Appointments | Observer Annual Deployment Plan | Charter Halibut | Cook Inlet Salmon | BSAI Groundfish Specifications | GOA Groundfish Specifications | BSAI Pacific Cod Pot LLP Licenses | BSAI Trawl CV Pacific Cod LAPP | BSAI Pacific Cod Pot LLP Licenses | Staff Tasking | Upcoming Meetings
Appointments
The Council made the following appointments during the meeting.
Advisory Panel
The following members of the AP were reappointed to a 3-year term: James Johnson, Mellisa Johnson, Matt Upton, and Anne Vanderhoeven.
Also, John Gruver was reappointed for a 1-year term, and Brian Ritchie was appointed to complete the term of Daniel Donich’s seat, which expires at the end of 2021.
Finally, Megan O’Neill was also newly appointed to the AP for a 3-year term.
AP members for 2021 will be:
Ruth Christiansen, Angel Drobnica, John Gruver, Gretar Gudmondsson, James Johnson, Mellisa Johnson, Jeff Kauffman, Julie Kavanaugh. Craig Lowenberg, Heather Mann, Jamie O’Connor, Patrick O’Donnell, Megan O’Neill, Joel Peterson, Brian Ritchie, John Scoblic, Matt Upton, Anne Vanderhoeven, Erik Velsko, Sinclair Wilt
SSC
All current members of the SSC were reappointed, with the exception of Dr. Gordon Kruse and Dr. Kate Reedy, who are stepping down. Dr. Chris Siddon and Dr. Patrick Sullivan were newly appointed.
SSC members for 2021 will be:
Chris Anderson, Amy Bishop, Curry Cunningham, Mike Downs, Sherri Dressel, Jason Gasper, Dana Hanselman, Brad Harris, Anne Hollowed, George Hunt, Franz Mueter, Andrew Munro, Matt Reimer, Chris Siddon, Ian Stewart, Patrick Sullivan, Tien-Shui (Theresa) Tsou, Alison WhitmanPlan TeamsScallop Plan Team: Dr. Tyler Jackson, ADFG, was appointed as member.
Committees
Pacific Northwest Crab Industry Advisory Committee:
the following members were appointed to 2-year terms:
Mark Casto, Sean Dwyer, Lance Farr, Dean Fasnacht, Jake Jacobsen, Steve Minor, Gary Painter, Edward Poulsen, Brett Reasor, Elizabeth Reed, Mike Simpson; Jamie Goen (non-voting secretary)
Observer Annual Deployment Plan
The Council received a report on the Final Observer Program 2021 Annual Deployment Plan (ADP). This report highlighted changes to the report since the Council’s review of the Draft ADP in October.
The 2021 ADP uses the Council’s recommended port-based approach for partial coverage observer deployment, consistent with the redesigned 2020 ADP that is responsive to COVID-19 impacts on monitoring. The Final ADP also uses the Council’s recommended deployment strata, and a coverage allocation scheme of a 15% baseline plus an optimized allocation based on discarded groundfish as well as halibut PSC and Chinook PSC. This results in the following deployment rates by strata:
- No selection – 0%
- Trawl – 16%
- Hook-and-line – 15%
- Pot – 15%
- Fixed-gear EM – 30%
- Trawl EM EFP—100% at-sea EM; plus: 30% shoreside monitoring in GOA or 100% shoreside monitoring in BS.
The 2021 fixed gear EM pool includes 168 vessels. Three additional vessels opted into the program; however, no additional funding is available to accommodate additional vessels at this time. Therefore, NMFS has approved 168 vessels for the EM selection pool for 2021.
Staff contact for observer issues is Kate Haapala.
Charter Halibut
The Council approved management measures for charter halibut fishing in Areas 2C and 3A in 2021 that will be submitted for approval by the IPHC at its annual meeting in January 2021. The measures approved by the Council were developed by the Charter Halibut Management Committee based on analyses provided by ADF&G as well as the needs of the fishery, and these measures are expected to constrain overall charter removals to the final 2021 area allocations, as determined by the IPHC under the Catch Sharing Plan.
The Council’s recommended measures differ from those provided in past years by the addition of “COVID buffers”, which are percentage reductions in expected effort and are used to scale harvest estimates generated using “normal”, i.e., pre-2020, effort inputs in the ADF&G analysis. A range of factors is expected to contribute to the effort reductions, including constraints on travel to Alaska, financial distress among potential clients, timing of and participation in vaccination efforts, and operator health liability precautions, among others. Charter halibut effort was reduced in 2020 by approximately 50% in Alaska and the recommended COVID buffers (below) are considered to be conservative estimates of effort reductions for 2021.
For Area 2C, the Council is recommending that a 35% COVID buffer be used to scale the removals estimates provided in the ADF&G analysis, specifically removals associated with reverse slot limits in Table 6 of that analysis. Subsequently, if the final Area 2C catch allocation is set at 0.65 million pounds, the reverse slot limit would be set at U44O80. If the final Area 2C catch allocation is between 0.651 million pounds and 0.751 million pounds, the lower bound of the reverse slot limit would be adjusted upward from U45 to a maximum of U50. If the final Area 2C catch allocation is greater than 0.751 million pounds, the lower bound of the reverse slot limit would stay at U50, while the upper bound would be adjusted downward to achieve the final allocation. For Area 2C, a one fish daily bag limit would also apply, as would all other status quo harvest restrictions.
For Area 3A, the Council is recommending that a 25% COVID buffer be used to scale the removals estimates, specifically those provided in Table 24 in the analysis. If the final 3A allocation is determined to be less than 1.93 million pounds, but greater than or equal to 1.85 million pounds, the Council is recommending that charter anglers be allowed to keep one fish of any size and one fish measuring less than or equal to 32 inches. If the final 3A allocation is set below 1.85 million pounds but above than 1.74 million pounds, the size limit for the second retained halibut should be adjusted downward to achieve the final allocation. In addition to size limits and a daily bag limit of two halibut, restrictions for Area 3A in 2021 include closure of all Wednesdays to charter halibut fishing, one trip per halibut charter vessel per day; and one trip per charter halibut permit per day. There would be no annual limit on retained halibut per charter anglers in Area 3A.
Staff contact is Jim Armstrong.
Cook Inlet Salmon
The Council took final action on Cook Inlet salmon by selecting Alternative 4 – Federal management with the Cook Inlet EEZ closed to commercial salmon fishing, as its preferred alternative. Following Secretarial approval, the Council’s action will amend the Salmon FMP by removing an exclusion from federal management that applies to a portion of Cook Inlet that overlaps with the EEZ. As a result of the Council’s action, the Cook Inlet EEZ will be closed to commercial salmon fishing. However, this action will not impact commercial salmon fishing with State waters (0-3 nautical miles from shore) where the commercial driftnet fishery will continue to operate in Cook Inlet and be managed by the State of Alaska. The driftnet fishery is the only commercial salmon fishery that operates in both state and federal waters of Cook Inlet.
Prior to final action, the Council had conducted initial review of the analysis for this issue in October 2020, at which time only three alternatives had been formally established. After that review, however, the Council clarified that including the Cook Inlet EEZ in the FMP’s existing prohibition on commercial salmon fishing for the “West Area” should be elevated as a distinct (fourth) alternative. A closure of the Cook Inlet EEZ to commercial salmon fishing was contemplated under Alternative 3 in the analysis, whereby such a closure would occur based on stock status or when information needed for management is absent. By adding Alternative 4 in October, the Council had clarified that it could also recommend an extended closure as a policy preference. Such an addition or modification of alternatives is commonly done between the initial and final review stages of a Council action.
Other alternatives considered by the Council included Alternative 2 (Federal management with specific measures delegated to the State of Alaska), and Alternative 3 (Federal management with no delegation to the State of Alaska). Alternative 1 (no action), while not considered a legal alternative, served to provide a baseline for comparison with other alternatives.
The Council initiated action on Cook Inlet salmon in 2017 after a Ninth Circuit Court ruling held that excluding federal waters of Cook Inlet put the Salmon FMP in violation of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. The Court ruling was the product of a federal lawsuit by the United Cook Inlet Drift Association (UCIDA) and the Cook Inlet Fishermen’s Fund (CIFF). In December 2019, UCIDA/CIFF appealed existing development on the FMP amendment to federal court, and in January 2020, the Court established a deadline of Dec 31, 2020 for final Council action.
After initiating the action in 2017, the Council expended considerable effort trying to find management approaches to reconcile a federal fishery management system with the unique challenges of the salmon life history and adjacent salmon fisheries under State jurisdiction. The Council convened the Cook Inlet Salmon Committee, which was created to include stakeholders, including plaintiffs, in the development of an FMP amendment. The Committee’s recommendations were provided to the Council in June 2020, however, they were not further considered by the Council because they generally called for expanding the reach of the federal FMP into State waters, which is outside of the Council’s jurisdiction.
Now that the Council has taken final action, the National Marine Fisheries Service will conduct its review of the recommended amendment. Given the time required for this review and rulemaking, it is anticipated that the changes will take effect for the Cook Inlet commercial salmon fishery beginning with the 2022 fishing season.
Staff contact is Jim Armstrong.
BSAI Groundfish Specifications
The Council reviewed the Ecosystem Status Reports for the Aleutian Islands and Bering Sea, approved the BSAI Groundfish Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) Report, and made final recommendations on groundfish harvest specifications, prohibited species catch (PSC) limits, and halibut Discard Mortality Rates (DMRs) to manage the 2021 and 2022 BSAI groundfish fisheries. Harvest and PSC specifications for 2021 and 2022 fishing years are available in the Council motions.
The Council reviewed Ecosystem Status Reports including 4-page summary briefs for the Aleutian Islands (AI) and the Bering Sea (BS). Ecosystem conditions are summarized in report card summaries at the beginning of each ESR. In the AI, the North Pacific Index was positive from fall 2019 to 2020 which caused persistent warm winds from the Southwest and suppressed storminess through fall and winter 2019/2020. The sea surface temperatures in the AI cooled in 2020 relative to the 2014-17 warm period, but the overall temperature was still warmer than average. In the BS, the 2019-2020 daily mean ice extent was within 1 standard deviation of the long-term mean, but sea ice appears to have been thinner. The cold pool was average, based on the ROMS hindcast model.
The BSAI SAFE report forms the basis for BSAI groundfish harvest specifications for the next two fishing years. Some groundfish stocks in the BSAI are assessed annually while others are assessed less frequently due to stock prioritization, including assessment methods and data availability. The global COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 precluded most NMFS surveys in the BS and AI. Therefore, survey data were not available for most assessments, although new catch and fishery dependent data were available. The Teams expressed concern that additional years of missing surveys will affect the uncertainty around model estimates. Full assessments were performed in 2020 for nearly all stocks, partial assessments were produced for two stocks (Alaska plaice, northern rockfish). For stocks with partial assessments, specifications are rolled over from the previous assessment. The statewide sablefish assessment and a report for Grenadier, as part of the Ecosystem Component, were provided during the Joint Plan Team report. The Groundfish Plan Teams and the Council’s SSC will continue to explore use of the species-specific risk tables for appropriate reductions from maxABC in future harvest specifications. To improve this process, the SSC will consider issues raised by the Plan Teams in application of the risk tables at a workshop during the February 2021 SSC meeting, as scheduling allows.
In specifications, the Council considered different apportionment methods for sablefish in the BSAI. The Council agreed with the Plan Team, SSC, and AP that the status quo fixed apportionment is no longer appropriate. The Council agreed with the SSC recommendation to implement a 25% step toward adopting the Plan Team and assessment author recommendation of the non-exponentially weighted 5-year average survey apportionment method. For 2021, this results in a sablefish statewide ABC of 29,588 t, with allocations of 3,396 t to the BS and 4,717 t to the AI. This is an 80% increase in the BSAI and 2.3x increase in the AI over 2020.
Final BSAI specifications for 2021 and 2022 are shown on Table 1 in the Council motion.
In 2019, the Council took final action to amend the FMPs for the BSAI (Amendment 121) and GOA (Amendment 110) to move the sculpin stock complex to the Ecosystem Component category. The amendments were approved by the Secretary of Commerce in 2020, and therefore annual specifications are no longer required for this complex.
Overall, the status of stocks in the BSAI continue to appear favorable. No stocks are experiencing overfishing or are overfished. All stocks are above BMSY or the BMSY proxy of B35%. The abundances of EBS pollock, EBS Pacific cod, all rockfishes managed under Tier 3, and all flatfishes managed under Tiers 1 or 3 are projected to be above BMSY or the BMSY proxy of B35% in 2021.
In setting TACs for 2021 and 2022, the Council takes into account the Guideline Harvest Levels (GHLs) for fisheries occurring in State waters on the same species. In 2018, the Alaska Board of Fisheries modified how GHLs in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands are set for Pacific cod. In 2021, the GHL in the AI will be set at 6,804 t, which is the maximum GHL that can be set for the AI. The Bering Sea GHL will be set at 12,426 t (10% of the EBS pacific cod ABC plus an additional 45 t). The GHL for the Aleutian Islands in 2022 in the AI will be 39% of the AI ABC or the maximum of 6,804 t, and in the BS the GHL will be 11% of the EBS ABC plus an additional 45 t. The Council’s OFLs, ABC, and TACs take the GHLs into account.
The Council specified an ABC reserve for flathead sole, rock sole, and yellowfin sole, which was specified as the ABC surplus for the species (i.e., the difference between the ABC and TAC); specified Prohibited Species Catch (PSC) limits for halibut, crab, and herring; and specified halibut discard mortality rates (DMRs) for the BSAI.
Staff contact for the BSAI Groundfish Plan Team and specifications is Steve MacLean.
GOA Groundfish Specifications
The Council approved the 2020 Gulf of Alaska (GOA) Groundfish Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) report and recommended final harvest specifications for the 2021 and 2022 GOA groundfish fisheries. For final rulemaking for the 2021 and 2022 fishing years, the Council recommended OFLs and ABCs consistent with SSC recommendations, and final TACs. The Council also recommended halibut PSC limit apportionments and adopted updated halibut discard mortality rates (DMRs) for 2021. In setting the TACs for 2021 and 2022, the Council accounts for guideline harvest levels (GHLs) for groundfish fisheries in state waters; full details are in included in the Council motion for the GOA.
The 2020 GOA Groundfish SAFE report includes stock status updates for all 20 stocks or stock complexes managed through the GOA Groundfish FMP. No harvest specifications were set for sculpin for the upcoming years since that stock complex has been moved to the ecosystem component category. The GOA SAFE report forms the basis for GOA groundfish harvest specifications for the next two fishing years.
Based on consideration of stock prioritization including assessment methods and data availability, some stocks are assessed on an annual basis while others are assessed less frequently. Full assessments were produced for all stocks in the GOA in 2020 with the following exceptions: partial assessments were produced for rougheye/blackspotted rockfish, arrowtooth flounder, shallow-water flatfish, northern and southern rock sole, demersal shelf rockfish (DSR), and flathead sole, and no assessments were produced for rex sole, deepwater flatfish, shortraker rockfish, other rockfish, Atka mackerel, skates, or octopus. For these exceptions, specifications were rolled over from the previous assessment for that stock. Reports were provided for forage fish and grenadiers.
The Council also reviewed the Ecosystem Status Report for the GOA, including a 4-page GOA ecosystem brief. The report highlighted close to average conditions for 2020. Sea surface temperatures returned to the long-term mean after 2014-2016 and 2019 heatwave years, with a warm summer and fall. While the previous marine heatwaves continue to impact some species, food availability in 2020 was average or improved over past years. The report also provided information of phytoplankton and zooplankton densities as well as forage fish, seabird and marine mammal trends. Additionally, the report highlighted impacts of the loss of some surveys due to Covid-19 and mitigation of data loss.
The GOA Pacific cod stock remains at low levels but is increasing and is estimated to be above the overfished determination level. Spawning biomass is projected to increase from 2021 to 2022 due to a stronger 2018 recruitment and reduction in fishing mortality since 2018. The 2021 Federal GOA Pacific cod Total Allowable Catch (TAC) is 17,321 mt, which reserves an additional 6,306 mt for the State GHL.
During the specifications process, the Council considered different apportionment methods for sablefish. The Council agreed with the Plan Team, SSC, and AP that the status quo fixed apportionment was no longer appropriate. The Council agreed with the SSC recommendation to implement a 25% stair step from the current (fixed) apportionment percentages toward the non-exponential 5-year survey average proposed by the authors. For 2021, this would equate to increases in the apportioned ABCs in all areas (up to 60% in the Aleutian Islands), but much smaller increases in those areas that have recently been apportioned a greater percentage than suggested by survey observations (only 17% in the East Yakutat area). The GOA wide TAC for 2021 is a 25% increase from the 2020 TAC.
The sum of the ABCs for all GOA groundfish stocks in 2021 is 476,037 mt, which is a 2.2% increase compared to the 2020 (465,956 mt) aggregate ABC. Maximum permissible ABCs were set for all stocks in the GOA in 2020, except for sablefish, dusky rockfish, and DSR. ABC less than the maximum permissible is recommended when there are additional conservation considerations that are not accounted for in the stock assessment, tier system, or harvest control rules. Further discussion of the risk table is included in the draft SSC report and the BSAI Groundfish newsletter article.
For most stocks, the Council established TACs equal to ABCs. Exceptions where the TAC is set below ABC include pollock, Pacific cod, sablefish, shallow water flatfish in the Western GOA, flathead sole in Western and Central GOA, other rockfish in the Eastern GOA, arrowtooth flounder (except in the Central GOA), and Atka mackerel.
The GOA Groundfish Plan Team report summarized the issues discussed and actions taken by the Plan Team at its virtual November meeting. Highlights of the GOA Plan Team report included stock assessment presentations from individual assessment authors and authors of the Ecosystem and Socioeconomic Profiles (ESPs) for GOA pollock and Pacific cod. The SSC recommended 2021 and 2022 OFLs and ABCs and provided guidance on many of the assessments in its draft SSC report. Some of the issues that pertain to GOA Groundfish, such as sablefish apportionment, are covered in the Joint Plan Team Report (discussed under BSAI Groundfish).
Staff contact is Sara Cleaver.
BSAI Pacific Cod Pot LLP Licenses
The Council received an initial review draft analysis of alternatives that could modify the number of License Limitation Program (LLP) licenses endorsed to fish for BSAI Pacific cod with pot gear as a catcher-processor. The current number of licenses holding that endorsement is eight. The analysis was moved forward for public review, at which point the Council could take final action to recommend a preferred alternative.
The Council did not make substantive changes to the range of alternatives under consideration, and did not indicate a preliminary preferred alternative at this time. The range contains the No Action alternative (Alt. 1) and an action alternative that would remove BS and AI Pacific cod pot CP endorsements from licenses that were not credited with at least 1,000 mt of retained Pacific cod commercial catch while operating as a BSAI pot CP (Alt. 2). The 1,000 mt threshold will be evaluated over one of two historical periods (Options 1 and 2): 2005 – 2019 or 2012 – 2019. The Council clarified that historical catch should be counted cumulatively over the selected period, obviating the need for the two Suboptions that had been analyzed.
The Council did not modify the control date of December 10, 2019, meaning that it might not consider catch that occurred after that date relative to the 1,000 mt threshold.
The Council directed the analysts to consider SSC suggestions for revision and identified two other items to include in the next draft. The first item is a summary of other fisheries and/or modes in which LLP licenses that lose this endorsement could still be used, including other fisheries, gears, and areas as well as operating as a catcher vessel. The second item is a more detailed description of the communities connected to these LLP licenses through ownership, specifically referencing ties to Western Alaska CDQ groups.
Staff contact is Sam Cunningham.
BSAI Trawl CV Pacific Cod LAPP
At this meeting, the Council conducted an initial review of an analysis for a Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) Pacific cod trawl catcher vessel (CV) limited access privilege program (LAPP). After reviewing the analysis, the Advisory Panel’s recommendation, and listening to public testimony, the Council modified the purpose and need statement to include minimizing bycatch to the extent practicable and adjusted several of the elements and options under consideration for a June 2021 initial review analysis. A summary of those adjustments is provided below.
The proposed program considers allocations of quota shares (QS) to groundfish LLP licenses based on the harvest of targeted BSAI Pacific cod during the qualifying years. The action also considers allocating harvest shares to a processor permit based on processing history of BSAI Pacific cod during the qualifying years. This would yield an exclusive harvest privilege allocation for use in a BSAI trawl CV Pacific cod catch share program cooperatives. The purpose of this action is to improve the prosecution of the fishery with the intent of promoting safety and stability in the harvesting and processing sectors, increasing the value of the fishery, providing for the sustained participation of fishery-dependent communities, and ensuring the sustainability and viability of the resource. The analysis was made available to the Council and the public in October 2020.
Summary of adjustments to the elements and options under consideration:
- Element 1 – removed Option 1.1 from consideration, which required the AFA and non-AFA cooperative formation structure.
- Element 2 – 1) Clarified that catch history to determine allocations will not be considered beyond December 31, 2019. 2) Included an option to establish a minimum threshold percentage of 0.25%-1% for LLP license eligibility. 3) Clarified that AI transferable endorsements can also receive QS.
- Element 3 – 1) Modified the element to apportion halibut and crab PSC to the trawl CV sector, while also maintaining an option to leave crab PSC at the trawl limited access sector level. 2) Expanded the PSC reduction for the trawl CV sector to 35 percent. 3) Moved language from Element 9 that apportions PSC to the cooperative level to Element 3.
- Element 4 – 1) Adjusted Option 4.1 to calculate GOA sideboard limits for non-exempt AFA CVs based on all non-exempt AFA CVs (qualified and non-qualified). 2) In Option 4.2, combined both AFA exempt CVs and non-AFA CVs from leasing their BSAI Pacific cod CQ as a condition being exempt from GOA sideboard limits. Cooperatives would be required to monitor and enforce the sideboard exemption. 3) Adjusted Suboption 4.2.1 to authorize leasing of BSAI Pacific cod CQ for AFA GOA exempt and non-AFA CVs while maintaining their GOA sideboard exemption if their CQ was less than 200 mt, 400 mt, or 600 mt. 4) Removed Option 4.3 from consideration since non-AFA CVs were included in Option 4.2.
- Element 5 – 1) Option 5.2 would set individual processing limits for qualified C/P acting as a mothership in the BSAI trawl CV sector. The individual mothership processing limits would be based on the C/P’s individual processing history in the fishery or harvest history of LLP licenses that are at least 75% owned by the firm that owns the qualified C/P. 2) Option 5.3 would establish limits on the number of trawl CVs that may deliver to C/Ps qualified to act as a mothership. Qualified CVs would be allowed to deliver all of the CQ derived from their LLPs to the C/P. The Council stated its intent to develop other eligibility criteria for CVs to deliver offshore processors at a future meeting. 3) Option 5.4 would establish a limit on the use of harvest shares issued to processors, based on the amount that the vessel’s LLP would have brought into the cooperative absent any processor issued harvest shares.
- Element 6 – 1) Changes would allow Adak or Atka to withdraw its intent to operate notice and release the set-aside requirement (Option 6.1) or allow for the reallocation of CQ to qualified LLP license holders. 2) Option 6.2 adds the option to allocate 10% of the annual sector allocation to AI shoreplants or the community representative. 3) Option 6.2 would also establish a percentage (50%, 25%, or 10%) of an AI shoreplant allocation that must be harvested by AI trawl CVs less than 60’ LOA and delivered to the AI shoreplant.
- Element 7 – 1) Included a suboption to authorized holders of eligible LLP licenses that authorize non-exempt AFA CVs the ability to transfer QS between LLP licenses to accommodate private lease agreements during the qualifying period. The window for transferring QS is 90 days from the publishing of the Final Rule. 2) As part of Element 7.2, the Council clarified that processor permits credited from this program can only be transfer to another processor and shoreside processor permits can only be transferred to another shoreside processors that holds an FPP. QS for these processor permits is non-severable except in the case of a transfer to another eligible processor results in exceeding the use cap under Option 8.3. The portion of QS over the use cap can be severed from permit and transferred to another eligible processor permit.
- Element 8 – 1) Option 8.1 establishes a range of harvester issued cooperative share owners and use caps to consider at 5% – 10%. 2) Option 8.2 establishes a range of vessel use caps to consider at 3% – 5% and provides for a grandfather provision. 3) Option 8.3 establishes a range of ownership and use caps on processor issued harvest shares of 15% – 20%. 4) Option 8.4 establishes a range of processing facility use caps of 20%-30%.
- Element 9 – Clarified vessels that are not designated on a trawl CV qualified LLP license are not eligible to join a cooperative unless participating under the gear conversion (Element 14).
- Element 10 – No changes.
- Element 11 – Clarified that the element is not intended to modify the observer coverage exception provided for CVs delivering unsorted codends to a mothership.
- Element 12 – No changes.
- Element 13 – No changes.
- Element 14 – 1) It stated that gear conversion only applies to the seasons covered by the PCTC and the season dates would be based on the start and end dates for the trawl fishery; PSC use would be deducted from the PSC allocated to the cooperative; NMFS will develop monitoring and enforcement provisions necessary to track quota, harvest, PSC, use caps, etc. 2) The Council discussed its intent regarding the vessels that would be allowed to harvest Pacific cod using gear conversion. Based on that discussion, staff will analyze allowing only qualified trawl CVs to harvest Pacific cod CQ with pot gear and analyze allowing both qualified trawl CVs and pot CVs that are not assigned to an LLP that holds PCTC CQ to harvest Pacific cod CQ as allowed by cooperative members that hold qualified LLPs for the PCTC.
The Council also requested that staff include an expanded discussion of reallocations and impacts to other sectors in the June 2021 initial review analysis. The final Council motion is posted. Staff contact is Jon McCracken.
BSAI Pacific Cod Pot LLP Licenses
The Council received an initial review draft analysis of alternatives that could modify the number of License Limitation Program (LLP) licenses endorsed to fish for BSAI Pacific cod with pot gear as a catcher-processor. The current number of licenses holding that endorsement is eight. The analysis was moved forward for public review, at which point the Council could take final action to recommend a preferred alternative.
The Council did not make substantive changes to the range of alternatives under consideration, and did not indicate a preliminary preferred alternative at this time. The range contains the No Action alternative (Alt. 1) and an action alternative that would remove BS and AI Pacific cod pot CP endorsements from licenses that were not credited with at least 1,000 mt of retained Pacific cod commercial catch while operating as a BSAI pot CP (Alt. 2). The 1,000 mt threshold will be evaluated over one of two historical periods (Options 1 and 2): 2005 – 2019 or 2012 – 2019. The Council clarified that historical catch should be counted cumulatively over the selected period, obviating the need for the two Suboptions that had been analyzed.
The Council did not modify the control date of December 10, 2019, meaning that it might not consider catch that occurred after that date relative to the 1,000 mt threshold.
The Council directed the analysts to consider SSC suggestions for revision and identified two other items to include in the next draft. The first item is a summary of other fisheries and/or modes in which LLP licenses that lose this endorsement could still be used, including other fisheries, gears, and areas as well as operating as a catcher vessel. The second item is a more detailed description of the communities connected to these LLP licenses through ownership, specifically referencing ties to Western Alaska CDQ groups.
Staff contact is Sam Cunningham.
Staff Tasking
The Council discussed the relative priority and scheduling of previously tasked projects, and provided guidance to the Chair and Executive Director about which items to prioritize for February and subsequent meetings. The revised 3 meeting outlook reflects this guidance, along with the posted February eAgenda. Council meetings, including Plan Team and Committee meetings, will be held virtually through the first part of 2021.
The Council also initiated a discussion paper to identify management tools that would prevent or minimize overages in sablefish area- and sector-specific TACs and ABCs.
Finally, the Council discussed the work of upcoming Committees, and made appointments to the SSC, AP, PNCIAC, and the Scallop Plan Team.
Upcoming Meetings
Before February Council meeting
- Bering Sea Fishery Ecosystem Plan Taskforce on Climate Change – Dec 14 and 16, 2020
- BSAI Crab Plan Team –January 11-15, 2021
- Community Engagement Committee – January 12, 2021
- Ecosystem Committee –January 26, 2021
- Enforcement Committee – January 28, 2021 (T)
- Finance/Executive Committee –January 29 (T) – Executive Session, not open to public
- Legislative Committee – January 29 (T)
After February Council meeting
- Scallop Plan Team – February 17, 2021
- SSPT– March 2021 (T)
- IFQ Committee – mid-late March 2021
- Partial Coverage Fishery Monitoring Advisory Committee (PCFMAC) – March/April 2021
- BSAI Crab Plan Team – May 17-21, 2021
- Fishery Monitoring Advisory Committee (FMAC) – May 2021
- EM Trawl Committee – May 2021