Appointments | Nominations | BSAI/GOA Groundfish Specs | BSAI Crab Specifications | Charter Halibut Measures | Climate Planning | BSAI Crab Arbitration| BSAI Crab C-shares| Amendment 80| IFQ Program| Staff Tasking|
Upcoming Meetings |
Happy Holidays
The Council and its two advisory bodies, the Scientific and Statistical Committee and the Advisory Panel, met during the first two weeks of December at the Egan Center in Anchorage, Alaska. The Council made several appointments, and in addition to other topics, made decisions on upcoming Groundfish specifications and discussed issues surrounding climate change. The following newsletter and articles provide a summary with information on who to contact should you need more information.
February 2025 Council Meeting Update
The Council will be holding a special Council meeting in February, exclusively focused on two issues: a second review of the chum salmon bycatch analysis (the Council last reviewed this analysis in April 2024), and harvest specifications for Cook Inlet salmon. The meeting will be held in-person at the Egan Center. Because this is a special-issue meeting, the Council will not take up the full range of agency B reports as normal, nor will they take up staff tasking. Those agenda items will resume at the April Council meeting.
We anticipate that the chum bycatch analysis will be posted to the February eAgenda by the end of the day on December 20th, to allow an extended time for public review and comment prior to the February meeting.
Please note that dates for the AP and Council meetings have been extended from previous announcements:
- SSC (Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee) will meet February 3-5 (Monday-Wednesday) to review the methodology for new sections in the chum salmon bycatch analysis, and to review and recommend overfishing limits and acceptable biological catch limits (OFL and ABC) for Cook Inlet salmon species. Please note, the SSC does not accept public testimony on policy or management decisions, only on scientific recommendations, in accordance with their purpose.
- Advisory Panel (AP) will meet February 4-8 (Tuesday-Saturday), and will only take up the chum bycatch analysis.
- Council will meet from February 6-12, 2025 (Thursday-Wednesday). Thursday the Council will address Cook Inlet salmon harvest specifications, and will begin staff presentations on the chum salmon bycatch analysis on Friday.
Call for Nominations
In order to put your name forward for a committee vacancy, each candidate must submit a personal letter of interest to the appropriate Council staff coordinator by a specific date, as listed below. You may also supplement your nomination package with a resume and/or letters of support if you so choose, however this is not required.
PNCIAC (Pacific Northwest Crab Industry Advisory Committee): The Council is calling for nominations for PNCIAC members for 2025-2026. Current members who wish to continue on the committee for the upcoming 2 years need not submit a new letter of interest. The role of the PNCIAC is to provide the Alaska Board of Fisheries advice on preseason and in-season management measures for BSAI King and Tanner crab fisheries. The PNCIAC may also provide the Council with advice in the areas of management related to BSAI king and Tanner crab fisheries. The PNCIAC Terms of Reference are posted online. The next PNCIAC meeting will occur in mid/late-February, to provide comments on crab proposals submitted to the March 2025 Board of Fish meeting. Please send your letter of interest to Sarah Marrinan by 5pm Wednesday, January 15, 2025. Appointments will be made by the end of January.
Charter Halibut Management Committee (CHMC): The Council is soliciting for two new members, one representing each of IPHC Areas 2C and 3A. The CHMC provides annual advice on charter halibut management measures (e.g., bag limits and size restrictions) that are expected to keep the charter halibut sector within its catch limit, while minimizing the negative economic impacts to the charter halibut sector to the extent possible. The CHMC may also provide recommendations to the Council on other actions related to the charter halibut fishery. As per the Terms of Reference, appointments will reflect the Council’s interest in ensuring the Committee membership reflects the regional and operational diversity of the charter halibut sector on the Committee. The CHMC is next scheduled to meet in October and December of 2025. Please send your letter of interest to Sarah Marrinan by March 28, 2025. Appointments will be made at the end of the April Council meeting.
FMAC and PCFMAC (Fishery Monitoring Advisory Committee and Partial Coverage Fishery Monitoring Advisory Committee, which is a subset of the FMAC focused exclusively on partial coverage issues): The Council continues to seek an active observer representative on both the FMAC and PCFMAC. These committees provide advice to the Council on observer and electronic monitoring issues, especially review of the agency’s Annual Observer Report, and the Annual Deployment Plan for partial coverage fisheries. Depending on candidates and availability, the Council may appoint either one person to both committees, or a different person to each committee. The next committee meeting is planned for May 2025. Please send your letter of interest to Sara Cleaver by March 28, 2025. Appointments will be made at the end of the April Council meeting.
IFQ Committee (Halibut and Sablefish Individual Fishing Quota Program Committee): The Council is soliciting for additional expertise on the IFQ Committee and will consider adding 1 or 2 new members who represent one of the following: holders of IFQ in the Aleutian Islands, holders of IFQ in Southeast Alaska, D-class quota share holders, or Community Quota Entity (CQE) representatives. The Committee’s primary function is to review Council analyses related to the IFQ Program, suggest topics to address in IFQ Program reviews, and prioritize new IFQ proposals as directed by the Council (see draft Terms of Reference). At present, the next Committee meeting has not been scheduled. Please send your letter of interest to Anna Henry by March 28, 2025. Appointments will be made at the end of the April Council meeting.
Appointments
Advisory Panel: The following members of the Advisory Panel have been reappointed for three-year terms: Tamara Briggie, Gretar Gudmundsson, Lauren Howard, Paul Wilkins, and Suzie Zagorski.
It is the Council’s policy for the Advisory Panel to appoint new members to a one-year orientation term, that if subsequently extended by 2 years, would constitute a full three-year term for purposes of term limits. The following members of the Advisory Panel have had their orientation year extended to a full three-year term: Tiffany Andrew, Nels Evans, and Annika Saltman. Additionally, Bernie Burkholder and Michael “Chance” Miller have been newly appointed for a one-year orientation term.
SSC: The 18 current SSC members who requested reappointment have been reappointed for next year. Additionally, Dr. Jennifer Burns and Dr. Sarah Wise have been appointed as new SSC members. Finally, Dr. Fabio Caltabellotta will become the primary member for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, with Dr. Kathryn Meyer serving as his alternate.
Committees: Haley Anderson has been appointed to the FMAC and PCFMAC to replace Luke Szymanski as the AIS observer provider representative.
Joint BSAI and GOA Groundfish Specifications
Groundfish Plan Team Reports and Proposed Harvest Specifications
BSAI Groundfish
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 2025 and 2026 BSAI groundfish fisheries. Harvest and PSC specifications for 2025 and 2026 fishing years are available in the Council motions.
The Council reviewed Ecosystem Status Reports for the Aleutian Islands (AI) and the Bering Sea (BS). 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. Full assessments were performed in 2024 for 18 stocks including EBS pollock, EBS and AI cod, Sablefish, and many flatfish stocks and rockfish stocks. A forage fish report and a report on grenadiers were also produced in this cycle. Three stocks were harvest projections produced in October (Arrowtooth flounder, norther rockfish and skates) while catch reports with specifications rolled over were produced for Sharks and Octopus. Final BSAI specifications for 2025 and 2026 are shown on Table 1 in the Council motion.
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% where estimates are available. The SSC recommended setting ABCs below the maximum permissible for the following stocks: sablefish, Greenland turbot and BSAI sharks.
Summary of Bering Sea Aleutian Islands stock status next year (spawning biomass relative to BMSY; horizontal axis) and current year catch relative to fishing at FMSY (vertical axis). Blue line indicates where spawning biomass relative to BMSY = 1. Note that sablefish catch includes the Gulf of Alaska as well as the BSAI
In setting TACs for 2025 and 2026, the Council determinations are based on both the biological condition of groundfish stocks and socioeconomic considerations. The Council considered the extensive public testimony received during this agenda item before specifying conservative TACs for all species including many set well below the ABC for that stock. The Council also accounts for Guideline Harvest Levels (GHLs) for State of Alaska groundfish fisheries. The GHL in the AI will be set at 35% of the AI ABC, or a maximum of 15 million pounds (6,804 t). The BS GHL will be set at 13% of the EBS Pacific cod. An additional reduction of 45 t is taken from the remaining EBS Pacific cod maxTAC for the Area O jig fishery. The Council’s Federal 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. Due to a lack of a directed fishery for herring in 2024, there were no data to inform the stock assessment model thus an alternative methodology based on 5 aerial surveys was employed to estimate the Togiak herring stock for 2025. The Council hopes that there will be a fishery in 2025 and that the methodology to assess herring employed in the calculation of the PSC limit will return to what was done in previous years.
In addition to setting 2025-2026 harvest specifications, the Council was also informed of annual catch limit (ACL) overages on the Blackspotted/Rougheye rockfish stock in three of the last four years. As a result, the Council initiated a discussion paper to come back in advance of the 2025 harvest specifications process, to help inform the status of the stock, vulnerability to catch overages, and potential tools to address additional catch and accountability requirements in the future.
Staff contact is Diana Stram
GOA Groundfish
The Council approved the 2024 Gulf of Alaska (GOA) Groundfish Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) report and recommended final harvest specifications for the 2025 and 2026 GOA groundfish fisheries. For final rulemaking for the 2025 and 2026 fishing years, the Council recommended Overfishing Limits (OFLs) and Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) levels consistent with SSC recommendations, and final Total Allowable Catches (TAC) for all target stocks in the GOA Groundfish FMP. This included a separate OFL, ABC, and TAC for demersal shelf rockfish (DSR) in the combined areas of Western GOA, Central GOA, and Western Yakutat, in response to Council action in 2023 (Oct 2023, Dec 2023).
The Council also recommended halibut Prohibited Species Catch (PSC) limit apportionments and adopted updated halibut discard mortality rates (DMRs). In setting the Federal TACs for 2025 and 2026, the Council accounts for guideline harvest levels (GHLs) for State of Alaska groundfish fisheries; full details are included in the Council Motion.
The Council also reviewed the Ecosystem Status Report for the GOA, including a 2-page GOA ecosystem brief. This report provides information on ecosystem status and trends and context for acceptable biological catch (ABC) and overfishing limit (OFL) recommendations.
The 2024 GOA Groundfish SAFE reports include stock status updates for stocks or stock complexes managed under the GOA Groundfish FMP. 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. Operational full or update assessments were produced for the following GOA stocks: pollock, Pacific cod, northern rockfish, dusky rockfish, demersal shelf rockfish, thornyhead rockfish, and other rockfish. Harvest projections, which were reviewed by the Plan Teams and SSC in September/October, were produced for Pacific ocean perch, rougheye and blackspotted rockfish, deepwater flatfish, shallow-water flatfish, northern and southern rock sole, rex sole, arrowtooth flounder, and flathead sole. Catch reports were produced for shortraker rockfish, Atka mackerel, sharks, skates, and octopus. For these stocks, specifications were rolled over from the previous assessment for that stock.
The GOA Groundfish Plan Team report summarized the issues and recommendations discussed by the Plan Team at its November meeting. Highlights of the GOA Plan Team report included stock assessment presentations from individual assessment authors and associated Ecosystem and Socioeconomic Profile (ESP) report cards for GOA pollock and Pacific cod. Some of the issues that pertain to both BSAI and GOA Groundfish, such as sablefish, are covered in the Joint Plan Team Report.
The SSC provided guidance on many of the assessments in its draft SSC report. No GOA groundfish stocks are experiencing overfishing nor are any overfished. Most stocks are above BMSY or the BMSY proxy of B35% with the exception of Pacific cod (see figure). ABCs were set at the maximum permissible for all stocks in the GOA for 2025 except for the rougheye and blackspotted rockfish complex.
The GOA Pacific cod stock remains at low levels. The 2025 spawning biomass is projected to be at B28.7% and the 2025 ABC decreased from the 2024 ABC by 131 mt. The 2025 Federal GOA Pacific cod Total Allowable Catch (TAC) is 23,670 mt. An additional 8,471 mt are reserved for the State fishery.
For most stocks, the Council established TACs equal to ABCs. Exceptions where the TAC is set below ABC include shallow water flatfish, arrowtooth flounder, and flathead sole (all reduced in the Western GOA), other rockfish (reduced in the SEO subarea), and Atka mackerel.
While there was no separate motion under this agenda item, the Council also requested that SSC and Council leadership further communicate with staff regarding possible approaches for subarea apportionments of ABCs within the groundfish harvest specifications process, and bring options back to the Council and SSC for discussion and decision. The additional discussion would consider the intended purpose of subarea apportionments of ABC, the role of Council advisory bodies in setting those apportionments, the application of the spatial management policy, and timing within the process.
Most recently, this topic has focused on spatial management of rockfish.The Council acknowledged the need for further clarity on the best approach to subarea apportionments of ABC and the Council emphasized its support of the SSC (and Plan Teams) continuing to recommend apportionments of ABC using the best biological and methodological information available, while socioeconomic information will continue to be incorporated into TAC decisions at the AP and Council.
Ideally, the Council would adopt an approach for the apportionment process prior to the September 2025 Groundfish Plan Team meetings.
Staff contact is Sara Cleaver.
BSAI Crab Specifications – NSRKC
The Council received an overview of the 2025 Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) report chapter for Norton Sound red king crab (NSRKC) and set harvest specifications. The Council adopted SSC recommendations for an OFL of 284 metric tons (628,000 pounds) with an ABC of 199 metric tons (440,000 pounds).
The 2025 BSAI Crab SAFE report chapter for NSRKC indicates that the stock is not overfished, and overfishing did not occur because the 2024 total catch mortality (230mt) was less than the 2024 OFL (330mt). The Council also reviewed other topics in the BSAI Crab Plan Team (CPT) Report, including topics for the January CPT modelling workshop.
The stock authorship will transition after this cycle. The CPT and Council thanked Toshihide “Hamachan” Hamazaki for his work on the NSRKC stock assessment over the years and congratulated him on his new position. During the author transition over the next few years, the timing of NSRKC may be adjusted depending on survey data availability. The Council will be notified of these timing changes if they occur.
Staff contact for BSAI Crab is Anita Kroska.
2025 Charter Halibut Annual Management Measures
The Council identified a suite of charter halibut fishing management measures for halibut fishing in Areas 2C and 3A to recommend to the IPHC for 2025. The measures approved by the Council were based on recommendations by the Charter Halibut Management Committee, analyses provided by ADF&G demonstrating projected removals, catch limits adopted by the IPHC for 2024 for reference, and considered the economic interests of the fishery. Council member rationale for this progression of measures mirrored the justification provided by the Committee (as can be seen in the Committee report).
Given that the charter allocations for 2025 are still unknown until the Area-wide mortality limits are set by the IPHC at its annual meeting in January 2025, the Council’s recommendations provide direction for how the measures should become more or less restrictive in response to different limits that could be adopted at the IPHC. Staff would use the direction provided below to identify the measures that can be adopted given the Area-wide mortality limits set.
Compared to the recommendations that were made at the Charter Halibut Management Committee and through the AP, the Council added steps #4 through #7 for Area 2C. The Area 2C Committee members noted that they did not have recommendations for a scenario with an allocation lower than 12% of the 2024 allocation as they were not willing to identify a preference for those extremely undesirable options. However, it was highlighted that based on information from the interim IPHC meeting, there may be a need to have measures with projected removals lower than this level. Thus, the Council added steps of closing additional Tuesdays, and then dropping inches of the lower size limit of the reverse slot as needed, providing direction to meet a 25% reduction, if needed.
The Council recommended the following procession of measures, as needed, dependent on the IPHC’s selection of the total constant exploitation yield for 2025 and the resulting charter halibut catch limits. Measures would remain consistent throughout the 2025 season. Tables are referenced from the ADF&G analysis of projected removals.
For IPHC Area 2C
All allocations shown below include a daily bag limit of one halibut and a reverse slot size limit where the upper limit is fixed at O80 (halibut 80 inches or longer may be retained), and a restriction of 1 trip per charter vessel per day with retention of halibut and 1 trip per charter halibut permit per day.
1) If the allocation falls within the range of 0.897 Mlb and 1.013 Mlb:
Begin with a lower size limit of U38 (retained halibut must be less than or equal to 38 inches in length) and increase this limit until the allocation is reached, as indicated in Table 2C.7.2a (page 44) of the ADF&G analysis.
2) If the allocation is less than 0.897 Mlb but greater than or equal to 0.752 Mlb:
Begin with a lower size limit of U38 (retained halibut must be less than or equal to 38 inches in length) closing Tuesdays starting September 9 working to May 13 until the allocation is reached, as indicated in Table 2C.7.2a (page 44) of the ADF&G analysis.
3) If the allocation is less than 0.752 Mlb but greater than or equal to 0.715 Mlb:
Begin with a lower size limit of U37 (retained halibut must be less than or equal to 37 inches in length) closing Tuesdays from Sept 9 to June 24, and closing additional Tuesdays working to May 13 until the allocation is reached, as indicated in Table 2C.7.2a (page 44) of the ADF&G analysis.
4) If the allocation is less than 0.715 Mlb but greater than or equal to 0.691 Mlb:
Begin with a lower size limit of U36 (retained halibut must be less than or equal to 36 inches in length) closing Tuesdays from Sept 9 to June 24, and closing additional Tuesdays working to May 13 until the allocation is reached, as indicated in Table 2C.7.2a (page 44) of the ADF&G analysis.
5) If the allocation is less than 0.691 Mlb but greater than or equal to 0.651 Mlb:
Begin with a lower size limit of U35 (retained halibut must be less than or equal to 35 inches in length) closing Tuesdays from Sept 9 to July 8, and closing additional Tuesdays working to May 13 until the allocation is reached, as indicated in Table 2C.7.2a (page 44) of the ADF&G analysis.
6) If the allocation is less than 0.651 Mlb but greater than or equal to 0.627 Mlb:
Begin with a lower size limit of U34 (retained halibut must be less than or equal to 34 inches in length) closing Tuesdays from Sept 9 to June 24, and closing additional Tuesdays working to May 13 until the allocation is reached, as indicated in Table 2C.7.2a (page 44) of the ADF&G analysis.
7) If the allocation is less than 0.627 Mlb but greater than or equal to 0.608 Mlb:
Begin with a lower size limit of U33 (retained halibut must be less than or equal to 33 inches in length) closing Tuesdays from Sept 9 to July 1, and closing additional Tuesdays working to June 10 until the allocation is reached, as indicated in Table 2C.7.2a (page 44) of the ADF&G analysis.
For IPHC Area 3A:
All allocations shown below include, unless otherwise specified: a daily bag limit of 2 halibut; one fish of any size and one fish with a maximum size limit of 28 inches; 1 trip per charter vessel per day with retention of halibut; and 1 trip per charter halibut permit per day.
1) If the allocation is less than or equal to 2.079 Mlb, but greater than or equal to 1.762 Mlb:
Close Wednesdays as needed to keep charter harvest removals within the Area 3A allocation, as indicated in Table 3A.13 (page 33) of the ADF&G analysis.
2) If the allocation is less than 1.762 Mlb, but greater than 1.497 Mlb:
In addition to all closed Wednesdays, close as many Tuesdays as needed to keep the charter harvest removals within the Area 3A allocation, as indicated in Table 3A.14 (page 34) of the ADF&G analysis.
3) If the allocation is below 1.497 Mlb, but greater than 1.425 Mlb:
In addition to closing all Tuesdays and Wednesdays, lower the size of the second fish to as low as 26 inches, until the projected charter harvest removals meet the allocation, as indicated in Table 3A.16 (page 36) of the ADF&G analysis.
Staff contact is Sarah Marrinan.
Climate Planning
Update on IRA draft workplan
IRA funding timeline
At this meeting, the Council affirmed the timeline for climate resilience planning, updated by staff, which provides a snapshot of recent progress and upcoming milestones for NPFMC climate work funded under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The timeline includes milestones related to all three IRA funding objectives. This timeline will be updated regularly to support future Council discussions. Note that actions related to Objective 3 under the IRA are also included in the climate workplan (see separate newsletter article.)
IRA Objective 1: Programmatic Evaluation
The Programmatic Evaluation is the basis for IRA funding Objective 1, which is to develop a climate-resilient management policy. The Council adopted a purpose and need statement in June 2023. Past discussion papers provide more background on programmatic EISs (February 2023) and a high-level overview of existing FMP goals and objectives (February 2024).
At its April 2025 meeting, the Council is scheduled to refine and add more detail to the high-level Programmatic Evaluation alternatives adopted by the Council in June 2023, to enable staff to begin analytical work on this action and to facilitate engagement with Tribes and stakeholders.The Council supported staff suggestions for information and materials to be provided in advance of the April meeting to support this discussion, including a review of existing FMP goals and objectives, as well as example (also referred to as “strawman”) language the Council could consider for developing a revised management approach statements, goals, and objectives. Materials will be informed by past Council and public discussions, including the June 2024 Climate Scenarios Workshop. Council staff will host a public webinar in early March 2025 to answer questions about the potential scope of the Council’s April action and the materials provided by staff.
IRA Objective 3: Strengthening consideration of risk and uncertainty in harvest specifications
As directed by the Council in its October 2024 motion, staff are continuing to make progress toward supporting IRA Objective 3: Strengthen the consideration of risk and uncertainty in harvest specifications, including exploring formation of a technical work group and planning for an April 2025 SSC discussion to help provide direction for this work.
Staff contacts: Katie Latanich and Sara Cleaver
CCTF / AFSC CEFI
The Council’s Bering Sea Fishery Ecosystem Plan Climate Change Taskforce (CCTF) held its final meeting in November 2024 and provided a final report including recommendations to the Council at this meeting, to which the Council responded. The CCTF’s primary recommendation was that the Council develop and implement a climate change workplan to increase resilience in fisheries management by more effectively incorporating climate-related information and tools into decision making. The report identifies three key elements, supported by specific recommendations, around which this workplan could be structured: Key Element 1 is to expand existing (and create new, where appropriate) inclusive processes, collaborations, and partnerships that facilitate inclusion of multiple knowledge systems in climate planning. Key Element 2 is to consider management tools and options focused on the inclusion of existing and emergent climate information. Key Element 3 is to establish a dedicated review group charged with reviewing and packaging climate information entering Council processes.
In conjunction with this agenda item, the Council also received a detailed presentation from AFSC staff on the status of information and work products from the AFSC’s Climate Ecosystems and Fisheries Initiative (CEFI). Council and NMFS regional office staff will also be participating on the technical agency CEFI committee, the Alaska Climate Team (ACT), to ensure that ongoing work considers the needs and applications for management. The intent of CEFI is that these work products and information will flow directly into Council considerations on climate-related management.
After receiving the CEFI update and the CCTF final report and public comment, the Council moved to establish a climate resilience work plan for the North Pacific. The Council motion established a workplan focused on high priority short- and long-term recommendations from Element 2 from the CCTF report, while adhering to the principles identified in Element 1 of the CCTF report. These include:
- Incorporating climate forecast linked management advice. Specifically, the use of climate and ecosystem forecasts to improve management advice through assessments and supportive documents;
- Incorporating climate-driven interactions and cascading impacts through use of ecosystem indicators and models;
- Considering and incorporating dynamic management tools to increase in-season adaptation capacity; and
- Reviewing existing tier systems, considering climate-informed biomass targets and limits and climate-robust or forecast-informed harvest control rules.
The Council also discussed the utility and need for a dedicated review body (as recommended under CCTF report Element 3) for climate-related information in the Council process, and will consider how best to address this need during the April Council meeting. The Council discussed potentially reconstituting the Ecosystem Committee with specific terms of reference based on the Council’s climate workplan and other needs.
Staff contact is Diana Stram.
BSAI Crab Arbitration
The Council received a discussion paper containing information to help the Council consider potential changes to the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) Crab Rationalization (CR) Program, and initiated an amendment analysis. The discussion paper covered four issues of primary concern selected by the Council’s original motion: the timing of joining an arbitration organization, requirements of the binding arbitration system, whether IPQ/IFQ holders are able to withdraw applications prior to quota issuance, and a consideration of alternative structures under low TAC levels that would remove binding arbitration requirements.
After reviewing the discussion paper, the Council moved to initiate an analysis to consider limited revisions to the arbitration process and the annual IFQ and IPQ application process. These revisions are intended to increase transparency, provide flexibility, and reduce program costs and burdens for participants without changing the overall program structure and objectives.
The action alternatives selected for analysis, which are not mutually exclusive, are as follows:
- Alternative 2: Changes to the regulations governing the arbitration process.
- Option 1. Remove the requirement that the arbitrator can only select a remedy proposed by one side. Allow the arbitrator to select an independent or compromise remedy based on the facts provided in the arbitration.
- Option 2. Allow parties to receive the arbitrator’s written report and rationale, as well as a publicly available report providing key rationale (without including confidential information).
- Option 3. Remove the requirement for a market report. Option 4. Remove the arbitration option for non-performance after a contract has been established to define BSAI crab price, delivery, or other terms.
- Alternative 3. IFQ and IPQ application withdrawal IFQ and IPQ applications can be withdrawn after being accepted by NMFS any time before BSAI crab rationalization species TACS are announced and within (option 1: 24 hours and option 2: 48 hours) after BSAI crab rationalization species TACs are announced.
Staff contact is Sarah Marrinan.
BSAI Crab C-shares
The Council received a discussion paper considering modifications to the crew share (C share) regulations within the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) Crab Rationalization (CR) Program, and initiated an amendment analysis. The discussion paper covered the rationale, viability, and impacts of modifying the crab C shares program in two distinct ways: 1) revising the transfer eligibility requirements to mirror the recently implemented requirements for holding and maintaining c shares (in Amendment 54 to the BSAI King and Tanner Crabs Fisheries Management Plan), and 2) increasing c share use caps.
After reviewing the discussion paper, the Council made a motion directing staff to draft an Initial Regulatory Impact Review analysis focused on amending the C share requirements to increase flexibility for active crab fishermen, as well as encourage new entrants. The Council has emphasized that this action is an essential step in ongoing efforts to increase flexibility in the BSAI CR Program in response to challenges facing the fisheries. This action is intend ed to provide greater consistency between the participation requirements to retain and transfer C-shares, and to loosen restrictions on use caps.
The first action alternative selected in this motion would revise eligibility requirements to purchase/receive C-shares by transfer, to allow time tendering in any Federal or State commercial fishery off Alaska to count toward the 150-day eligibility and increase time to 3 years to participate in a CR fishery trip. The second alternative would increase C-share use caps for Bering Sea crab stocks, within a range of up to 5-10% individually for the Bristol Bay red king crab, Bering Sea snow crab, eastern and western Bering Sea Tanner crab, St. Matthew blue king crab, and Pribilof Island blue and red king crab fisheries.
Staff contact is Taylor Holman.
Amendment 80 Program Review
At this December meeting, the Council received an Amendment 80 Program Review as required every seven years for Limited Access Privilege Programs under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. This comprehensive report is also intended to comply with the NOAA Fisheries procedural guidance to periodically review allocations.
The Council approved and accepted the review as final and complete after data revisions/ corrections noted in the staff report and Council discussion are incorporated as practicable. Additionally, the Council requested that staff expand upon the changes in participation and harvest increases of sablefish in Amendment 80 in the BSAI, and its alignment with the Amendment 80 program, particularly in relation to Goal 5 (to minimize negative impacts on other fisheries).
After these changes are made to the document, a final version of the document will be posted on the Council’s website for Program and Allocation Reviews and noted in a future Executive Director report when available.
Staff contact is Taylor Holman.
IFQ Program Review Report
The Council received an IFQ Program Review as required every seven years for Limited Access Privilege Programs under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. This comprehensive report is also intended to comply with the NOAA Fisheries procedural guidance to periodically review allocations. The Council approved the review as final and complete after staff incorporate revisions as recommended by the IFQ committee, AP, and Council to the extent practicable. The Council also recommended an addition to Section 3.5 of the document (Identified Issues and Areas for Future Research) to examine the economic and management effects of the current IPHC minimum size regulation on participants in the IFQ program.
After these changes are made to the document, a final version of the document will be posted on the Council’s webpage for Program and Allocation reviews and noted in a future Executive Director report when available.
The Council motion also requested a discussion paper to consider the following changes to the IFQ Program:
- Explore options to allow the automation of in-season transfers of CQE-held quota share between eligible residents.
- Potential changes to the criteria to be eligible to receive QS or IFQ by transfer (Transfer Eligibility Certificate):
- Waive or reduce the transfer eligibility requirements for CQE eligible community residents fishing CQE-held quota share.
- Allow time as crew on a tender vessel operating in support of a commercial fishery managed by the State of Alaska or in a Federal commercial fishery in the EEZ off Alaska to count towards the 150 days of sea time required for a Transfer Eligibility Certificate.
- Establish a regulatory minimum age to be eligible to receive IFQ or QS by transfer. Discuss administrative and legal considerations of establishing a minimum age less than the interim policy of 18 years old (e.g. 16 years old).
In addition, the paper should include information on the amount of QS held by beneficiaries beyond the 3-year period during which the NMFS Regional Administrator will approve an application for transfer of IFQ. This would allow the Council to assess the scope of retention of QS by beneficiaries who do not have a Transfer Eligibility Certificate and whether changing the survivorship transfer privilege regulations at 50 CFR 679.41(k) may be warranted.
Staff contact is Anna Henry.
Staff Tasking / B reports
The Council discussed the relative priority and scheduling of previously-tasked projects, and identified new tasking. The revised 3 meeting outlook reflects this guidance.
Following review of the B reports and staff tasking materials, the Council took the following actions:
Advisory groups
- Appointed SSC and AP members for 2025 (see appointments newsletter article)
- Appointed Haley Anderson to the FMAC and PCFMAC.
- Issued a call for nominations for PNCIAC, Charter Halibut Management Committee, IFQ Committee, and FMAC/PCFMAC vacancies (see call for nominations newsletter article)
- Noticed the public of upcoming Council advisory group meetings (see Upcoming meetings newsletter article)
Other actions
- Requested staff write a letter to NMFS regarding the National Seafood Strategy Implementation Plan presentation.
- Initiated a discussion paper to evaluate the timing and processes for the Council’s cost recovery and fee collection programs.
Staff contact is Diana Evans.
Upcoming Meetings
The Council anticipates the following advisory group meetings between now and April 2025:
BSAI Crab Plan Team Modeling Workshop; January 14-16, 2025 Anchorage, AK – Agenda: tools for constructing model-based indices of survey data, GMACS coding updates, model developments, and simulations
PNCIAC – Mid/late-Feb, 2025 (T), Virtual; Agenda: comments on crab proposals for March Board of Fish meeting
Programmatic Q&A/Webinar – early March, 2025 (date TBD); opportunity for questions on Programmatic meeting materials for April Council meeting.
Scallop Plan Team – March 4, 2025 (T), Virtual; Agenda: updates on fishery performance, research, assessment model development
Enforcement Committee – Late March, 2025 (date TBD); Agenda: discussion of Maximum Retainable Allowance analysis
Additionally, AFSC is hosting a Pollock Workshop on January 14-16, 2025, at the AFSC in Seattle. The scope of the workshop is to discuss walleye pollock of all life history stages, in all large marine ecosystems in Alaska with a particular focus on biology and ecology. The goals of the workshop are to synthesize ongoing research on pollock, build new collaborations and strengthen existing ones among participants, and highlight topics which need more attention or could be revisited with new data or tools.
Staff contact is Diana Evans