In addition to discussing the relative priority of previously tasked projects, the Council initiated several new projects and clarified direction and tasking for its various committees. The Council also took the following actions:
- Send a letter to USFWS requesting continued monitoring of seabird colonies in the Bering Sea, to monitor effects of the seabird mortality events observed in 2016.
- Include in the annual management letter to IPHC a recommendation that the IPHC continue to examine biological and yield impacts of alternative lower size limits.
- Requested that NMFS provide information about Chinook salmon in the GOA, including contributions from hatchery fish and a description of what information is currently being collected, and what additional information might be collected in the future.
- Directed staff to prepare a discussion paper that explores changing the ownership cap on Charter Halibut Permits for the RQE to hold up to 30% of the permits in either Area 3A or 2C.
- Directed staff to prepare a discussion paper that examines mechanisms to reduce latent capacity in the Charter Halibut Permit program based on average minimum use of the permit, and a limit on the number of angler days per permit.
- Directed staff to include information on the GOA in the next discussion paper on halibut abundance based management PSC limits. Specifically, the staff will include considerations of what would it take to include the GOA in the ABM program for PSC limits.
- Directed staff to prepare a discussion paper that evaluates several measure as potential options to reduce PSC, including evaluation of temporal distribution of halibut PSC rates in the WGOA Pacific cod A season, evaluation of the timing of pollock harvest and Chinook salmon PSC in the WGOA C and D seasons, evaluation of the impacts of lowering the WGOA pollock trip limits to 200,000 lbs.
- Directed staff to prepare a discussion paper that evaluates the impacts and effects of stranding GOA Pacific cod in the trawl B season, including examination of sector splits, season dates, and apportionments, with an eye towards achieving OY in the fishery.
- Directed staff to prepare a discussion paper that summarizes actions taken to protect crab habitat in the CGOA and information on crab stock abundance and distribution, to determine if additional closures may be warranted.
- Announced appointments to the SSC, AP, PNCIAC, and BS Fishery Ecosystem Plan Team.
