SEAFOODNEWS.COM by John Sackton – June 25, 2014 — NMFS is seeking comment on rules changes that would allow for replacement of vessels fishing pollock under the American fisheries Act with new vessels without length, weight or horsepower limitations. Congress passed an amendment to the AFA as part of the Coast Guard authorization bill in 2010 to allow such replacements. However, current groundfish licenses have a length limitation.
The rules would eliminate this restriction, would allow further consolidation of groundfish licenses to other vessels in the co-op if a vessel were permanently removed from the fishery, and would also prohibit that vessel so removed from ever getting a US EEZ fishing permit.
The upshot is that these rules will allow for the modernization of the Bering Sea Pollock Fleet.
The rules would also allow catcher vessels to transfer their quota to other vessels in their co-ops, and be retired from the fleet. In that event, the vessel could not fish in any other EEZ fishery off Alaska, and aside from the pollock history that is transferred, all other catch history of that vessel would be extinguished.
This story originally appeared on Seafood.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.