NPFMC – Page 2 – Fishermens News

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...

Comment Period For December NPFMC Meeting Runs From Nov. 18 Through Dec. 2

16Nov

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Comment Period For December NPFMC Meeting Runs From Nov. 18 Through Dec. 2

Crab, groundfish and final action on charter halibut management measures are all on the agenda when the North Pacific Fishery Management Council meets in early December in Anchorage. Major issues on the agenda include an emergency rule request for the red king crab savings area, an initial review of the snow crab rebuilding analysis as well as the Cook Inlet salmon fishery management plan and final action on the charter halibut management measures. Public comment on these and other agenda items is being accepted from Nov. 18 through Dec. 2. All submitted comments will be reviewed and posted online on the council’s website. Also, both the council and the advisory panel meetings are being broadcast on Zoom. The council is also accepting nominations from Alaska Native tribes and/or trib...

NPFMC Requests December Review of Crab Fisheries Emergency Rule Request Analysis

19Oct

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NPFMC Requests December Review of Crab Fisheries Emergency Rule Request Analysis

Federal fisheries managers have requested a December review of National Marine Fisheries Service’s analysis of an emergency rule request to prohibit pelagic trawl, pot and hook-and-line fisheries in the Red King Crab Savings Area and Subarea from Jan. 1 through June 30, 2023. Council members said they would review the information in the analysis so that they can make an informed recommendation on the emergency rule request. During its October meeting in Anchorage, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) declined to impose any restrictions on trawl fisheries, as requested by the Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers (ABSC) and others concerned that trawling is having an adverse impact on crab abundance. The Bristol Bay red king crab fishery subsequently was closed for a secon...

Crab Rebuilding Issues on NPFMC’s Oct. 9-10 Agenda

5Oct

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Crab Rebuilding Issues on NPFMC’s Oct. 9-10 Agenda

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council is set to hear reports on shellfish stocks and adopt acceptable biological catch limits and overfishing limits during its Oct. 6-11 meeting in Anchorage. King crab and snow crab are among the major issues up for discussion, with final action still months off, as Bering Sea crabbers face a second year of multi-million-dollar loses due to the demise of Bristol Bay red king crab as well as snow crab. The October meeting will be held virtually and in person at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Anchorage. The Zoom link is https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81451130091 and the meeting ID is 814 5113 0091. The council is also slated to take final action on Pacific cod small boat access, to provide greater stability for participants with smaller than 60-...

Comment Period Open for Items on NPFMC’s October Agenda

21Sep

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Comment Period Open for Items on NPFMC’s October Agenda

Comment is being accepted in advance of the Oct. 6-11 meeting of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council in Anchorage on agenda topics ranging from integration of electronic monitoring on Pollock catcher vessels to a proposal for expanded Pacific cod catches in federal waters. Final decisions on both matters are expected at the meeting. Development of the trawl electronic monitoring program evolved as part of a cooperative research plan developed by the Trawl Electronic Monitoring Committee through pilot projects in 2018 and 2019, and under an exempted fishing permit, which has expanded participation since 2020. The proposed amendment to redefine the current federal Bering Sea/Aleutian Island Pacific cod jig sector to include jig catcher vessels and catcher processors, as...

Public Comment Sought on Reducing Mortality For Red King Crab, Snow Crab

20Jul

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Public Comment Sought on Reducing Mortality For Red King Crab, Snow Crab

Federal fisheries managers are seeking public comment through Sept. 23 on how to reduce fishing-related mortality for Eastern Bering Sea snow crab and Bristol Bay red king crab. A notice published by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council in the Federal Register on July 14 invites comments to be posted online at “Request for Information (RFI) – Bristol Bay Red King Crab and Eastern Bering Sea Snow Crab” (found online at www.federalregister.gov). The National Marine Fisheries Service notified the council in October of 2021 that Eastern Bering Sea Snow crab’s status had been changed to overfished. The Eastern Bering Sea snow crab assessment showed that mature male biomass was 50,600 metric tons, less than the minimum stock size threshold of 76,700 metric tons. Total snow c...