In addition to meeting a various legal requirements, the Council has adopted several important policies to help guide and define its approach to conservation and management of fisheries; Ecosystem Policy, EFH Consultation Policy, Groundfish Fisheries Management, Groundfish Management Objectives, Habitat Areas of Particular Concern, Spatial Management, and Enforcement Priorities.
Allocation Review Policy
In July 2016, NMFS issued a Fisheries Allocation Policy Directive 01-119, which describes a mechanism to ensure fisheries allocations are periodically evaluated to ensure that OY is being achieved under current conditions. The policy and directives establish three steps in an allocation review process, with the first step occurring if a review is triggered.
Essential Fish Habitat Consultation Policy
The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act includes provisions concerning the identification and conservation of Essential Fish Habitat (EFH). The Magnuson-Stevens Act defines EFH as “those waters and substrate necessary to fish for spawning, breeding, feeding, or growth to maturity.”
Groundfish Fisheries Management Policy
The Council’s policy is to apply judicious and responsible fisheries management practices, based on sound scientific research and analysis, proactively rather than reactively, to ensure the sustainability of fishery resources and associated ecosystems for the benefit of future, as well as current generations.
Groundfish Management Objectives
The Council notes that adaptive management requires regular and periodic review. The Council reviews its objectives annually in order to modify, eliminate, or consider new issues, as appropriate, to best carry out the goals and objectives of this management policy. The Policy was originally established through the Alaska Groundfish Fisheries Programmatic Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (2004).
Groundfish Workplan
The above Groundfish Management Policy and Groundfish Management Objectives were established in 2004 when the Council published a programmatic review of the BSAI and GOA groundfish fisheries (the Alaska Groundfish Fisheries Programmatic Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement). In order to implement the management policy the Council developed a groundfish work plan that integrates the management objectives with recent, current, ongoing and pending Council actions and statements.
Spatial Management
In October 2013, the Council adopted a policy that established a process for determining spatial management (i.e., subarea allocations of annual harvest specifications (OFL, ABC, and/or TAC)) of stocks and stock assemblages for groundfish, crabs and scallops.
Statement of Organization, Practices, and Procedures (SOPP)
Section 302(f)(6) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act requires that each regional fishery management council prepare and publish a Statement of Organization, Practices, and Procedures (SOPP). The NPFMC SOPP can be downloaded here.
Enforcement Priorities