December 21, 2012 — The following was released by the Groundfish Forum:
The United States Congress has approved language to prohibit catcher-processing vessels which qualified under the American Fisheries Act (AFA) from participating in the Amendment 80 (non-AFA) sector in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands groundfish fisheries. The language, contained in the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2012, is intended to ‘insure that the status quo of separate and mutually exclusive sectors remains in place,’ according to a statement by Washington Senator Maria Cantwell.
The American Fisheries Act, passed by Congress in 1998, granted specific factory trawlers exclusive rights to target pollock in the Bering Sea. One of the largest trawl fisheries in the world, pollock accounts for up to 75% of the harvest in the BSAI.
Amendment 80, passed by the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council in 2006, allocated all or part of certain non-pollock groundfish species to trawl catcher-processors that did not qualify under the AFA. These species include flatfish, Atka mackerel, some rockfish species and Pacific cod.
The new language provides benefits to both the fishing and shipbuilding industries. It codifies the distinction that currently exists between two major North Pacific groundfish harvesting sectors fostering economic and regulatory stability. The new language also provides a benefit to US shipbuilders and maritime vendors who are now poised to start construction on the A80 sector’s next generation of vessels
Bryan Nichols of Vigor Shipbuilding is talking with Amendment 80 vessel owners abou “It has been years since there have been new fishing boats in this fleet,” he says. “Each new boat means hundreds of living wage jobs. These will be state-of-the-art vessels that are more efficient, safer, and environmentally friendly than anything out there. We look forward to being a part of it.”