Board of Fish deliberate Commercial Crab and Scallop Proposals

 The Alaska Board of Fisheries deliberated Group 1 commercial crab and scallop proposals this morning, after hearing from the Group 1 Committee of the Whole yesterday morning. 

The first proposal adopted was Proposal 277 using substitute language in RC 47 to establish an Aleutian Islands state-waters golden king crab fishery. This new open access fishery would be open to vessels 58 ft and under, with a total pot limit of 400 pots and a GHL of 50,000 lbs.

Another crab proposal adopted of note was Proposal 284 using substitute language from RC 46 to allow catcher vessels to operate as tenders during the Kodiak, Chignik and South Peninsula district commercial Tanner crab fisheries. This proposal was originally just for the Kodiak district until South Peninsula fishermen lobbied for the expanded language.

The other commercial crab/scallop proposals adopted by the Board:

• Proposal 279 to amend vessel gear sharing and transfer provisions in the rationalized Aleutian Islands golden king crab fishery west of 174° W. longitude. 
• Proposal 289 to amend pot limit for the Kodiak District commercial Tanner crab fishery.
• Proposal 282 to amend escape mechanism requirements for Kodiak District commercial Tanner crab gear. 
• Proposal 291 to formalize the closure of Bristol Bay waters east of 163°W. long. to directed Tanner crab fishing.
• Proposal 292 to amend Tanner crab landing requirements for Registration Area J. 
• Proposal 296 to amend Registration Area J Dungeness crab vessel inspection requirements.
• Proposal 297 to amend Dungeness crab pot gear operation requirements for Registration Area J. 
• Proposal 295 to amend Dungeness crab season dates for the North Peninsula District of Registration
  Area J.
• Proposal 280 to amend contracting agent performance standards.
• Proposal 281 to amend observer trainee minimum qualifications. 

The Board takes up Group 2 Proposals for personal use, sport and subsistence shellfish, and Prince William Sound and Kodiak shrimp, this afternoon beginning at 2:30pm. Public can follow along at the Egan Center in Anchorage or online at the Board website.

 

NPFMC Adopts AP Recommendations on Chum Salmon Bycatch

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council's motion on agenda item C2 Chum Salmon Bycatch by ADFG Deputy Commissioner Rachel Baker, adopts recommendations from the Advisory Panel. Additionally the motion clarifies some language from the AP and adds two new sections suggested in public comment.

A new sub-option under Alternative 2 would 'establish a CDQ chum salmon PSC reserve pool'. A new option 3 under Alternative 5 would be mutually exclusive to Alternative 3, because like Alternative 3,  Alternative 5 option 3 would establish a chum salmon abundance-based threshold, also adding suboption 1 to use the 75th percentile of Yukon River summer and fall run reconstructions, and suboption 2 to use the 90th percentile.

The only attempt to amend the motion, from member Vanderhoeven, would have added a 3rd suboption under Alt 5 to use the 50th percentile of the Yukon River summer and fall run reconstructions, below which the corridor cap and closure provisions would not apply. The amendment failed 3-8.

Final comments from Council members praised excellent staff, AP & SSC work, the extensive and meaningful public participation and Chair Drobnica's competent leadership through the process at the special February meeting.
The chum bycatch action is tentatively scheduled for final action at the October meeting, but could also come back at the December meeting.

 

Draft AP Motion on C2 Chum Bycatch

 From Zoom screengrabs.  NPFMC C2 Draft AP Motion

NPFMC Sets Total allowable Catch for Cook Inlet EEZ salmon

Today the North Pacific Fishery Management Council accepted the Scientific and Statistical Committee's (SSC) recommendations on Cook Inlet salmon in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) outside of 3 miles from shore in Cook Inlet. The Council motion also sets total allowable catch (TAC) for Cook Inlet EEZ salmon

The motion from member Kurland set the combined TAC for all sockeye at 696,111 numbers of fish, including a 13% TAC buffer. Chinook TAC is set at 261; Coho TAC at 16,753; Chum TAC is set at 78,006; and Pink salmon TAC is 52,357. The draft Council motion can be found here. The SSC recommendations are found here.

An amendment from member Moller to the motion from Kurland, to remove the additional 13% buffer to the sockeye TAC, passed by a 6-5 vote, making the final total sockeye TAC, 800,126 fish. The final amended motion passed unanimously. Here's the Final Motion.

The Council, SSC and the Advisory Panel are meeting at the Egan Center this week. The Council will now begin hearing reports and testimony on the only other agenda item, C2 Chum salmon bycatch in the Bering Sea Pollock fishery.

 

IPHC adopts significant decrease in halibut harvests for 2025

The International Pacific Halibut Commission adopted season dates and harvest limits for all IPHC areas at the close of the Annual meeting Friday January 31, 2025.

Season dates for all areas will open March 20 at 6AM local time and close December 7 at 23:59PM local time.

Alaska Board of Game adopts regulations impacting hunting in the Aleutians East Borough

The Board of Game is meeting in Wasilla this week to consider game proposals for Southwest and Central Alaska game management units. The Board has adopted the following proposals that impact hunting opportunities in Aleutians East Borough communities.

• Proposal 1 to reauthorize the brown bear tag fee exemptions for the Central and Southwest Region Units, states that a resident tag is not required for taking a brown bear in specified units and areas, including in Unit 9D within five miles of the communities of Cold Bay, King Cove, Sand Point and Nelson Lagoon, and in Unit 10 within three miles of the community of False Pass. This exemption is adopted annually.
• Proposal 7 to extend the fall Southern Alaska Peninsula caribou season for residents and nonresidents, extends the open season dates for caribou in Unit 9D from August 1-September 30, to August 1-October 21.
• Proposal 12 to lengthen the fall brown bear hunting seasons in Units 9D and 9E for both residents and nonresidents, will return the fall season dates for brown bear in GMUs 9D & 9E to October 1-21, before the season was shortened to the current October 7-21.
• Proposal 15 to lengthen the non-resident spring brown bear hunting seasons in Units 9D and 9E, will return the spring season dates for brown bear in GMUs 9D & 9E to May 10-31, before the season was shortened to the current May 10-25.
• Proposal 21 to remove the two per day bag limit for beaver when taken by firearm during April 15–May 31 in Unit 9, will now enact no bag limit on beaver taken by firearms during the open season October-May 31, the same as trapping regulations.
• Proposal 22 will shorten the season for hunting wolverine in Unit 9 for both residents and nonresidents to September1-February 28, instead of September 1-March 31.

The Alaska Board of Game will meet at the Best Western Lake Lucille Inn in Wasilla, Alaska through January 17. The meeting is also live-streamed on the Board's homepage.

AEB FIsh News for December 10, 2024

The Aleutians East Borough Natural Resources Department published an edition of the eNewsletter FishNews on December 10, 2024. This edition marks the last day of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council  December 2024 meeting in Anchorage, and the first day of the Alaska Board of Fisheries Prince William Sound meeting in Cordova. This latest FishNews also includes the agenda for the upcoming AEB Fishermen's Winter Fisheries meeting scheduled for 10AM Tuesday December 17, 2024.

The 12/10/24 FishNews is posted here.