Appointments/Call for Noms | Crab C Share | Crab Facility Use Cap | BSAI Groundfish Specifications | Ecosystem and Socioeconomic Profiles | GOA Groundfish Specifications | EFH FMP Amendments | Crab FMP Amendments | Charter Halibut | BS FEP Climate Change Taskforce | Staff Tasking | GOA Pacific Cod Allocation Review | Cook Inlet Salmon FMP Amendment | Fishery interactions with Killer Whales | Upcoming Meetings

Appointments and Call for Nominations 

Scientific and Statistical Committee Appointments

All current members of the SSC have been reappointed for next year. Additionally, Dr. Fabio Caltabellotta has been newly appointed for 2023 as the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife alternate for Kathryn Meyer, replacing Theresa Tsou.

SSC members for 2024 will be:

Chris Anderson Amy Bishop Curry Cunningham Martin Dorn Mike Downs Sherri Dressel Robert Foy

Jason Gasper  Dana Hanselman  Brad Harris Michael Jepson Kailin Kroetz  Kathryn Meyer (alt Fabio Caltabellota) Franz Mueter

Andrew Munro  Chris Siddon Ian Stewart Patrick Sullivan Robert Suryan Alison Whitman

Advisory Panel 

The AP will be welcoming four new members: Tiffany Andrew, Nels Evens, Annika Saltman and Eva Dawn Burke.  Andrew, Evens, and Saltman have been appointed for a one-year orientation term, and Burke has been appointed for a three-year term as an Alaska Native Tribal Representative. 

Tiffany Agayar Andrew is from Alakanuk Alaska, and is employed by Yukon Delta Fisheries Development Association;  Nels Evens is from Juneau and is the Executive Director of the Petersburg Vessel Owner’s Association; Annika Saltman, from Seattle, is the Director of Governmental and Regulatory Affairs for Fishermen’s Finest; and Eva Dawn Burke is from Fairbanks and works for UAF in various capacities in rural development and has been on the Federal Subsistence Board and ADFG’s Nenana Minto Advisory Committee.  

AP members, including the new appointees,  for 2024 will be: 

Tiffany Agayar Andrew Tamara Briggie Eva Dawn Burk Nels Evens Gretar Gudmundsson Tim Heuker  James Johnson

Mellisa Johnson  Julie Kavanaugh Rick Laitinen Heather Mann Lauren Howard  Patrick O’Donnell

Landry Price Chelsae Radell Brian Ritchie Annika Saltman Paul Wilkins  Susie Zagorski

The Council notes that its intent for the Advisory Panel is to appoint active members who provide diverse perspectives relevant to fishery management issues that the Council is currently undertaking or anticipates to be considered in the near future. 

Plan Team Appointments

Dr. Lukas DeFilippo has been appointed to the BSAI Groundfish Plan Team, and Mr. Ethan Nichols has been appointed to the BSAI Crab Plan Team.  

We look forward to working with all appointed members in their new roles. 

Call for Nominations to the Advisory Panel 

The Council is soliciting nominations for two special appointments to the Advisory Panel for a two-year term in recognition of the Pacific cod pot gear LAPP action being contemplated, to represent harvesters and processors for this fishery. While these members are being solicited for specific expertise, they will be expected to participate as any AP member. The Council will call for nominations for these seats, with a nomination deadline on January 10th. The Council will meet virtually in Executive Session shortly thereafter to review the nominations and make the appointments, so that the selected new members are able to sit on the AP for the February meeting. 

Crab C Share recent participation requirement

Source: A. Olson

The Council made final recommendations for changes to the Crab C shares (crew shares) quota share (QS) active participation requirements in the Bering Sea Aleutian Islands Crab Rationalization program.

The Council’s preferred alternative is Alternative 2, to modify the catcher vessel crew (CVC) QS and catcher processor crew (CPC) QS recency requirement.

• As part of the preferred alternative, the Council adopted Option 1, which restarts the recent participation requirement when the final rule is implemented, and reissues all revoked CVC and CPC QS starting in 2019 and lasting until the final rule is implemented.
• The preferred alternative also revises the eligibility requirements for CVC and CPC QS holders to receive annual IFQ and retain QS holdings to be the same for initial recipients and for those who have received C share by transfer after initial issuance (Option 3). This would allow non-initial C share recipients to use 30 days in any Alaska fishery (state or federal) to count as qualified evidence of active participation in addition to participation in the CR Program fisheries. Under Alternative 2, Option 3 the Council also stated that participation as crew on a tender vessel would count toward the 30-days of active participation.

In speaking to this final recommendation, Council members highlighted continued support for the original intent of C shares to provide QS opportunity for active captains and crewmembers. However, recent years have presented unique challenges given the COVID-19 pandemic, along with low TACs and closed fisheries. Adopting Option 1 in Alternative 2 is intended to address these unique circumstances by wiping the slate clean for all C share holders and providing additional years of flexibility for all C share holders.

Looking forward, the actions adopted intend to strike a balance by providing additional flexibility in future years with unknown crew opportunity in the crab fisheries, while still maintaining the active participation requirements in a broader form. Alternative 2, Option 3 would expand the fisheries that would qualify as evidence of active participation to include 30 days in any state of Alaska or federal fisheries that occur off Alaska, including tendering. This would provide expanded opportunity to retain C shares even when crab catch limits are low or some crab fisheries are closed.

Council members stated they did not adopt Alternative 2, Option 2 as it would have greatly added to the administrative burden for NMFS and the accounting complexity for C share holders. The Council felt it created flexibility beyond their policy intent for C shares. If the catch limits in these crab fisheries remained low, the active participation requirements would rarely apply. Similarly, Alternative 3 was not adopted as the Council highlighted a continued interest in having a type of crab QS that was available for active participants. This includes creating an incentive for C share holders to divest when they are no longer active.

In addition to these changes to the C share provisions, the Council supported two regulatory amendments recommended by NMFS to clarifications existing aspects of the active participation requirements:

• For the closed fishery exemptions, clarify that a person who holds CVC or CPC QS in more than one fishery is exempt from active participation requirements in years when all of their CR crab fishery(ies) are closed. Currently, regulations only specify this exemption when a C share holder only holds CVC or CPC QS in a single closed fishery and that CR crab fishery is closed.
• Clarify that to meet the requirements of demonstrating active participation in the CR Program crab fisheries the phrase “participated as crew in at least one delivery of crab in any CR crab fishery” as used in crab regulations at 50 CFR 680.40(g)(2), and 50 CFR 680.40(m)(2) means participating as crew during at least one fishing trip where a delivery of crab is made in any CR fishery, and not only the delivery of crab.

These two changes are within the spirit of the current regulations; and the Council concurred with their clarification by adopting them into its preferred alternative.

Staff contact is Sarah Marrinan.

Crab Facility Use Cap

Source: NPFMC

The Council made final recommendations to change two types of processor use caps that apply within the Bering Sea Aleutian Islands Crab Rationalization (CR) Program.

The first preferred alternative (Alternative 2) will remove a 60 percent facility use cap that exists on the processing of Eastern Aleutian Islands golden king crab and Western Aleutian Islands red king crab east of 174° W longitude. 

The second preferred alternative (Alternative 3) will include individual processing quota (IPQ) from the Bristol Bay red king crab, south- region designated Bering Sea snow crab, and Western Aleutian Islands golden king crab processed east of 174° W longitude from counting to Processor Quota Share (PQS)/ IPQ use caps if it is custom processed at a plant that the IPQ holder is not affiliated with. In all other CR Program fisheries, if IPQ is custom processed at a shorebased or stationary floating processor that is located within community boundaries, it is not counted towards the use cap for the owner of that processing facility. Therefore, the proposed Alternative 3 will align the application of the PQS/ IPQ use caps across all CR Program fisheries.

Both proposed actions could allow for the redistribution of crab processing by existing crab processing facilities or allow for consolidation of IPQ into a smaller number of facilities for specific fisheries. However, regional delivery requirements would not be changed under the proposed action nor would the 30 percent cap on the amount of PQS and IPQ that could be held or leased. The proposed actions could increase crab processing flexibility and efficiency in the identified CR Program fisheries by permitting IPQ holders to more efficiently utilize available facilities. This flexibility could limit operational disruptions in the case of recent and possible future low crab catch limits and may provide unaffiliated IPQ holders (i.e., IPQ holders with less than 10 percent common ownership in another crab processing facility) and crab harvesters that have share-matched with these IPQ holders more processing market opportunities if there continues to be the same number or more processing facilities available.

Staff contact is Sarah Marrinan.

BSAI Groundfish Specifications

The Council reviewed the Ecosystem Status Reports for the Aleutian Islands and Bering Sea, approved the BSAI Groundfish Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) Report, and made final recommendations on groundfish harvest specifications, prohibited species catch (PSC) limits, and halibut Discard Mortality Rates (DMRs) to manage the 2024 and 2025 BSAI groundfish fisheries. Harvest and PSC specifications for 2024 and 2025 fishing years are available in the Council motions.

The Council reviewed Ecosystem Status Reports for the Aleutian Islands (AI) and the Bering Sea (BS). Ecosystem conditions are summarized in report card summaries at the beginning of each ESR. The Bering Sea has cooled relative to the recent warm stanza (2014-2021), but largely remains warmer than average. The overall ecosystem metrics indicate poor primary productivity while secondary productivity was moderate to low. In the Aleutian Islands (AI) there was the warmest winter on record, with sustained warmer temperatures and large-scale changes in SST. The persistent warm conditions, increased rockfish dominance and increasing pink salmon abundance jointly might indicate a transition of the ecosystem to a state where rockfish and pink salmon are the main pathway of zooplankton into the food web.

The BSAI SAFE report forms the basis for BSAI groundfish harvest specifications for the next two fishing years. Some groundfish stocks in the BSAI are assessed annually while others are assessed less frequently due to stock prioritization, including assessment methods and data availability. Full assessments were performed in 2023 for 7 stocks including EBS pollock, EBS and AI cod, Sablefish, Yellowfin sole, northern rock sole, northern rockfish, skates and octopus.  A forage fish report and a report on sculpins were also produced in this cycle. A report on the status of forage fish in the BSAI was provided. For stocks with harvest projections or catch reports, specifications are rolled over from the previous assessment. The statewide sablefish assessment was provided during the Joint Plan Team report.  Final BSAI specifications for 2024 and 2025 are shown on Table 1 in the Council motion.

Overall, the status of stocks in the BSAI continues to appear favorable. No stocks are experiencing overfishing or are overfished. All stocks are above B_MSY or the B_MSY proxy of B_35% where estimates are available. The SSC recommended setting ABCs below the maximum permissible for the following stocks: EBS Pollock, AI cod, Northern rocksole, Blackspotted and rougheye rockfish and BSAI sharks.

In setting TACs for 2024 and 2025, the Council determinations are based on both the biological condition of groundfish stocks and socioeconomic considerations. The Council considered the extensive public testimony received during this agenda item before specifying conservative TACs for all species including many set well below the ABC.  The Council specifically established the Bering Sea TAC for sablefish at a conservative level equal to 2023 and less than would be possible in 2024 in response to public testimony regarding market constraints and over supply. The Council also accounts for Guideline Harvest Levels (GHLs) for groundfish fisheries in State waters. The GHL in the AI will be set at 35% of the AI ABC, or a maximum of 15 million pounds (6,804 t). The BS GHL will be set at 12% of the EBS Pacific cod. An additional reduction of 45 t is taken from the remaining EBS Pacific cod maxTAC for the Area O jig fishery. The Council’s OFLs, ABC, and TACs take the GHLs into account. 

The Council specified an ABC reserve for flathead sole, rock sole, and yellowfin sole, which was specified as the ABC surplus for the species (i.e., the difference between the ABC and TAC); specified Prohibited Species Catch (PSC) limits for halibut, crab, and herring; and specified halibut discard mortality rates (DMRs) for the BSAI. Due to a lack of a directed fishery for herring in 2023, there were no data to inform the stock assessment model thus an alternative methodology based on aerial surveys was employed to estimate the Togiak herring stock for 2024.  As a result, the overall herring biomass upon which the PSC limit is based dropped substantially as did the PSC limit under which the fishery will operate in 2024.  The Council hopes that there will be a fishery in 2024 and that the methodology to assess herring employed in the calculation of the PSC limit will return to what was done in previous years.

Staff contact is Diana Stram.

Ecosystem and Socioeconomic Profiles

The Council reviewed several Ecosystem and Socioeconomic Profile (ESP) report cards at this meeting for Sablefish, Bering Sea cod, GOA pollock and GOA cod. The Council moved to recommend that NOAA and Council staff review available data and recommend species-level socio-economic indicators appropriate for the ESPs to complement FMP-level data in ACEPO and the Economic SAFE report. The indicators could potentially reflect employment, scale and distribution of participation, markets and product form, major cost components, and other factors associated with each species warranting an ESP, if reliable and timely data are available at this level. These indicators would be reviewed by the SSC. This review could also include whether there are ecosystem-level socio-economic indicators appropriate and useful to add to the Ecosystem Status Reports or other refinements to the timing or aggregation of information presented in ACEPO and the Economic SAFE reports.

Staff contact is Diana Stram

GOA Groundfish Specifications

The Council approved the 2023 Gulf of Alaska (GOA) Groundfish Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) report and recommended final harvest specifications for the 2024 and 2025 GOA groundfish fisheries. For final rulemaking for the 2024 and 2025 fishing years, the Council recommended Overfishing Limits (OFLs) and Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) levels consistent with SSC recommendations, and final Total Allowable Catch (TAC). This included combining the Western Gulf, Central Gulf, and Western Yakutat sub-area ABCs for the Other rockfish complex. The Council also recommended halibut Prohibited Species Catch (PSC) limit apportionments and adopted updated halibut discard mortality rates (DMRs). In setting the TACs for 2024 and 2025, the Council accounts for guideline harvest levels (GHLs) for groundfish fisheries in state waters; full details are included in the Council Motion.

The Council also reviewed the Ecosystem Status Report for the GOA, including a 2-page GOA ecosystem brief. The report provided information on ocean conditions, phytoplankton and zooplankton densities, forage fish abundance, and seabird and marine mammal trends. The report highlighted that GOA ocean temperatures were approximately average to cooler than average in the winter and spring and above average in the late summer. Ocean conditions are expected to change in 2024 from the past multi-year trends due to the warming associated with El Niño. Vulnerable GOA groundfish in 2024 (due to warm surface waters and reduced zooplankton quality) potentially include the larval and age-0 juveniles of Pacific cod, walleye pollock, and northern rock sole.

The 2023 GOA Groundfish SAFE report includes stock status updates for all stocks or stock complexes managed through the GOA Groundfish FMP. The GOA SAFE report forms the basis for GOA groundfish harvest specifications for the next two fishing years. Based on consideration of stock prioritization including assessment methods and data availability, some stocks are assessed on an annual basis while others are assessed less frequently. Full or update assessments (defined here) or were produced for GOA pollock, Pacific cod, sablefish, deepwater flatfish, rougheye/blacksptted rockfish, shortraker rockfish, Other rockfish, Pacific ocean perch, and skates. Harvest projections were produced for shallow water flatfish including northern and southern rock sole, rex sole, flathead sole, arrowtooth flounder, northern rockfish, and dusky rockfish. Catch reports were produced for Atka mackerel, thornyhead rockfish, SEO demersal shelf rockfish, sharks, and octopus. For harvest projections and catch reports, specifications were rolled over from the previous full assessment for each stock. An ecosystem component report was also prepared for sculpins.

The GOA Groundfish Plan Team report summarized the issues discussed and recommendations made by the Plan Team at its November meeting. Highlights of the GOA Plan Team report included stock assessment presentations from individual assessment authors and associated Ecosystem and Socioeconomic Profile (ESP) report cards for GOA pollock and Pacific cod. Some of the issues that pertain to both BSAI and GOA Groundfish, such as sablefish, are covered in the Joint Plan Team Report.

The SSC recommended 2024 and 2025 OFLs and ABCs and provided guidance on many of the assessments in its draft SSC report. Maximum permissible ABCs were set for all stocks in the GOA for 2024 except pollock and rougheye/blackspotted rockfish. No GOA Groundfish stocks are experiencing overfishing nor are any overfished. Most stocks are above B_MSY or the B_MSY proxy of B_35% with the exception of Pacific cod.

The GOA Pacific cod stock remains at low levels. The 2024 spawning biomass is projected to be at B_29.7% and the 2024 ABC is a 31% increase from the 2023 ABC. The 2024 Federal GOA Pacific cod Total Allowable Catch (TAC) is 23,766 mt. An additional 8,506 mt are reserved for the state waters fishery.

Summary of Gulf of Alaska stock status next year (spawning biomass relative to B_MSY; horizontal axis) and current year catch relative to fishing at F_MSY (vertical axis). Note that sablefish is for Alaska-wide values including the BSAI catches.

For most stocks, the Council established TACs equal to ABCs. Exceptions where the TAC is set below ABC include shallow water flatfish in the Western GOA, arrowtooth flounder, flathead sole in the Western GOA, other rockfish in the Eastern GOA, and Atka mackerel.

The Council also requested a discussion paper regarding spatial apportionment for several rockfish stocks in the Gulf of Alaska in order to better understand the biological need for spatial apportionment of ABCs across GOA subareas and management or fishery implications resulting from changes to current apportionment.

Staff contact is Sara Cleaver.

EFH FMP Amendments

 The Council reviewed the Fishery Management Plans (FMP) omnibus amendment initial/final analysis, and proposed FMP amendment text based on the 2023 EFH 5 year Review. The Council took final action (motion) and selected Alternative 2, as amended, as the preferred alternative.

The preferred alternative (Alternative 2) will update the EFH information in the BSAI Groundfish, GOA Groundfish, BSAI crab, and Arctic FMPs, as a result of the comprehensive analysis in the 2023 EFH 5-year review presented to the Council in February. These updates include updated EFH maps and text descriptions, results of the fishing effects on habitat (FE) analysis, updates to prey species tables, updates to the non-fishing effects report and updated research and information needs. The Salmon FMP was updated as a housekeeping item to update EFH maps as a result of Echave et al (2012). Updating EFH information into the FMPs allows the Council to incorporate the best available science into the applicable FMPs.

The FMP amendment text (Appendix A-E under C5 of the eAgenda) will be incorporated into the respective FMPs. Staff contact in Sarah Rheinsmith.

Crab FMP Amendments

The Council took final action to implement the revised Bering Sea and Aleutian Island King and Tanner Crab FMP as presented by staff (motion).

The revised BSAI Crab FMP includes updates to the: information on the status of stocks and fishing communities, a Fishery Impact Statement and research needs as required by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, and an improved organizational structure consistent with other North Pacific FMPs. Updating the FMP was overdue given the last major housekeeping update occurred in 1998. Additionally, the update allows the Council to maintain compliance with MSA guidelines for a Fishery Management plan.

The amendment does not propose any substantive changes to the management of the BSAI crab fishery and maintains the initial intent of the FMP. 

Staff contact is Sarah Rheinsmith.

Charter Halibut

The Council identified a suite of charter halibut fishing management measures (e.g., bag limits, size restrictions) for halibut fishing in Areas 2C and 3A to recommend to the IPHC for 2024. The measures approved by the Council were developed by the Charter Halibut Management Committee based on analyses provided by ADF&G demonstrating projected removals, catch limits adopted by the IPHC for 2023 for reference, and in considering the interests of the fishery.

Given that the charter allocations for 2024 are still unknown until the Area-wide mortality limits are set by the IPHC at its annual meeting in January 2024, the Council’s recommendations provide direction for how the measures should become more or less restrictive in response to different limits that could be adopted at the IPHC. Staff would use the following direction to identify the measures that can be adopted given the Area-wide mortality limits set.

Compared to the recommendations that were made at the Charter Halibut Management Committee and through the AP, some corrections were made to the identified cut-off points for Area 2C based on the projected removals shown in ADF&G tables. These updates do not change the progression of management measures recommended by the Committee. Additionally for Area 2C, the Council added in point #6 and #7. The Area 2C Committee members noted that they did not have recommendations for a scenario with an allocation lower than 0.74 Mlb as they were not willing to identify a preference for those extremely undesirable options. However, Council members stated that if they did not identify options, the IPHC would make these decisions for them. Therefore, steps #6 and #7 were added in for Area 2C. Committee rationale for the progression of management measures recommended are included in the December 6, 2023 meeting report.[1]

The Council recommended the following procession of measures, as needed, dependent on the IPHC’s selection of the total constant exploitation yield for 2024 and the resulting charter halibut catch limits. Measures would remain consistent throughout the 2024 season. Tables are referenced from the ADF&G analysis of projected removals, which is available here.

For IPHC Area 2C

All allocations shown below include a daily bag limit of one halibut and a reverse slot size limit where the upper limit is fixed at O80 (halibut 80 inches or longer may be retained).

1.  If the allocation is equal to or greater than 0.943 Mlb:

• Begin with a lower size limit of U40 (retained halibut must be less than or equal to 40 inches in length) and increase this limit until the allocation is reached, as indicated in Table 2C.4 (page 20) of the ADF&G analysis. 

2. If the allocation is less than 0.943 Mlb but greater than or equal to 0.863 Mlb:

• To remain within the allocation, implement a lower size limit of U40 and close consecutive Fridays as needed from the end of the season, but extending no earlier than July 12, as indicated in Table 2C.4 (page 20) in combination with Table 2C.5f (page 26) of the ADF&G analysis.

3. If the allocation is less than 0.863 Mlb but greater than or equal to 0.798 Mlb:

• Change from a U40 lower size limit to a U36 lower size limit on July 15, and close consecutive Fridays as needed from the end of the season to remain within allocation, but extending no earlier than July 12, as indicated in Table 2C.6 (page 28) in combination with Table 2C.5f (page 26) of the ADF&G analysis.

4.  If the allocation is less than 0.798 Mlb but greater than or equal to 0.766 Mlb:

• The lower size limit is U37, and close consecutive Fridays as needed from the end of the season, to remain within allocation but extending no earlier than July 12, as indicated in Table 2C.5f (page 26) of the ADF&G analysis.

5.  If the allocation is less than 0.766 Mlb but greater than or equal to 0.738 Mlb:

• The lower size limit is U36, and close consecutive Fridays as needed from the end of the season, to remain within allocation but extending no earlier than July 12, as indicated in Table 2C.5f (page 26) of the ADF&G analysis.

6. If the allocation is less than 0.738 Mlb but greater than or equal to 0.697 Mlb:

• The lower size limit is U35, and close consecutive Fridays as needed from the end of the season, to remain within allocation but extending no earlier than July 12, as indicated in Table 2C.5f (page 26) of the ADF&G analysis.

7. If the allocation is less than 0.697 Mlb but greater than or equal to 0.669 Mlb:

•  The lower size limit is U34, and close consecutive Fridays as needed from the end of the season, to remain within allocation but extending no earlier than July 12, as indicated in Table 2C.5f (page 26) of the ADF&G analysis.

For IPHC Area 3A:

All allocations shown below include, unless otherwise specified, a daily bag limit of 2 halibut; one fish of any size and one fish with a maximum size limit; 1 trip per charter vessel per day with retention of halibut; 1 trip per charter halibut permit per day; Wednesdays closed to halibut retention.

1. If the allocation is greater than or equal to 1.880Mlb:

• The size of the second fish shall range from 28 inches up to 32 inches, until the projected charter harvest removals meet the allocation, as indicated in Table 3A.11 (page 33) of the ADF&G analysis.

2. If the allocation is less than 1.880 Mlb, but greater than or equal to 1.590 Mlb:

• In addition to all closed Wednesdays and a second halibut 28 inches or less, close as many Tuesdays as needed to keep the charter harvest removals within the Area 3A allocation, as indicated in Table 3A.10 (page 32) of the ADF&G analysis.

3. If the allocation is less than 1.590 Mlb but greater than or equal to 1.513 Mlb:

• In addition to closing all Tuesdays and Wednesdays, lower the size of the second fish to as low as 26 inches, until the projected charter harvest removals meet the allocation, as indicated in Table 3A.11 (page 33) of the ADF&G analysis.

4. If the allocation is less than 1.513 Mlb:

• In addition to the Wednesday closures and 26-inch size limit indicated in (3) above, implement a 4-fish annual limit of halibut, and implement the number of closed Tuesdays necessary to achieve the allocation, as indicated in Table 3A.14 (page 36) of the ADF&G analysis.

Staff contact is Sarah Marrinan.

---

[1] Charter Halibut Management Committee report from December 6, 2023

BS FEP Climate Change Taskforce

The Council received a report from the Bering Sea Aleutian Island Fishery Ecosystem Plan (FEP) Climate Change Taskforce (CCTF), and endorsed holding a Council-sponsored Climate Scenario Workshop (CSW) in June 2024. The CCTF has been planning for a workshop with the overarching objective to synthesize and summarize the critical needs, resources, and process to develop and maintain a robust and inclusive decision-making process to respond to climate change effects in the North Pacific. The workshop will be focused on regional management process and would invite attendees and participants to:

• Think broadly about potential solutions and tools within the existing process (incremental) but also beyond existing approaches (transformational); and
• Identify the bigger picture changes that could be effective to address large climate impacts and changes.

The CCTF recommends that the workshop format include: (a) a combination of interactive breakout sessions with scenario planning exercises designed to explore a suite of potential and plausible ‘what if’s’ in order to identify key needs, tools, information sources, opportunities and risks; (b) facilitated discussion sessions designed to support meaningful information exchange between attendees; and (c) structured format that enables cross-pollination of expertise, experiences, and perspectives in solution explorations. At the Council’s direction, staff will explore options to allow for broad participation including virtual access in all aspects of the meeting.

The Council endorsed the CCTF and staff comments on format and scope for the Climate Scenario Workshop, and intends to host this workshop over two days during the June Council meeting in Kodiak, AK. As this workshop will be a cornerstone of the Council’s work on developing fishery management measures that promote climate resiliency, the Council intends that discussions and case studies at the workshop extend beyond the Bering Sea, and be broadly applicable across the North Pacific. Recommendations resulting from the workshop could be considered in conjunction with the scoping period for the programmatic evaluation that the Council has already initiated.

Staff contact is Diana Stram.

Staff Tasking (including new 3 meeting outlook)

The Council discussed the relative priority and scheduling of previously-tasked projects, and identified new tasking. The revised 3 meeting outlook reflects this guidance. The Council also noted that additional time would be needed by the SSC in February for review of the Cook Inlet Salmon harvest specifications for 2024.

Following review of the Council advisory groups, the Council took the following actions:

• Advisory Panel: Reappointed Jim Johnson and Mellisa Johnson for three year terms; reappointed Rick Laitinen, Landry Price, and Chelsae Radell for two additional years to extend their initial orientation year into a full three-year term; appointed Tiffany Andrew, Nels Evans, and Annika Saltman to a one-year orientation term; and appointed Eva Dawn Burke to the Advisory Panel’s Alaska Native Tribal Representative seat for a three-year term.
• In recognition of the Pacific cod pot gear LAPP action being contemplated by the Council, a call for nominations for two Advisory Panel special appointments, with expertise from the perspective of harvesters and processors.
• Appointed Dr. Lukas DeFilippo to the BSAI Groundfish Plan Team.
• Appointed Mr. Ethan Nichols to the BSAI Crab Plan Team.
• Reappointed all current members of the SSC, and appointed Dr. Fabio Caltabellotta as alternate to Kathryn Meyer (WDFW), replacing Dr. Theresa Tsou.

The Council provided the following direction and guidance:

• Requested staff provide a discussion paper on changing the timeline for determining charter halibut annual management measures, and data about the charter halibut permits and new registration requirement.
• Endorsed the staff workplan for pursuing IRA funding to support climate resiliency efforts in NPFMC fishery management, including planning for a Climate Scenario Planning workshop to occur during the June Council meeting in Kodiak. The IRA workplan accelerates and broadens existing Council initiatives for a programmatic policy evaluation of Council fisheries in light of changing environmental conditions, and tactical actions to improve assessment and climate science. 

The Council also discussed with the agency about the timing of how marine mammal takes are reported to the public, and noted Amendment 80 plans to report back on their efforts to reduce interactions of killer whales with their flatfish fisheries in the first part of 2024.

Finally, the Council discussed the timing of the chum salmon bycatch analysis, which is tentatively scheduled for April. Other options for timing included the June and October 2024 meetings in Kodiak and Anchorage, respectively. While the Council is continuing to plan for an April initial review in Anchorage, as has been requested by the public, the Council did discuss there are  tradeoffs for this accelerated timeline. One of these tradeoffs is a shortened review time between when the documents are available to the public for review prior to the Council meeting. Additionally, Council members spoke to the need to set expectations regarding depth and scope of this initial review given this expedited analytical timeframe. If there is a government shutdown in early 2024, the schedule may need to be reconsidered.

Staff contact is Diana Evans.

GOA Pacific Cod Allocation Review

The Council received a staff report on the GOA Pacific cod allocation review data report presented under agenda B1, and accepted the allocation review as complete after revisions to incorporate; shoreside processing sector activity and community participation, and a summary of the GOA Pacific cod stock.

NMFS Fisheries Allocation Policy Directive 01-119 describes a mechanism to ensure fisheries allocations are periodically evaluated to remain relevant to current conditions. The Allocation Review is not an in-depth analysis and is to ensure allocations are periodically reviewed, remain relevant, and adhere to adaptive management. The review facilitates the assessment of FMP objectives and Allocation objectives while considering other relevant factors. The assessment then informs whether or not further consideration of allocation alternatives is warranted.   Staff contact is Michael Fey. 

Cook Inlet Salmon FMP amendment

NMFS staff provided an update on the proposed Cook Inlet Salmon FMP Amendment and implementing Federal regulations. NMFS requests public comment on the proposed action. The public comment period closes on Dec. 18th, 2023. After considering public comment, NMFS will develop and publish a final rule before May 1, 2024, which would be effective for the 2024 fishing season.

NMFS will also present the Cook Inlet Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation to the SSC, AP, and Council during the February 2024 Council meeting. After reviewing this information and receiving public testimony, the Council will recommend proposed harvest specifications for the 2024 Cook Inlet EEZ salmon fishing season. 

Staff contact is Nicole Watson: 907-271-2805.

Fishery interactions with killer whales 

In the NMFS B report and a follow-up discussion in staff tasking, NMFS provided an update surrounding the causes of death or injury for 11 killer whales caught incidentally in fishing gear and a NMFS research survey in Alaska in 2023. The agency provided an update on the cause of death and results of genetic stock determination for those stocks.

Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), a Potential Biological Removal (PBR) estimate determines the maximum number of animals, not including natural mortalities, that may be removed from a marine mammal stock per year while allowing the stock to reach or maintain its optimum sustainable population. For the Eastern North Pacific Alaska Resident killer whale stock, that number is 19 whales per year. For the Gulf of Alaska, Aleutian Islands, and Bering Sea Transient stock, it is 5.9 whales per year. For the Eastern North Pacific Offshore stock, it is 2.8 whales per year. The number of incidental takes of killer whales is higher than previous years; however, it is still below the annual level that would pose a risk to the long-term health for any of the three killer whale stocks found in the region where the incidental takes occurred.

Additional information about this analysis can be found on the NOAA website. NOAA has also recently published a technical memorandum in 2023 summarizing the 37 killer whale entanglement reports from 1991-2022. NMFS stated that these entanglements demonstrate the need for more research and development of killer whale depredation deterrents or other mitigation measures for commercial fisheries.

List of upcoming meetings 

The following Committee and Plan Team meetings are currently anticipated:

• BSAI Crab Plan Team – Jan 8-12, 2024; Anchorage, AK and virtual
• SSC informational public meeting on Cook Inlet Salmon SAFE report – week of Jan 15^th (exact date TBD); virtual
• BS FEP Climate Change Taskforce – February 26, 2024 ; virtual

 In addition, there will continue to be Plan Team discussions of research priorities, in order to provide input to the SSC in February:

• Scallop Plan Team – December 14, 2023; virtual
• BSAI Crab Plan Team – final discussion January 10 , 2024 during their meeting (Anchorage, AK and virtual)
• Bering Sea Fishery Ecosystem Plan Team – January 9, 2024; virtual
• SSC Subgroup for Research Priorities – January 11, 2024; virtual
• Joint Groundfish Plan Teams – January 17, 2024; virtual

The Council will be hosting a Climate Scenario Planning workshop in June 2024, which will take place over two days (June 5-6) in the middle of the scheduled Council meeting. The intent is for the SSC, AP, and Council to break during these days so that members as well as the public may attend the workshop. Planning is underway and more details will be shared at future Council meetings in 2024.

Other meetings of interest

The Alaska Marine Science Symposium (AMSS), Alaska’s premier marine research conference, is being held January 29- February 2, 2024, at the Hotel Captain Cook, Anchorage, AK.  The poster sessions will be held at the Egan Center. Each day of the conference highlights important Alaskan marine ecosystems: Gulf of Alaska (Tuesday), Arctic (Wednesday), and the Bering Sea & Aleutian Islands (Thursday). See the At-a-Glance symposium schedule here. Research topics discussed range from ocean physics, fishes and invertebrates, seabirds, marine mammals, to local traditional knowledge. Since its inception, NPRB has been a proud sponsor and one of the leading organizers of AMSS.