Dan Hull, Chairman
Chris Oliver, Executive Director
SUBJECT: title
AFA 10-Year Program Review - Review Report
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STAFF CONTACT: Jon McCracken
ACTION REQUIRED: recommended action
Review AFA Program Review
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BACKGROUND:
The AFA was signed into law in October of 1998. The purpose of the AFA was to tighten U.S. ownership standards of fishing vessels that had been exploited under the Anti-reflagging Act, significantly decapitalize the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) pollock fishery, and provide the BSAI pollock fleet the opportunity to conduct their fishery in a more rational manner while protecting non-AFA participants in other fisheries.
During passage of AFA, Congress anticipated that the Act could result in substantial changes to the businesses and communities that rely on fishing, as well as the natural resources that support those fisheries. To provide a better understanding of the impacts resulting from the Act, Congress requested that the Council develop a report focused on specific changes brought about by the AFA.
To address Congress’s request, a report on AFA was completed a little over two years after implementation of the cooperative system. Since completion of that report dated April 1, 2002, another program report has not been completed on AFA. In 2006, the reauthorization of the MSA included a requirement for formal and detailed reviews of LAPPs. Specifically, Section 303A(c)(1)(G) of the MSA requires a formal and detailed review of a LAPP 5 years after the implementation of the program and thereafter to coincide with scheduled Council review of the relevant fishery management plan (but no less frequently than once every 7 years).
The purpose of the current review is to describe the progression of the BS pollock fishery under the AFA Program since the period covered by the Council’s 2002 report.