December 10, 2022 — The following was released by the NOAA:
NOAA Fisheries is seeking public comment on a proposed rule that would implement Amendment 123 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) management area. If approved, the proposed rule would establish abundance-based management of Amendment 80 trawl sector prohibited species catch limit for Pacific halibut.
The Amendment 80 sector is a fleet of nearly 20 trawl catcher-processor vessels that target Pacific cod, Pacific Ocean perch, Atka mackerel, and Rock, Yellowfin, and Flathead sole in the Bering Sea.
This action was initiated by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council at its December 2021 meeting. It is necessary to minimize halibut prohibited species catch to the extent practicable without compromising the ability to attain optimum yield in the BSAI groundfish fisheries.
Pacific halibut is fully utilized in Alaska as a target species in subsistence, personal use, recreational, and commercial halibut fisheries. Halibut has significant social, cultural, and economic importance to fishery participants and communities throughout its geographical range.
Halibut is also incidentally taken as bycatch in groundfish fisheries. The Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands Fishery Management Plan currently apportions the halibut prohibited species catch limit between the Amendment 80 sector and the BSAI trawl limited access sector. It sets the annual halibut mortality PSC limit for the Amendment 80 sector at 1,745 metric tons.
In recent years, catch limits for the commercial halibut fishery in the BSAI have declined in response to changing halibut stock conditions. Limits on the maximum amount of halibut PSC allowed in the groundfish fisheries have remained constant.
As halibut abundance declines, the PSC limit becomes a larger proportion of total halibut removals. The Amendment 80 sector is accountable for the majority of the annual halibut PSC mortality in the BSAI groundfish fisheries.
Amendment 123 is consistent with the Council’s purpose and need statement for this amendment. It will prevent halibut PSC from becoming a larger proportion of total removals in the BSAI as halibut abundance declines. The Amendment 80 halibut PSC limit should decline in proportion to reduced amounts of halibut available for harvest by all users.
Amendment 123 would replace the current Amendment 80 sector static halibut PSC level of 1,745 metric tons. It would establish a process for annually setting the halibut PSC limit for the Amendment 80 sector based on the most recent halibut abundance estimates.