North Pacific Fishery Management Council

Managing Fisheries off the Coast of Alaska

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Home / Newsletters / April 2024 Newsletter

April 2024 Newsletter

Appointments | Climate Change Scenarios Workshop | Scallops | Chum Salmon Bycatch | Maximum Retainable Amount Adjustments | Research Priorities | Staff Tasking | Programmatic Engagement | Upcoming Meetings | Other meetings

Appointments

Mr. Andrew Olson was appointed to the Bering Sea Crab Plan Team.  Mr. Olson is a Fishery Management Specialist with NOAA Fisheries in Juneau and before that was with the State of Alaska most recently as the Groundfish and Shellfish Coordinator.  Mr. Todd Hoppe was appointed to the Fishery Monitoring Advisory Committee.  Mr. Hoppe is an active groundfish fisherman and currently operates the F/V Deliverance.  Chair Drobnica thanked those who applied and encouraged them to continue to be engaged in the process.

Climate Change Scenarios Workshop

The Council will hold a Climate Scenarios workshop during the June Council meeting, on Wednesday-Thursday (June 5-6) of the first week. The SSC, AP, and Council will all pause during those days to be able to attend the workshop. All attendees are asked to register by May 17th, to assist staff with planning.

The purpose of the workshop is to generate short- and long-term ideas for management approaches and tools to improve climate resiliency of federally managed fisheries in the North Pacific. A draft workshop agenda is available on the eAgenda. 

The workshop will use climate scenario planning as an approach to explore ideas for building climate resilience and readiness in an uncertain and unpredictable future. Additional workshop materials and guidance on workshop participation will be available on the Council website closer to the meeting. 

In advance of the workshop, the Council will also host a series of virtual discussions to begin exploring the questions and concepts participants will discuss at the meeting. These meetings will be available live via Zoom and recorded. Advance registration is not required and all are invited to attend. The eAgenda for all three sessions is available here.

  • Session 1: Climate change impacts in an uncertain future: Weds, April 24, 2024 1-2 pm AK
  • Session 2: Defining climate readiness: Tuesday, April 30 2024 1-2 pm AK
  • Session 3: Introduction to scenario planning: Tuesday, May 14 2024 1-2 pm AK

Scallops

In April 2024, the Council reviewed the 2024 Alaska weathervane scallop stock assessment fishery evaluation (SAFE) report and specified scallop OFL at 1.284 million pounds (582 t), and ABC at 1.156 million pounds (546 t) for the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 fishing years, based on Amendment 18 to the Scallop FMP to allow for a multi-year specification process.

According to the Scallop 2024 SAFE, overfishing did not occur. Because no estimate of weathervane scallop spawning biomass is available, the status of the scallop stock relative to overfished is “unknown”. The Council will review scallop specifications again in April 2026

Staff contact is Sarah Rheinsmith

Chum Salmon Bycatch

The Council reviewed an initial analysis of proposed management measures to reduce chum salmon bycatch in the Bering Sea pollock fishery. In April, the Council approved additional changes to the proposed management measures and requested further analysis after receiving input from the Scientific and Statistical Committee, Advisory Panel, and substantial public comment. The purpose of this action is to minimize the bycatch of Western Alaska origin chum salmon  to the extent practicable in the Bering Sea pollock fishery (Magnuson Stevens Act National Standard 9) while achieving optimum yield in the Bering Sea groundfish fisheries (Magnuson Stevens Act National Standard 1), and balancing all other national standards.

Annual genetic sampling by fishery observers certified by the National Marine Fisheries Service show the Bering Sea pollock fishery primarily encounters hatchery origin Russia and Asia chum salmon. Additionally, declines in chum salmon populations across many regions of the North Pacific, including Canada, Japan, Russia, Korea, and the U.S., appear to be driven by warmer water temperatures in both the marine and freshwater environments which impact juvenile survival, prey availability and quality, metabolism and growth rates, and reproductive rates. However, Western Alaska chum salmon are taken as bycatch in the Bering Sea pollock trawl fishery, reducing the amount of salmon that return to western and interior Alaska rivers and subsistence fisheries. The Council is considering this action because Western and Interior Alaska chum salmon returns have declined substantially in recent years, negatively impacting an important subsistence resource and way of life for many rural and Alaska Native communities. 

The Council approved changes to the proposed management measures including:

  • lowering the range of bycatch limits being analyzed to 100,000 to 550,000 chum salmon under Alternative 2;
  • modifying an alternative with an index that would serve to change bycatch limits based on western Alaska chum abundance (Alternative 3);
  • modifying the current regulations for the pollock fleet to avoid bycatch by closing fishing areas in near real-time throughout the season in response to when chum are on the fishing grounds (Alternative 4); and
  • adding a new Alternative 5 to create a bycatch limit specific to an area (nearer to the Alaska Peninsula) and time frame (June – August) in which a higher proportion of Western Alaska chum bycatch are present based on historical genetic data. 

The next step will be a comprehensive impact analysis as required by Federal law, to analyze potential environmental, social and cultural, and economic impacts. The Council’s decisions were based on information from the preliminary analysis and recommendations from the Scientific and Statistical Committee, the Advisory Panel, and public testimony. Multiple alternatives can be selected, and the full description of the alternatives and options is available here. The Council is scheduled to review the next analysis when it is available in late 2024 or early 2025. 

Staff contact is Kate Haapala.

Maximum Retainable Amount Adjustments

A discussion paper was presented by NMFS staff in response to the October 2023 motion to inform potential adjustments to the maximum retainable amount (MRA) of incidental catch species closed to directed fishing while a vessel operator is engaged in fishing for species or species groups that are open to directed fishing. The paper considered potential regulatory changes that could be made to modify trip triggers for the purpose of calculating and determining MRA calculations; potential changes to applying MRAs at offload instead of instantaneously; how those changes could reduce regulatory discards; and compliance considerations for vessels that are subject to unforeseen medical or mechanical issues during a trip. The paper also provided information about how the MRA regulations could be modified to reflect current practices, to give an overview of industry proposed regulatory changes, and to provide possible regulatory changes that could be assessed.  

After reviewing the paper and receiving testimony, the Council took action to move the paper forward to an Initial Review analysis. The Council adopted the following Purpose and Need:

The purpose of this action is to improve the regulations that implement the maximum retainable amount (MRA) of species closed to directed fishing (incidental catch species) while a vessel operator is engaged in fishing for species or species groups that are open to directed fishing. This action is necessary to clarify current MRA regulations, make MRA calculations easier, reduce regulatory discards, and address medical, mechanical, or weather issues that can impact MRA calculations. The Council intends to maintain the original intent for MRAs and is not considering changes that increase MRA percentages or changes in how MRAs assist in limiting harvest of a groundfish species within its annual total allowable catch. 

The analysis will evaluate the following management measures to change the status quo:

  • Alternative 2: Revise MRA regulations to clarify (1) the definition of a fishing trip, (2) calculations for MRAs, and (3) applications of MRAs. These changes would not change how the MRA regulations are currently implemented. 
  • Alternative 3: Revise the triggers that end a fishing trip from five to two triggers in the definition of a fishing trip for catcher/processors and motherships (not including current offload-to-offload species – BSAI pollock, Bering Sea (BS) Atka mackerel, and weekly reporting period species in the Central GOA Rockfish Program). 
  • Alternative 4: Add additional species to an offload-to-offload MRA application in the BSAI and GOA for all vessel sectors. Continue to exclude AFA vessels for BSAI pollock and BS Atka mackerel from the offload calculation.
  • Alternative 5: Provide exemptions in regulation from MRA requirements in cases of medical emergencies, mechanical emergencies, or poor weather that ends a fishing trip. 

This analysis provides an opportunity to reduce regulatory discards and to increase regulatory simplicity. Agency staff will also examine the history and potential impacts of the continued exclusion of AFA vessels, as described in Alternative 4. The alternatives described above are not mutually exclusive. The full description of the motion and alternatives is available here. The initial review of the analysis is tentatively scheduled for December. 

Staff contact is Nicole Watson 

Research Priorities

Due to time constraints, the research priorities final review by the Council and AP has been postponed until June. The SSC is considering holding a special virtual meeting for their final review of research priorities in May, with the date yet to be determined. Additional information will be provided when possible.

Staff contact is Diana Evans.

Staff Tasking

The Council discussed the relative priority and scheduling of previously-tasked projects, and identified new tasking. The revised 3 meeting outlook reflects this guidance. In particular, the next review of the chum salmon bycatch analysis is intended for a special meeting in February 2025, and the Council indicated that it will not schedule NEPA scoping for the Programmatic Evaluation until after initial review of the chum analysis, although pre-scoping activities may occur before that time.

The Council provided the following direction and guidance:

  • Write a letter to the agency asking to extend the comment period on the data confidentiality proposed rule, while also preparing Council comments (if the extension is not granted) to express concern that the rule should be structured to continue current confidentiality protections.
  • Request all Council committees to review their terms of reference, or create one as needed, for Council approval. Staff will also clean up the committee list.
  • Request that NMFS provide information in the June NMFS management report about catch retention of Pacific ocean perch, and any fishery constraints that may arise from the closure of the King Cove processing plant.
  • Continue to receive periodic updates on northern fur seal co-management and conservation plan in B reports.

The Council noted that it is pausing tasking for the Ecosystem Committee, the Community Engagement Committee, and the Bering Sea Fishery Ecosystem Plan Team until such time as the Chair and the Council have an opportunity to better define the appropriate tasking and advice needed, particularly with respect to the Programmatic Evaluation.

Appointments: The Council took the following actions:

  • Appointed Andrew Olson to the BSAI Crab Plan Team.
  • Appointed Todd Hoppe to the Fishery Monitoring Advisory Committee.

Staff contact is Diana Evans.

Programmatic Engagement

The Council received a short presentation on engagement planning for the Programmatic Evaluation under Staff Tasking. In response to public testimony and input from tribal stakeholders, the Council supported delaying the formal NEPA scoping process (which would begin with NMFS publishing a Notice of Intent to prepare the PEIS) until after the Council has received the initial review of the chum salmon bycatch action. 

Staff sought Council input on further tribal engagement activities that could occur prior to formal NEPA scoping. The Council continues to support a transparent, inclusive, and meaningful process to develop the PEIS.The Council supports the continuation of virtual tribal engagement sessions and NMFS Tribal Consultation(s) that do not conflict with the summer/fall subsistence season. Additionally, the Council is interested in two-way engagement on the PEIS and the Council welcomes Tribal entities as well as Alaska Native and rural communities provide the Council, staff, and NMFS invitations to visit in their communities. The purpose of these trips would be to further dialogue on the development of the PEIS and its alternatives.

Staff contact is Sara Cleaver.

Upcoming Meetings

The following Committee and Plan Team meetings are currently anticipated:

  • Fishery Monitoring Advisory Committee (FMAC) – May 13-14, 2024; Anchorage, AK and virtual
  • BSAI Crab Plan Team – May 13-17, 2024; Anchorage, AK and virtual; eAgenda
  • SSC – virtual meeting on research priorities – May 17,  2024; virtual (T)

Other meetings

June 2024 Council Climate Scenarios workshop: The Council will hold a Climate Scenarios workshop during the June Council meeting, on Wednesday-Thursday (June 5-6) of the first week. The SSC, AP, and Council will all pause during those days to be able to attend the workshop. All attendees are asked to register by May 17th, to assist staff with planning.

In advance of the workshop, the Council will also host a series of virtual discussions (eAgenda):

  • Session 1: Climate change impacts in an uncertain future: Weds, April 24, 2024 1-2 pm AK
  • Session 2: Defining climate readiness: Tuesday, April 30 2024 1-2 pm AK
  • Session 3: Introduction to scenario planning: Tuesday, May 14 2024 1-2 pm AK

CIE review for GOA pollock: A Center of Independent Experts (CIE) review for GOA pollock is scheduled for May 7-9th at the AFSC in Seattle, which is open for members of the public to attend in-person. The agenda will be published online in the coming days.

February 2025: The Council intends to hold a hybrid (in-person and virtual) Council meeting in February 2025 to review the chum salmon bycatch analysis Draft EIS.