In addition to discussing the relative priority and scheduling of previously tasked projects, the Council took the following actions and clarified direction and tasking for its committees:
- Initiated two discussion papers to related to IFQ community access and entry opportunities, one addressing lessons for the Alaska IFQ program from other global programs including Norway’s Recruitment Quota Program, and an exploration of regulatory and non-regulatory mechanisms for transfer of quota share to hired masters and crew.
- Directed staff to submit comments to NMFS on the draft EM cost allocation procedural directive incorporating recommended comments from the Observer Advisory Committee.
- Endorsed the recommendations from the NOAA Report to Congress on Aleutian Islands Pollock, including that NMFS should assist Adak with an exempted fishing permit to allow fishing in specific areas of the AI currently closed to directed fishing to determine the distribution and stock composition of AI pollock, and that NMFS should provide the test fishing results to the Council and explore whether revisions to existing regulations are warranted by the test fishing results.
- Directed staff to track national legislative bills relating to aquaculture, and to develop a consensus positions as per the Legislative Committee’s recommendations.
- Directed staff to write a letters to the AFSC thanking them for supporting the valuable bathymetry work as presented to the Ecosystem Committee, and noting how the work helps Council consideration especially with respect to EFH and the Bering Sea canyons.
- Directed staff to write a letter supporting potential trawl grant proposals for EM development in 2019, by communicating the Council’s preliminary trawl monitoring objectives as identified at this meeting.
- Appointed a Cook Inlet Salmon Committee.
- Changed the names of the following committees: the Observer Advisory Committee is renamed as the Fishery Monitoring Advisory Committee, and the EM Workgroup is renamed as the Trawl EM Committee.
