The NPFMC Ecosystem Committee met on February 6, 2018 from 8 AM to 5:30 PM in Seattle, WA. In addition to the discussion of the Arctic Exploratory Fishery discussion paper addressed elsewhere, the committee reviewed a pre-draft Bering Sea Fishery Ecosystem Plan and received presentations from the Pribilof Islands on their perspectives on ecosystem issues. The committee thanked the representatives from St. Paul Island and St. George Island for their presentations. The committee requested examples of co-production of knowledge and suggested that NOAA Fisheries may consider a workshop to evaluate the potential for co-production methods to be incorporated into fishery management processes.
The Council requested that staff continue to work on the FEP document and incorporate comments from the committee, available in the committee minutes. At the committee’s request, the Council chose to delay review of the preliminary draft FEP to October and requested that the committee provide additional opportunity to review and provide feedback on the revised FEP document before it is distributed to the Council.
Staff contact is Steve MacLean.
