NPFMC Chum Bycatch Final Action set for Feb 2026

The Council's October meeting will be virtual, September 29-October 9, 2025. The draft schedule is available now; eAgendas will be published in August. Final Action on Bering Sea Chum Salmon Bycatch Management is now scheduled for a February Council meeting in Anchorage, Alaska on February 2-11, 2026. Scheduling final action for February 2026 is not anticipated to impact the implementation timeframe of any chum bycatch alternatives if the Council chooses to take action. This timing decision is intended to best ensure that the Council can take up this agenda item in-person, given ongoing uncertainties about the timing of Council funding distributions and December/February meeting logistics, and barring unforeseen circumstances. The Council’s 3-meeting outlook has been updated, as has the webpage listing dates of future Council meetings. Note that the February 2026 meeting replaces the previously-scheduled April 2026 Council meeting.

We will update www.npfmc.org as information becomes available.

As emailed out by North Pacific Fishery Management Council Staff Serine Reeves 7/11/2025.

Proposed Changes to Waterfowl Hunting Regulations

A notice of changes to waterfowl regulations, including for Game Management Units 9 & 10, has been posted by the Alaska Board of Game. Comments on the proposed regulations are due by July 23, 2025.

According to the notice of proposed regulations changes, daily bag limits for Canada geese are to be decreased, hunting seasons for Brant are to be shortened and hunting seasons for Emperor geese are to be closed statewide.

The notice of proposed waterfowl hunting regulations by the Board of Game can be found in the State of Alaska Online Public Notices:

https://aws.state.ak.us/OnlinePublicNotices/Notices/View.aspx?id=219958   

ADFG South Alaska Peninsula 2025 Salmon Preseason meeting

 The Alaska Department of Fish & Game held the South Alaska Peninsula commercial salmon pre-season meeting Friday May 30th at the Sand Point AEB office and via Teams. 

ADFG Slide Presentation. 

Archived meeting audio courtesy KSDP, apradio.org.

 

AEB Fish News 5/15/25

The recent AEB Fish News focusing on the South Alaska Peninsula 2025 salmon fisheries can be found at www.aebfish.org/FishNews051525.pdf

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