TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY....................................................................................................2 2.0 DOCUMENT ORGANIZATION .........................................................................................4 3.0 BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THIS AMENDMENT..........................................5 3.1 BACKGROUND...................................................................................................................5 3.1.1 Cultivator Shoal Whiting Fishery................................................................................5 3.1.2 Juvenile Whiting Fishery.............................................................................................6 3.1.3 Inclusion of Offshore Hake in the Multispecies Management Unit ............................6 3.2 PURPOSE AND NEED FOR MANAGEMENT ACTION..................................................7 3.2.1 Overfishing ..................................................................................................................7 3.2.2 Purpose of this Amendment.........................................................................................7 3.2.3 Goals and Objectives ...................................................................................................8 3.2.4 Discussion....................................................................................................................9 4.0 PROPOSED ACTION .........................................................................................................16 4.1 IDENTIFICATION OF SMALL MESH MULTISPECIES ...............................................16 4.2 DEFINITIONS OF OVERFISHING FOR SILVER HAKE, OFFSHORE HAKE, AND RED HAKE .........................................................................................................................16 4.2.1 Silver Hake ................................................................................................................17 4.2.2 Red Hake ...................................................................................................................20 4.2.2.1 Gulf of Maine/Northern Georges Bank Red Hake.............................................20 4.2.2.2 Southern Georges Bank/Mid-Atlantic Red Hake...............................................22 4.2.3 Offshore Hake............................................................................................................24 4.3 SPECIFICATION OF OPTIMUM YIELD.........................................................................28 4.4 STOCK IDENTIFICATION FOR MANAGEMENT PURPOSES....................................29 4.5 MORATORIUM ON COMMERCIAL PERMITS – LIMITED ACCESS ........................30 4.5.1 Limited Access Small Mesh Multispecies Permit .....................................................30 4.5.1.1 Sunset on Landings Criteria ...............................................................................30 4.5.2 Limited Access Small Mesh Multispecies Possession Limit Permit.........................30 4.5.3 Limited Access Permit Restrictions...........................................................................30 4.6 INCIDENTAL CATCH ALLOWANCE FOR NON-QUALIFIERS – OPEN ACCESS MULTISPECIES PERMIT .................................................................................................31 4.7 CULTIVATOR SHOAL WHITING FISHERY.................................................................31 4.7.1 Cultivator Shoal Whiting Fishery Season Change ....................................................31 4.7.2 Adjustment to Requirements for Participation in the Cultivator Shoal Whiting Fishery...............................................................................................................31 4.7.3 Additional Management Measures for the Cultivator Shoal Whiting Fishery..........31 4.8 MANAGEMENT MEASURES FOR ALL AREAS EXCLUDING THE CULTIVATOR SHOAL WHITING FISHERY............................................................................................31 4.9 CODEND SPECIFICATION..............................................................................................32 4.10 USE OF NET STRENGTHENERS ..................................................................................33 4.11 TRANSFER OF SMALL MESH MULTISPECIES AT SEA..........................................33 4.12 ADDITIONAL FRAMEWORK ADJUSTMENT LANGUAGE.....................................34 4.13 IDENTIFICATION OF ESSENTIAL FISH HABITAT FOR OFFSHORE HAKE ........35 4.13.1 Introduction................................................................................................................35 4.13.2 EFH for Silver Hake and Red Hake ..........................................................................35 Northeast Multispecies FMP Amendment 12 Volume I 4.13.3 EFH for Offshore Hake .............................................................................................36 4.14 PLAN MONITORING AND ANNUAL ADJUSTMENTS .............................................42 4.14.1 WMC Objectives .......................................................................................................42 4.14.2 WMC Process ............................................................................................................42 4.14.3 Discussion..................................................................................................................43 4.15 DEFAULT MEASURE .....................................................................................................43 4.15.1 Discussion..................................................................................................................44 5.0 CONSISTENCY WITH THE MAGNUSON-STEVENS FISHERY CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT ACT...............................................................................................45 5.1 NATIONAL STANDARDS................................................................................................45 5.2 OTHER REQUIRED PROVISIONS OF THE FCMA.......................................................49 6.0 RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER APPLICABLE LAW......................................................54 6.1 NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT (NEPA) ..............................................54 E.1.0 FINAL SUPPLEMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT..............54 E.2.0 TABLE OF CONTENTS..................................................................................................54 E.3.0 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND.....................................................................54 E.3.1 LIST OF AGENCIES CONSULTED.............................................................................54 E.3.2 MAJOR CONCLUSIONS ..............................................................................................54 E.3.3 AREAS OF CONTROVERSY.......................................................................................55 E.3.3.1 Issues to be Resolved.................................................................................................56 E.4.0 PURPOSE AND NEED FOR ACTION..........................................................................57 E.5.0 ALTERNATIVES INCLUDING THE PROPOSED ACTION....................................57 E.5.1 DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED ACTION ..........................................................57 E.5.2 ALTERNATIVES TO THE PROPOSED ACTION ......................................................57 E.5.2.1 No Action (Status Quo).............................................................................................57 E.5.2.2 Alternatives Considered and Rejected by the Council ..............................................58 E.5.2.2.1 Summary of the Alternatives Taken to Public Hearings....................................58 E.5.2.2.2 Other Alternatives Considered During Scoping.................................................71 E.5.2.2.3 Essential Fish Habitat Alternatives for Offshore Hake......................................72 E.6.0 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT.......................................................................................77 E.6.1 INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................77 E.6.2 DATA CONSIDERATIONS..........................................................................................77 E.6.2.1 NEFSC Trawl Surveys ..............................................................................................77 E.6.2.2 Stock Assessment Workshops ...................................................................................78 E.6.2.3 NMFS Strategic Plan for Research............................................................................79 E.6.2.4 Atlantic Coastal Co-operative Statistics Program.....................................................79 E.6.2.5 Data Considerations Specific to this Amendment .....................................................80 E.6.3 PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT.......................................................................................81 E.6.3.1 Habitat Description....................................................................................................81 E.6.3.1.1 Middle Atlantic Region (Cape Cod to Cape Hatteras).......................................81 E.6.3.2 Weather......................................................................................................................82 E.6.4 BIOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT..................................................................................83 E.6.4.1 Geographic Species Assemblages and