(a) Harvesting sideboards for listed AFA catcher/processors and catcher/processors designated on listed AFA catcher/processor permits. The Regional Administrator will restrict the ability of listed AFA catcher/processors and a catcher/processor designated on a listed AFA catcher/processor permit to engage in directed fishing for non-pollock groundfish species to protect participants in other groundfish fisheries from adverse effects resulting from the AFA and from fishery cooperatives in the BS subarea directed pollock fishery.

(1) How will groundfish sideboard limits for AFA listed catcher/processors and catcher/processors designated on listed AFA catcher/processor permits be calculated? Except for Aleutian Islands pollock and BSAI Pacific cod, the Regional Administrator will establish annual AFA catcher/processor harvest limits for each groundfish species or species group in which a TAC is specified for an area or subarea of the BSAI as follows:

(i) Aleutian Islands Pacific ocean perch.

(A) The Aleutian Islands Pacific ocean perch harvest limit will be equal to the 1996 through 1997 aggregate retained catch of Aleutian Islands Pacific ocean perch by catcher/processors listed in Sections 208(e)(1) through (20) and 209 of the AFA in non-pollock target fisheries divided by the sum of the Aleutian Islands Pacific ocean perch catch in 1996 and 1997 multiplied by the remainder of the Aleutian Islands Pacific ocean perch TAC after the subtraction of the CDQ reserve under §679.20(b)(1)(ii)(C) in the year in which the harvest limit will be in effect.

(B) If the amount of Pacific ocean perch calculated under paragraph (a)(1)(i)(A) of this section is determined by the Regional Administrator to be insufficient to meet bycatch needs of AFA catcher/processors in other directed fisheries for groundfish, the Regional Administrator will prohibit directed fishing for Aleutian Islands Pacific ocean perch by AFA catcher/processors and establish the sideboard amount equal to the amount of Aleutian Islands Pacific ocean perch caught by AFA catcher/processors incidental to directed fishing for other groundfish species.

(ii) Atka mackerel. The Atka mackerel harvest limit for each area and season will be equal to:

(A) Bering Sea subarea and Eastern Aleutian Islands, zero; and

(B) Western Aleutian Islands, 20 percent of the annual TAC specified for Atka mackerel.

(iii) Flathead sole, rock sole, and yellowfin sole. The harvest limit for flathead sole, rock sole, and yellowfin sole will be equal to the 1995 through 1997 aggregate retained catch of that species by catcher/processors listed in Sections 208(e)(1) through (e)(20) and 209 of the AFA in non-pollock target fisheries divided by the sum of the catch of that species in 1995 through 1997 multiplied by the remainder of the TAC of that species after the subtraction of the CDQ reserve under §679.20(b)(1)(ii)(C) in the year in which the harvest limit will be in effect.

(iv) Remaining groundfish species.

(A) Except as provided for in paragraphs (a)(1)(i) through (a)(1)(iii) of this section, the harvest limit for each BSAI groundfish species or species group will be equal to the 1995 through 1997 aggregate retained catch of that species by catcher/processors listed in Sections 208 (e)(1) through (e)(20) and 209 of the AFA in non-pollock target fisheries divided by the sum of the catch of that species in 1995 through 1997 multiplied by the TAC of that species available for harvest by catcher/processors in the year in which the harvest limit will be in effect.

(B) If the amount of a species calculated under paragraph (a)(1)(iv)(A) of this section is determined by the Regional Administrator to be insufficient to meet bycatch needs for AFA catcher/processors in other directed fisheries for groundfish, the Regional Administrator will prohibit directed fishing for that species by AFA catcher/processors and establish the sideboard amount equal to the amount of that species caught by AFA catcher/processors incidental to directed fishing for other groundfish species.

(v) Yellowfin sole sideboard limit exemption. AFA catcher/processors will not be subject to a harvest limit for yellowfin sole in the BSAI during a calendar year if the aggregate ITAC of yellowfin sole assigned to the Amendment 80 sector and BSAI trawl limited access sector is greater than or equal to 125,000 metric tons.

(2) What are the halibut and crab PSC sideboard limits? The halibut and crab PSC bycatch limits specified for catcher/processors in the BSAI are listed in Tables 40 and 41 to this part.

(3) How will AFA catcher/processor sideboard limits be managed?

(i) The Regional Administrator will manage groundfish harvest limits and PSC bycatch limits for AFA catcher/processors through directed fishing closures in fisheries established under paragraph (a)(1) of this section in accordance with the procedures set out in §§679.20(d)(1)(iv) and 679.21(b)(4)(iii).

(ii) Directed fishing for the BSAI groundfish that have sideboard limits listed in Table 54 of this part is prohibited.

(b) Harvesting sideboards for AFA catcher vessels. The Regional Administrator will restrict the ability of AFA catcher vessels to engage in directed fishing for other groundfish species to protect participants in other groundfish fisheries from adverse effects resulting from the AFA and from fishery cooperatives in the BS subarea directed pollock fishery.

(1) To whom do the catcher vessel sideboard limits apply? Catcher vessel harvest limits and PSC bycatch limits apply to all AFA catcher vessels participating in all GOA groundfish fisheries and all non-pollock groundfish fisheries in the BSAI except vessels qualifying for sideboard exemptions in the specific fisheries identified in paragraph (b)(2) of this section.

(2) Who is exempt from catcher vessel sideboards?

(i) BSAI Pacific cod sideboard exemptions—(A) AFA catcher vessels less than 125 ft (38.1 m) LOA that are determined by the Regional Administrator to have harvested a combined total of less than 5,100 mt of BSAI pollock, and to have made 30 or more legal landings of Pacific cod in the BSAI directed fishery for Pacific cod from 1995 through 1997 are exempt from sideboard closures for BSAI Pacific cod.

(B) AFA catcher vessels with mothership endorsements are exempt from BSAI Pacific cod catcher vessel sideboard directed fishing closures after March 1 of each fishing year.

(ii) GOA groundfish sideboard exemptions. AFA catcher vessels less than 125 ft (38.1 m) LOA that are determined by the Regional Administrator to have harvested less than 5,100 mt of BSAI pollock and to have made 40 or more landings of GOA groundfish from 1995 through 1997 are exempt from GOA groundfish catcher vessel sideboard directed fishing closures.

(iii) An AFA rebuilt catcher vessel will have the same sideboard exemptions, if any, as the vessel before rebuilding, irrespective of the length of the AFA rebuilt catcher vessel.

(iv) An AFA replacement vessel for an AFA catcher vessel will have the same sideboard exemptions, if any, as the replaced AFA catcher vessel, irrespective of the length of the AFA replacement vessel, except that if the replacement vessel was already designated on an AFA permit as exempt from sideboard limits, the replacement vessel will maintain the exemption even if the replaced vessel was not exempt from sideboard limits.

(3) How will groundfish sideboard limits be calculated? Except for Aleutian Islands pollock, the Regional Administrator will establish annual AFA catcher vessel harvest limits for each groundfish species or species group in which a TAC is specified for an area or subarea of the GOA and BSAI as follows:

(i) BSAI groundfish other than Amendment 80 species. The AFA catcher vessel groundfish harvest limit for each BSAI groundfish species or species group other than BSAI Pacific cod will be equal to the aggregate retained catch of that groundfish species or species group from 1995 through 1997 by all AFA catcher vessels; divided by the sum of the TACs available to catcher vessels for that species or species group from 1995 through 1997; multiplied by the TAC available to catcher vessels in the year or season in which the harvest limit will be in effect.

(ii) BSAI Pacific cod. The AFA catcher vessel groundfish harvest limit for BSAI Pacific cod will be equal to the retained catch of BSAI Pacific cod in 1997 by AFA catcher vessels not exempted under paragraph (b)(2)(i)(A) of this section divided by the BSAI Pacific cod TAC available to catcher vessels in 1997; multiplied by the BSAI Pacific cod TAC available to catcher vessels in the year or season in which the harvest limit will be in effect.

(iii) Amendment 80 species other than Pacific cod. The AFA catcher vessel groundfish harvest limit for each Amendment 80 species other than BSAI Pacific cod will be equal to the aggregate retained catch of that Amendment 80 species from 1995 through 1997 by all AFA catcher vessels, divided by the sum of the TAC available to catcher vessels for that species or species group from 1995 through 1997, and multiplied by the remainder of the TAC after the subtraction of the CDQ reserve under §679.20(b)(1)(ii)(C) in the year or season in which the harvest limit will be in effect.

(iv) GOA groundfish. The AFA catcher vessel groundfish harvest limit for each GOA groundfish species or species group will be equal to the aggregate retained catch of that groundfish species or species group from 1995 through 1997 by AFA catcher vessels not exempted under paragraph (b)(2)(ii) of this section; divided by the sum of the TACs of that species or species group available to catcher vessels from 1995 through 1997; multiplied by the TAC available to catcher vessels in the year or season in which the harvest limit will be in effect.

(4) How will halibut and crab PSC limits be calculated?—(i) BSAI. The halibut and crab PSC bycatch limits specified for catcher vessels in the BSAI are listed in Tables 40 and 41 to this part.

(ii) GOA. The AFA catcher vessel PSC bycatch limit for halibut in the GOA will be a portion of the PSC limit equal to the ratio of aggregate retained groundfish catch by AFA catcher vessels in each PSC target category from 1995 through 1997 relative to the retained catch of all vessels in that fishery from 1995 through 1997.

(5) How will catcher vessel sideboard limits be managed?

(i) The Regional Administrator will manage groundfish harvest limits and PSC bycatch limits for AFA catcher vessels using directed fishing closures according to the procedures set out at §§679.20(d)(1)(iv) and 679.21(d)(7) and (e)(3)(v).

(ii) Directed fishing for the BSAI groundfish that have sideboard limits listed in Table 55 of this part and the GOA groundfish that have sideboard limits listed in Table 56 of this part is prohibited.

(6) Yellowfin sole sideboard limit exemption. AFA catcher vessels will not be subject to a harvest limit for yellowfin sole in the BSAI during a calendar year if the aggregate ITAC of yellowfin sole assigned to the Amendment 80 sector and BSAI trawl limited access sector is greater than or equal to 125,000 metric tons.

[67 FR 79734, Dec. 30, 2002, as amended at 70 FR 9868, Mar. 1, 2005; 72 FR 52725, Sept. 14, 2007; 72 FR 50818, Sept. 4, 2007; 73 FR 27770, May 14, 2008; 79 FR 54602, Sept. 12, 2014; 81 FR 24733, Apr. 27, 2016; 84 FR 2728, Feb. 8, 2019]