NOAA Extends Public Comment Timeline

NPFMC Recommends Less Restrictive RPA for Western, Central Aleutian Islands

NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announced this week that the agency is extending the public comment period for the draft 2010 Groundfish Biological Opinion (BiOp) until 5 p.m. Alaska Daylight Time on September 3, 2010. The original comment deadline was Friday, August 27, 2010. NMFS received numerous requests to extend the timeline, so the agency pushed the comment deadline back by one week.

In the draft opinion, NMFS proposed closing the Atka mackerel and Pacific Cod fisheries in the Western Aleutian Islands and restricting the Atka mackerel and Pacific cod fisheries in the Central Aleutian Islands (Areas 541 and 542). The agency was criticized by the fishing industry for what many said were shortcomings, such as stating as if they were fact, conclusions that have a very high degree of uncertainty associated with them.

Some from the fishing industry expressed concern that widespread closures would result in a large displacement of fishing to the Bering Sea. Currently, some fishermen from Sand Point’s fishing fleet, the largest in the Aleutians East Borough, go to Adak to fish, which spreads out the fleet. However, if NMFS’s recommendations were approved, those restrictive proposals would force them to fish locally, increasing competition.

Last week (Sept. 16 - 20, 2010) the North Pacific Fishery Management Council held a special meeting to review the BiOp. As a result, the Council unanimously passed a motion recommending that NMFS consider another reasonable and prudent alternative (RPA) with less restrictive fishery closures in the Western and Central Aleutian Islands. The Council outlined this RPA in its News & Notes August 2010 Newsletter. The Council’s proposed modified protections would protect Steller sea lion rookeries from competition from fishing in the areas and times needed, but would still allow a portion of the Atka mackerel fishery to continue in the Western Aleutians. The modifications would also allow the cod fishery to continue largely as-is.

The Council recommended a 2-year sunset provision for the mitigation measures. The measures could potentially either be renewed or replaced with another set of measures prior to the sunset date. NOAA plans to consider recommendations from the Council and the public when it develops the final 2010 Groundfish Biological Opinion. NMFS will present the final reasonable and prudent alternative at its October 2010 meeting. The agency will also present an updated analysis of fishery impacts associated with any revisions to the implemented RPA. The final BiOp and rulemaking to implement the management measures in the final RPA is scheduled to be completed by January 2011. For more details, visit the links below.

NPFMC Meets June 9 - 15, 2010 in Sitka

Major Issues Include Chum Bycatch, Rockfish Catch Share Program

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) is scheduled to meet June 9 - 15, 2010 in Sitka at Centennial Hall. The Council plans to review a discussion paper on the Bering Sea Aleutian Islands (BSAI) chum salmon bycatch issue and finalize alternatives for analysis. The Council will also get an update on chum and Chinook salmon genetics research and sampling design.

Other major issues include the Central Gulf of Alaska Rockfish Program, the Amendment 80 Program and the Gulf of Alaska Pacific cod sideboards for crab vessels. The Council plans to take final action on the rockfish catch share program. The NPFMC is also expected to take final action on the amendment for lost vessel replacement (Amendment 80 Program). In addition, there will be an initial review of an analysis for the Gulf of Alaska Pacific cod sideboards for crab vessels. Currently, some crab boats are restricted from fishing for cod in the western Gulf. A proposal was put forth to allow these boats to fish in the fall if it appeared that the federal B season cod was not likely to be harvested. However, there may be little interest in this proposal now because of the Pacific cod sector split that was approved late last year. For more information, click on the title of this post to read the draft agenda.

NPFMC Meets April 6 - 13, 2010 in Anchorage

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council's (NPFMC's) Advisory Panel (AP) and the Scientific Statistical Committee (SSC) are meeting today, April 6, 2010, at the Anchorage Hilton Hotel. The Council will begin meetings on Thursday, April 8, 2010 and plans to wrap up on April 13, 2010. Major issues include:

• Final action on groundfish annual catch limit requirements.
• Bering Sea Crab Rationalization Program:
Emergency exemptions from regionalization - stakeholder proposals.
Final action on western Aleutian Islands golden king crab regional delivery.
Crab management:
Preliminary review of Bering Sea Aleutian Islands (BSAI) Crab Annual Catch Limit Analysis and BSAI Snow/Tanner crab rebuilding plans.
• Preliminary Review of Pribilof blue king crab rebuilding plan.
• Groundfish issues:
Initial review: analysis for controlling Gulf of Alaska (GOA) Tanner crab bycatch.
Review discussion paper on GOA Chinook Salmon Bycatch.
Receive Amendment 80 Coop. report - Action as necessary.
• GOA Rockfish Program: Initial review of analysis for Central GOA limited access rockfish program.

For more information, click on the title of this post for a link to the agenda, or point your browser to: http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/Agendas/410agenda.pdf.