NPFMC Requests Expanded Discussion Paper on Bristol Bay Red King Crab Issues
At their April meeting, federal fisheries managers voted for an extended discussion paper with an analysis of impacts of annual or seasonal closures to pelagic trawl, groundfish pot and longline gear in the Red King Crab Savings Area, plus tables for all sources of BBRKC mortality across federal waters.
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council also requested that the paper go to its scientific and statistical committee for review and comment before it is presented at the October council session.
The unanimous vote came after extensive testimony and discussion at the Anchorage meeting, a move that Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers Executive Director Jamie Goen called a step in the right direction, but that left out some important protections for crab and also was action not happeni...