Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska APPENDICES Appendix A History of the Fishery Management Plan ................................................................ A-1 A.1 Amendments to the FMP ................................................................................................... A-1 Appendix B Geographical Coordinates of Areas Described in the Fishery Management Plan B- 1 B.1 Management Area, Regulatory Areas and Districts .......................................................... B-1 B.1.1 Management Area .............................................................................................. B-1 B.1.2 Regulatory Areas ............................................................................................... B-1 B.1.3 Districts .............................................................................................................. B-2 B.2 Closed Areas ...................................................................................................................... B-2 B.2.1 Sitka Pinnacles Marine Reserve ........................................................................ B-2 B.2.2 Marmot Bay Tanner Crab Protection Area ........................................................ B-2 B.2.3 King Crab Closures around Kodiak Island ........................................................ B-4 B.2.4 Cook Inlet non-Pelagic Trawl Closure Area ...................................................... B-6 B.2.5 Alaska Seamount Habitat Protection Area (ASHPA) ........................................ B-7 Appendix C Section 211 of the American Fisheries Act .............................................................. C-1 C.1 American Fisheries Act, Section 211 ................................................................................ C-1 Appendix D Life History Features and Habitat Requirements of Fishery Management Plan Species ......................................................................................................................... D-1 D.1 Walleye pollock (Theragra calcogramma) ....................................................................... D-9 D.2 Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) ................................................................................ D-14 D.3 Sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) ..................................................................................... D-17 D.4 Yellowfin sole (Limanda aspera) .................................................................................... D-21 D.5 Northern rock sole (Lepidopsetta polyxystra) ................................................................. D-23 D.6 Southern rock sole (Lepidopsetta bilineata) .................................................................... D-26 D.7 Alaska plaice (Pleuronectes quadrituberculatus) ........................................................... D-29 D.8 Rex sole (Glyptocephalus zachirus) ................................................................................ D-31 D.9 Dover sole (Microstomus pacificus) ................................................................................ D-33 D.10 Flathead sole (Hippoglossoides elassodon) ..................................................................... D-36 D.11 Arrowtooth flounder (Atheresthes stomias) .................................................................... D-38 D.12 Pacific ocean perch (Sebastes alutus) .............................................................................. D-40 D.13 Northern rockfish (Sebastes polyspinis) .......................................................................... D-45 D.14 Shortraker Rockfish (Sebastes borealis) ......................................................................... D-48 D.15 Rougheye rockfish (Sebastes aleutianus) and blackspotted rockfish (Sebastes melanostictus) .................................................................................................................. D-51 D.16 Dusky rockfish (Sebastes variabilis) ............................................................................... D-55 D.17 Yelloweye rockfish (Sebastes ruberrimus) and other demersal rockfishes ..................... D-58 D.18 Thornyhead rockfish (Sebastolobus spp.) ....................................................................... D-62 D.19 Atka mackerel (Pleurogrammus monopterygius) ............................................................ D-65 D.20 Skates (Rajidae)............................................................................................................... D-69 D.21 Sculpins (Cottidae) .......................................................................................................... D-71 D.22 Octopuses ........................................................................................................................ D-73 Appendix E Maps of Essential Fish Habitat ................................................................................. E-1 November 2020 i Appendix F Adverse Effects on Essential Fish Habitat ............................................................... F-1 F.1 Fishing Activities that may Adversely Affect Essential Fish Habitat ................................. F-1 F.1.1 Overview ............................................................................................................ F-1 F.1.2 Background on Fishing Effects modeling.......................................................... F-1 F.1.3 Effects of Fishing Analysis ................................................................................ F-3 F.1.4 Habitat categorization ........................................................................................ F-3 F.1.5 General Fishing Gear Impacts ............................................................................ F-4 F.1.6 Fishing Effects Vulnerability Assessment ........................................................ F-10 F.1.7 Impact Assessment Methods ........................................................................... F-11 F.1.8 Cumulative Effects of Fishing on Essential Fish Habitat ................................ F-12 F.1.9 References ........................................................................................................ F-14 F.2 Non-fishing Activities that may Adversely Affect Essential Fish Habitat ....................... F-17 F.3 Cumulative Effects of Fishing and Non-fishing Activities on EFH ................................. F-20 Appendix G Fishery Impact Statement ......................................................................................... G-1 Appendix H Research Needs .......................................................................................................... H-1 H.1 Management Policy Research Programs ........................................................................... H-1 H.2 Council Research Priorities ............................................................................................... H-1 H.3 National Marine Fisheries Service .................................................................................... H-3 H.4 Essential Fish Habitat Research and Information Needs ................................................... H-4 H.4.1 Objectives .......................................................................................................... H-4 H.4.2 Research Questions ............................................................................................ H-4 H.4.3 Research Activities ............................................................................................ H-5 H.4.4 Research Time Frame ........................................................................................ H-5 Appendix I Information on Marine Mammal and Seabird Populations ................................... I-1 I.1 Marine Mammal Populations ..............................................................................................I-1 I.1.1 Potential impacts of fisheries on marine mammals ............................................ I-1 I.1.2 Statutory protection for marine mammals .......................................................... I-3 I.1.3 Consideration of marine mammals in groundfish fishery management ............. I-5 I.1.4 References ........................................................................................................... I-6 I.2 Seabird Populations .............................................................................................................I-7 I.2.1 Potential impacts of fisheries on seabird species ................................................ I-7 I.2.2 Statutory protection for seabirds ......................................................................... I-8 I.2.3 Consideration of seabirds in groundfish fishery management ............................ I-9 I.2.4 Reference .......................................................................................................... I-10 November 2020 ii Appendix A History of the Fishery Management Plan The Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) was implemented on December 1, 1978. Since that time it has been amended over sixty times, and its focus has changed from the regulation of mainly foreign fisheries to the management of fully domestic fisheries. The FMP was substantially reorganized in Amendment 75. Outdated catch data or other scientific information, and obsolete references, were also removed or updated. Section A.1 contains a list of amendments to the FMP since its implementation in 1978.