At this meeting, the Council recognized Mr. Aaron Martin, who has served as the US Fish & Wildlife Service Council member representative for several years, as the alternate for USFWS Regional Director Greg Siekaniec. He will be replaced by Mr. Jon Gerken, the USFWS Fisheries Branch Chief in the Anchorage Field Office. Jon has spent… Read More →
Call for Nominations for the Fishery Monitoring Advisory Committee
The Fishery Monitoring Advisory Committee (FMAC; formerly the Observer Advisory Committee) convenes industry members, agency representatives, observers, and observer/EM coverage providers to advise the Council on issues related to all types of monitoring in Alaskan fisheries. There is currently one vacant seat on the FMAC, for an industry representative of the pot catcher vessel sector.… Read More →
GOA Groundfish FMP Amendment Summaries Now Available
Council staff has completed summaries of the Gulf of Alaska Groundfish FMP amendments. These summaries have been compiled into a comprehensive reference document to illustrate the evolution of the GOA Groundfish FMP. This volume is meant to serve as a research tool for anyone interested in understanding the development of the North Pacific’s federal fishery… Read More →
IFQ Medical Transfer and Beneficiary Designation
The Council took final action to modify the medical transfer and designated beneficiary transfer provisions of the halibut and sablefish IFQ program. The recommended regulatory changes to IFQ transfer provisions are identical to those selected as a preliminary final determination of the preferred alternative at the Council’s February 2019 meeting. Proposed changes to the medical… Read More →
Rockfish Fixed Retention for Fixed Gear CVs
At the April 2019 meeting, the Council took final action to require full retention of all rockfish species for fixed gear catcher vessels (CVs) in the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands (BSAI) and Gulf of Alaska (GOA). The Council’s purpose in requiring full retention of rockfish was to improve identification of species catch composition when CVs are… Read More →
BSAI Trawl CV Pacific cod Mothership
The Council took final action on proposed changes that limit certain Amendment 80 and American Fisheries Act (AFA) catcher/processors from acting as motherships when receiving Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) non-community development quota (CDQ) Pacific cod deliveries from trawl catcher vessels. Based on the alternatives selected, two trawl catcher/processors will be allowed to act… Read More →
Scallops
The Council reviewed the 2019 Alaska Weathervane Scallop SAFE report and specified scallop ABC for the 2019/2020 fishing year at 1.161 million pounds of shucked scallop meats, a level equivalent to 90% of the OFL (1.29 million pounds), based on the ABC control rule in the Scallop FMP. The specification of Scallop OFL and ABC… Read More →
Bering Sea Snow Crab PSC Data Report
In December 2018 the Council reviewed the Initial Review Draft of an EA/RIR/IRFA of an action to modify snow crab PSC calculations and limits in Bering Sea trawl groundfish fisheries, and requested additional information on the distribution of snow crab bycatch throughout the BSAI by gear and fishery, gaps in bycatch data, regulatory provisions that… Read More →
CQE Fish Up in Area 3A
The Council reviewed an initial analysis of a regulatory impact review (RIR) on whether to allow Community Quota Entities (CQEs) in Area 3A to fish D-class halibut IFQ on C-class vessels after a date specified or for a certain number of years. After reviewing the document, receiving reports from the Enforcement and IFQ committees, and… Read More →
Observer Fee Analysis
At their April meeting, the Council reviewed an analysis to modify the partial coverage observer fee. The Council released the analysis for public review, after revisions and additions from the Council and its advisory bodies, including the SSC, AP, and the Fishery Monitoring Advisory Committee, are addressed by staff, to the extent practicable. The Council… Read More →
