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.