NPFMC – Page 2 – Fishermens News

Federal Fisheries Council Action on Bycatch Prompts Critical Rebuttal

18Oct

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Federal Fisheries Council Action on Bycatch Prompts Critical Rebuttal

A group of commercial, sport and subsistence fishing entities are taking issue with a decision by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) to postpone setting limits on chum salmon bycatch and reducing seafloor damage caused by midwater trawl gear. Their concerns were summarized in a statement issued Oct. 12 by the Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association (ALFA), SalmonState, DeepStrike Sportfishing and the Bering Sea Fishermen’s Association. During its October meeting in Anchorage from Oct. 2-10, the council approved analysis of additional management measures to minimize chum salmon bycatch. The council acknowledged that about 99% of the chum salmon encountered as bycatch in the Bering Sea pollock fishery are encountered ...

Public Comment Sought on Research Priorities for Alaska’s Exclusive Economic Zone

19Jul

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Public Comment Sought on Research Priorities for Alaska’s Exclusive Economic Zone

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council is seeking public comment regarding research priorities for fisheries in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) off of Alaska for a triennial review. The council is mandated to develop research priorities for fisheries, habitats and other areas necessary for management purposes and reviews those priorities every three years. Comments may be sent via the council’s eAgenda meeting portal up until 5 p.m. Alaska Time (6 pm Pacific) on Oct. 31. Written comments should be sent via “Request for Information: Research Priorities Triennial Review”, https://meetings.npfmc.org/Meeting/Details/2998, using either the “Comment Now” function on the eAgenda page or by using the comment form, https://forms.gle/PPfkFPQ1JCXJrRSN9, by the October 31 deadlin...

NOAA Schedules Hearing on Management of Upper Cook Inlet EEZ Salmon Fishery

3May

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NOAA Schedules Hearing on Management of Upper Cook Inlet EEZ Salmon Fishery

NOAA Fisheries has announced a public webinar hearing for 5 p.m. Alaska time (6 pm PT) on May 18 to hear comments on amending the fishery management plan (FMP) to establish federal management for salmon fisheries in federal waters off Alaska’s upper Cook Inlet. NOAA Fisheries officials said they would provide a brief opening statement before accepting public testimony for the record, and that the hearing would be recorded in order to prepare transcripts of all oral comments received. The hearing is to close 15 minutes after the conclusion of public testimony and after responding to any clarifying questions from hearing participants, concluding no later than 8 p.m. Those wishing to make an oral statement during the public hearing are encouraged to also submit a written statement. The de...

Fishery Closure Issues on Tap for June NPFMC Meeting

26Apr

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Fishery Closure Issues on Tap for June NPFMC Meeting

Harvest specifications for Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands crab harvests and an initial review of Bristol Bay Red King Crab closure areas are on tap when federal fisheries managers convene their June 5-11 meeting in Sitka, Alaska. The meeting agenda for the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) is online at https://meetings.npfmc.org/Meeting/Details/2993. The council meeting’s schedule also include reports from NPFMC’s executive director, the Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the council’s Advisory Panel and Scientific and Statistical Committee. The Council is accepting written comments on all matters before the council and its advisory panel from May 12 through noon on June 2. Submitted com...

Decision on Fishing in Cook Inlet EEZ Goes to Feds

12Apr

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Decision on Fishing in Cook Inlet EEZ Goes to Feds

Members of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council took no action during its April meetings regarding amending the fishery management plan for salmon in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) waters off of Cook Inlet. The inaction now puts the decision in the hands of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). NMFS’ Alaska Regional Administrator Jon Kurland said his agency is now tasked with coming up with a plan to revise that fishery management plan, which was written by the federal fisheries council. Marine Fisheries Service members had intended to amend the salmon management plan for management of all salmon fishing in the federal waters of upper Cook Inlet. Federal management must be consistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, consistent with...

Down Nominated for Reappointment to NPFMC

29Mar

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Down Nominated for Reappointment to NPFMC

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has nominated seafood industry veteran Kenny Down for reappointment to one of two obligatory Washington state seats on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. Inslee made his recommendation on March 7 to Janet Colt, assistant administrator for Fisheries with the National Marine Fisheries Service. Down has served as a voting member of the council since 2015 and is eligible for reappointment for a final term. Inslee also named Becca Robbins-Gisclair and Jamie Goen as his second and third choices respectively. Down is the president and owner of Seaquest Ventures, described as a leader in revolutionary innovations for the utilization and stewardship of marine resources. Prior to founding Seaquest in 2018, Down was president and chief executive officer fro...

CVRF’s Tsukada Nominated to Alaska Seat on NPFMC

22Mar

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CVRF’s Tsukada Nominated to Alaska Seat on NPFMC

Ryuichi ‘Rudy’ Tsukada, chief operating officer for the Coastal Villages Region Fund (CVRF), one of six Western Alaska Community Development Quota Program groups, has been nominated to fill the obligatory state of Alaska seat on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC). Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy nominated Tsukada on March 15 in a letter to Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, under provisions of Section 302 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA). In second place for the Alaska seat on the federal council, the governor nominated Samuel Rabung, director of the Alaska Division of Commercial Fisheries. The third person Dunleavy listed for consideration was Tom Taube, deputy director of the Alaska Division of Sport Fisheries. Dunleavy cited Tsukad...

NPFMC Posts Online April Meeting eAgenda, Schedule, Documents for Review

8Mar

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NPFMC Posts Online April Meeting eAgenda, Schedule, Documents for Review

Final action on an amended fishery management plan for Cook Inlet salmon is on the agenda when the North Pacific Fishery Management Council meets at the Hilton Hotel in Anchorage April 6-11. Final action is also scheduled for Greenland turbot in longline pots. The U.S. Navy is scheduled to present an oral report on Northern Edge exercises for May 2023. Other reports on the agenda are to be from the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the North Pacific Fisheries Commission. Other issues range from a review of the Scientific and Statistical Committee’s rapid environmental change workshop to a review of updated research on the Norton Sound red king crab research. A Zoom link at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/...

25Jan

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NOAA Fisheries Denies Emergency Action Request For Red King Crab Savings Area

NOAA Fisheries has denied a request to institute emergency action closing the red king crab savings area in Alaska to all fishing gears through June 30, 2023. The decision was made on the grounds that the petition did not meet criteria necessary to determine that an emergency exists. According to the federal agency, the available information does not support a finding that the proposed emergency regulations would address the low abundance and declining trend of mature female Bristol Bay red king crab. The decision was issued in mid-January. In response, Jamie Goen, executive director of Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers (ABSC) said she was dismayed and disappointed. She noted that the need for protection of crab stocks was denied on the same day that NOAA Fisheries opened pollock fisheries w...

Demise of Alaska’s Bering Sea Crab Fisheries Expected to Have Ripple Effect

4Jan

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Demise of Alaska’s Bering Sea Crab Fisheries Expected to Have Ripple Effect

Analysis published by Seattle-based online nonprofit news website Crosscut predicts the collapse of crab fisheries in Alaska’s Bering Sea will have ripple effects in Washington state as well as Alaska. Since 2006, 57% of snow crab fleet vessels have been registered to Washington addresses. During the 2020-2021 season, 27 members of that 60-boat crab boat fleet were registered in the Seattle metropolitan area. That same year, Bering Sea snow crab generated $62.6 million in revenue across King, Pierce and Snohomish counties, plus $6.8 million elsewhere in Washington, according to a rebuilding plan drafted by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. Also, according to the Seattle-based Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers (ABSC), compounded with several poor harvests, the canceled crabbing se...