INFORMATION BULLETIN (98-29)          March 24, 1998
 Steven Pennoyer                       10:50 a.m.       
 907-586-7221                          For Immediate Release

                                 
     NMFS ANNOUNCES A NEW FORAGE FISH SPECIES CATEGORY AND
 ASSOCIATED REGULATIONS FOR THE BERING SEA AND ALEUTIAN ISLANDS
        MANAGEMENT AREA (BSAI) AND GULF OF ALASKA (GOA)
 
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has approved
Amendment 36 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Groundfish
Fishery of the BSAI and Amendment 39 to the Fishery Management
Plan for Groundfish of the GOA, according to Steven Pennoyer,
Administrator, Alaska Region, NMFS.  These amendments
establish a new forage fish species category and associated
regulations.  

The final rule implementing Amendments 36/39 was published in
the Federal Register on March 17, 1998 (63 FR 13009) and is
summarized below.

Forage Fish Species Category.  The final rule establishes a
new forage fish species category that identifies forage fish
species at the taxonomic level of family or higher.  The new
forage fish species category includes the families:

     Osmeridae        (eulachon, capelin, and other smelts), 
     Myctophidae      (lanternfishes), 
     Bathylagidae     (deep-sea smelts), 
     Ammodytidae      (Pacific sand lance), 
     Trichodontidae   (Pacific sand fish), 
     Pholidae         (gunnels), 
          Stichaeidae      (pricklebacks, warbonnets, eelblennys,
                       cockscombs, and shannys), 
     Gonostomatidae   (bristlemouths, lightfishes, and
                       anglemouths), 
and the Order 

     Euphausiacea     (krill).

New species codes have been added to NMFS fishing and
processing logbooks to accomodate reporting of these species.

Prohibition on Directed Fishing.  Directed fishing for forage
fish is prohibited at all times in the BSAI and GOA.  A
maximum retainable bycatch (MRB) amount of 2 percent has been
established for forage fish.  Under this MRB, vessels fishing
for groundfish may retain a quantity of forage fish equal to
no more than 2 percent of the round weight or round-weight
equivalent of species open to directed fishing that are
retained on board the vessel during a fishing trip.

Limits on Sale, Barter, Trade or Processing.  The sale,
barter, trade, or processing of forage fish by vessels fishing
for groundfish in the BSAI or GOA or processing groundfish
harvested in the BSAI and GOA is prohibited, except that
incidental harvests of forage fish not exceeding the 2-percent
MRB amount may be processed into fishmeal and sold.

This information bulletin provides notice that a regulatory
change has occurred.  Do not rely upon it to guide you in
complying with the regulatory change.  To obtain information
concerning the new regulatory requirements, consult the
applicable regulation published in the Federal Register, or
contact the Sustainable Fisheries Division, NMFS,
907-586-7228.