In April 2022, the Council reviewed the 2022 Alaska Weathervane Scallop SAFE report and specified scallop ABC for the 2021/2022 fishing year at 1.156 million pounds (546 t), a level equivalent to 90% of OFL, which is 1.284 million pounds (582 t). The federal specification of scallop OFL and ABC applies to all waters off Alaska, while guideline harvest levels (GHLs) for the State’s scallop registration areas and districts are established by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
According to the Scallop 2022 SAFE, total scallop removals in 2020/2021 were 238,551 lb.; 108t of shucked meats, 20.6 % of ABC (1.156 million lb.; 524 t) and 18.6% of OFL. Therefore, overfishing did not occur in 2020/2021. The preliminary harvest for the 2021/2022 season is estimated to be 298,755 lb. (136 t).
The current OFL and ABC have not changed for several years and are based on the 1990-1997 time period. The State currently takes a very conservative approach when setting GHLs, and removals rarely approach OFL. In the 2020/2021 fishing year, the total removals were only 18.6% of OFL. Given the current trends in abundance and biomass, including CPUE, provided in the 2022 SAFE, the SSC recommended that the Scallop Plan Team discuss setting the OFL based on a more accurate time period that is representative of the current stock status.
As seen in previous years, the SSC raised the possibility of setting multi-year specifications, as is done for some stocks in the groundfish and crab SAFE reports. The Council passed a motion that initiates an analysis to amend the Scallop FMP to provide flexibility for non-annual assessments.
Staff contact is Sarah Rheinsmith.
