groundfish fisheries with relatively higher halibut PSC rates occur. 2. Request for an emergency rule to reduce BSAI halibut PSC limits for On December 18, 2014, NMFS received a letter requesting that the agency work with the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) to promulgate an emergency regulation to reduce Pacific halibut bycatch limits for the BSAI Federal groundfish fisheries in The letter was sent on behalf of the State of Alaska and all six voting members of the 10

11 2015 Bering Sea (Area 4CDE) directed halibut fishery would be a 71% reduction from the 2014 catch limit. The State of Alaska and the Alaska members of the Council believe that this potential reduction creates an emergency because it would negatively impact remote coastal communities in Area 4CDE due to loss of revenue from reductions in halibut harvesting and processing activities. The review of petitions for emergency rulemaking are governed by section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, 16 U.S.C. the Use of Emergency Rules (March 31, 2008). NMFS promulgates emergency regulations only in extremely urgent, special circumstances where substantial harm to or disruption of the resource, fishery, or community would occur in the time it would take to follow the standard rulemaking process. NMFS must consider whether circumstances warrant forgoing consultation with the Council, advance notice, public comment, and deliberative consideration of the impacts on all participants in the fishery. NMFS is in the process of reviewing the request for an emergency rule and will provide a response as soon as possible. 3. Council action to reduce BSAI halibut PSC limits. The Council is considering an action to reduce BSAI halibut PSC limits for trawl and hook-and-line fisheries. The PSC limit reductions under consideration range from 10% to 35% for trawl and hookand-line vessels currently subject to halibut PSC limits in the BSAI. NMFS staff contributed to the analysis that is being prepared for the Council to review at its meeting in February The Council is scheduled to take final action in June Council consideration of measures to reduce halibut mortality. The Council is also considering implementing regulatory measures in the Amendment 80 sector to provide opportunities for deck sorting of halibut, or other handling practices that may provide an opportunity to reduce mortality of halibut that cannot be avoided. NMFS staff are working with industry representatives on an application for an exempted fishing permit to examine the viability and potential savings in halibut mortality for the Amendment 80 fleet of allowing deck sorting of halibut. Section 3: Observer Program In 2013, NMFS implemented a restructured North Pacific Groundfish and Halibut Fisheries Observer Program that made important changes to how observers are deployed, how observer coverage is funded, and the vessels and processors that must have some or all of their operations observed. These changes increased the statistical reliability of data collected by the program, addresseded cost inequality among fishery participants, and expandeded observer coverage to previously unobserved fisheries. The restructured Observer Program expandeded observer coverage to vessels less than 60 feet length overall, providing better estimates of halibut bycatch, and added observer coverage to the previously unobserved commercial halibut fleet. 11

12 In June 2014, NMFS presented to the Council and public an annual report that evaluated observer activities, costs, sampling levels, and issues in 2013, and potential changes for The realized rates of observer coverage for 2013 met the anticipated coverage goals for all trip selection strata; however, coverage levels in the vessel selection strata were less than expected during the first five selection periods (January - October). The random selection of vessels for observer coverage was abandoned and all eligible vessels were selected during the last period (November-December). During this selection period coverage levels achieved the anticipated number of vessels specified in the 2013 Annual Deployment Plan (ADP). Based on this first year of data, NMFS noted that the vessel selection process had several problems that impacted data quality. The 2015 Annual Deployment Plan was presented to the Council in December For 2015, NMFS will use a trip selection method with two trip-selection pools based on vessel size to assign observers to vessels. Anticipated selection probabilities will be 12% for the small vessel trip-selection pool and 24% for the large vessel trip-selection pool. This is roughly a 50 % increase in observer coverage relative to NMFS does not plan to grant conditional releases in the large vessel trip-selection pool in 2015 consistent with Council and NMFS policy established in NMFS will grant conditional releases to small vessels under two scenarios: 1) vessels with insufficient life-raft capacity to accommodate an observer, or 2) vessels that are not released due to insufficient life-raft capacity shall be released from observer coverage on their third trip if it is consecutive to two previously observed trips. Overall, the 2015 ADP reduces the impact on small vessels, such as the halibut fleet, of having observers because smaller vessels have a lower selection rate and observers are assigned on a trip-by-trip basis, rather than for an extended duration. Vessels less than 40 ft length will continue to be exempt from observer coverage, but may be selected to participate in testing of electronic monitoring. The Observer Program 2013 annual report and 2015 annual deployment plan are available on the NMFS Alaska Region website at: Section 4: Commercial Halibut Fishery Regulations Halibut-Sablefish Individual Fishing Quota Program Community Quota Entity in the Aleutian Islands Management Area NMFS published a final rule for Amendment 102 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands and a regulatory amendment to the IFQ Program on February 14, 2014 (79 FR 8870). Amendment 102 and the implementing regulations create, in halibut IFQ regulatory area 4B (Area 4B) and the sablefish Aleutian Islands regulatory area, a Community Quota Entity Program that is similar to the existing Community Quota Entity Program in the Gulf of Alaska. This final rule also amended IFQ Program regulations to allow IFQ derived from D share halibut QS to be fished on category C vessels in Area 4B. This will increase the amount of IFQ that may be 12

13 ngth overall and increase safety at sea for that fleet. These amendments provide additional fishing opportunities for residents of fishery dependent communities and sustain participation in the halibut and sablefish IFQ fisheries. The final rule for Amendment 102 is available on the NMFS Alaska Region website at: Vessel Ownership Requirements for IFQ Program Quota Share Holders NMFS published a final rule on February 24, 2014 (77 FR 65843), that requires initial individual recipients of catcher vessel quota share (QS) to own a minimum 20-percent interest in a vessel for at least 12 consecutive months prior to submitting an application to hire a master to harvest QS from that vessel. The 20-percent ownership requirement was already in regulation; the 12-month requirement is new. This rule has an exception to the 12-month ownership requirement for an initial individual QS recipient whose vessel becomes disabled and must undergo substantial repairs. This rule goes into effect on March 23, This rule promotes a predominantly owner-operated fishery. This rule does not apply to Southeast Alaska because initial individual QS recipients in Southeast Alaska cannot use a hired master to harvest QS. The final rule for this action is available on the NMFS Alaska Region website at: Hired Master Prohibition NMFS published a final rule on July 28, 2014 (79 FR 43679), to amend the hired master provisions of the IFQ Program for the fixed-gear commercial Pacific halibut and sablefish fisheries in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands and the Gulf of Alaska. The IFQ Program allows initial recipients of catcher vessel halibut and sablefish QS to hire a vessel master to harvest an annual allocation of IFQ derived from the QS. The rule prohibits an initial quota share recipient from using a hired master to harvest IFQ derived from catcher vessel QS that they received by transfer after February 12, This final rule maintains progress toward a predominantly owner-onboard fishery. This rule will be effective for the 2015 fishing season. The final rule for the hired master prohibition is available on the NMFS Alaska Region website at: This rule has been challenged in the United States District Court, Western District of Washington (Fairweather Fish, Inc. et al. vs. Pritzker et al. l., Case No. 3:14-cv BHS, filed on August 27, 2014). Plaintiffs and Defendants anticipate filing court briefs supporting motions for summary judgment in mid Community Quota Entities- Small Block NMFS published a final rule on November 7, 2014 (79 FR 66324), to implement Amendment 96 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska and an amendment to the Pacific halibut commercial fishery regulations for waters in and 13

14 off Alaska. The final rule removed a regulation that prohibited a Gulf of Alaska Community Quota Entity from transferring and holding small blocks of halibut and sablefish QS. Small blocks of QS can typically be purchased at a lower cost. The final rule allows Gulf of Alaska Community Quota Entities to acquire these potentially more affordable QS, which could facilitate participation by Community Quota Entities in the IFQ Program. The final rule for the CQE small block action is available on the NMFS Alaska Region website at: 14