Saving Seafood

April 6-9, and 12-15, 2021 PFMC (online) meeting notice and agenda now available

March 16, 2021 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC or Council) and its advisory bodies will meet April 6-9, and 12-15, 2021 by webinar only, to address issues related to groundfish, Pacific halibut, salmon, highly migratory species, ecosystem, and administrative matters.

Please see the April 6-9, and 12-15, 2021 Council meeting notice on the Council’s April 2021 meeting webpage for further updates and details regarding webinar participation; schedule of advisory body meetings, our E-Portal for submitting public comments, and public comment deadlines. There will be no meetings scheduled during the weekend of April 10-11, however, the meeting will continue daily on Monday, April 12 at 8 a.m. through Thursday, April 15, 2021. Meetings of advisory bodies will also be conducted by online meetings based on the schedules in the agenda.

Instructions for how to connect to the online meetings will be posted on the Council’s April 2021 meeting webpage prior to the first day of the meeting.

For further information:

Alaska fishermen optimistic as Pacific halibut fishery opens

March 3, 2021 — The Pacific halibut fishery opens March 6, and increased catch limits combined with a cautiously optimistic outlook for the near future have fanned interest in buying shares of the popular fish.

In January, the International Pacific Halibut Commission boosted total halibut removals for 2021 by 6.5% to 39 million pounds for taken by all users and as bycatch in fisheries of the West Coast, British Columbia and Alaska. That is higher than the total take for the past three years.

For commercial fishermen, the halibut catch limit of 25.7 million pounds is an increase of 2.6 million pounds over 2020. Alaska gets the largest chunk at 19.6 million pounds, and all regions except for the Bering Sea will see increased catches.

“People are thrilled to see that, hopefully, the tide has turned after catch limits for most areas have been declining for about the past 15 years. And they are happy to know they’re going to see some more pounds on their permits this year,” said Doug Bowen of Alaska Boats and Permits in Homer.

“By all accounts the market looks like it is warming up,” agreed Lisa Gulliford at Permit Master in Tacoma, Washington. “Interest and flexibility from both buyers and sellers is always good news and I am hopeful this trend will continue through the year.”

Read the full story at the Anchorage Daily News

Have Questions on NPFMC Requests for Emergency Actions? NOAA Fisheries Offers Q&As

February 23, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

On February 10, 2021, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council made four recommendations to NOAA Fisheries for emergency or expedited changes to Federal fishing regulations.

The Council’s four motions would:

Allow the temporary transfer of catcher vessel halibut and sablefish IFQ for all individual quota share holders for the 2021 fishing season.

  • Move the start date of the 2021 Central Gulf Rockfish Program fishery from May 1 to April 1.
  • Remove vessel use cap regulations for IFQ halibut harvested in IPHC regulatory Areas 4A, 4B, 4C, and 4D for the 2021 IFQ fishing season.
  • Suspend the residency requirements applicable to the Adak Community Quota Entity Program for 2021.

NOAA Fisheries will analyze the Council’s recommendations and, if approved by the Secretary of Commerce, will publish a rule in the Federal Register. This process typically takes five to six weeks but the exact timing may vary for each action.

As we have received numerous inquiries from participants in these Alaska fisheries, we have developed a Questions and Answers webpage to answer the most frequently asked questions on the recommended emergency or expedited regulations.

For additional information or questions about permits or transfer applications, please contact the Restricted Access Management Program at: (800) 304-4846 option #2 or (907) 586-7474 or by email at RAM.Alaska@noaa.gov.

For additional information or questions about regulations and the rulemaking process, please contact the Sustainable Fisheries Division at 907-586-7228.

Read the full release here

Part I: Emergency Actions on IFQ Fisheries And Review of Climate Change at February NPFMC Meeting

February 22, 2021 — The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) sent Emergency Rule requests to NOAA Fisheries on halibut and sablefish license requirements for the second year in a row due to the pandemic, while reviewing several reports related to climate change: the Bering Sea FEP Plan Team report, the Climate Change Taskforce (CCTF) workplan, an update from the Local Knowledge, Traditional Knowledge and Subsistence (LKTKS) Taskforce, and a report from the Ecosystem Committee.

The request to modify transfer provisions in the halibut and sablefish individual fishing quota (IFQ) fishery was the same as last years, which accommodates restrictions in place due to COVID-19 travel constraints and  health and safety mandates.

Read the full story at Seafood News

IPHC Media Release 2021-008 IPHC Seeks Stakeholder Input that Characterizes the Economic Contribution of the Pacific Halibut Resource

February 19, 2021 — The following was released by the International Pacific Halibut Commission:

 In order to capture the economic impacts of Pacific halibut, the IPHC has designed a series of surveys to gather information from the sectors relying on this resource. Developing an accurate and representative Pacific halibut multiregional economic impact assessment (PHMEIA) model requires active participation of our stakeholders, who we ask for necessary data for analysis.

Active participants to the Pacific halibut fisheries (commercial, processing, and charter sector) can complete the following surveys for 2020, but also retrospectively submit information for 2019. The benefits of providing both year’s information are:

  • Data for 2019, covers pre-covid-19 operations, can be considered a baseline suitable for drawing conclusions under normal circumstances and used for predictions.
  • Data for 2020, covers an abnormal year of operations, can be used to assess losses incurred by the Pacific halibut sectors, but also sectors’ resilience to unfavorable circumstances.

Please fill in the IPHC economic survey by clicking the following links:

For further information on the IPHC’s Economic Research visit https://www.iphc.int/management/economic-research or contact the IPHC Secretariat at secretariat@iphc.int or 206.634.1838.

Read the full release here

March 2-5 and 8-11, 2021 PFMC (online) meeting notice and agenda now available

January 28, 2021 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC or Council) and its advisory bodies will meet March 2-5 and 8-11, 2021 by webinar only, to address issues related to groundfish, Pacific halibut, salmon, highly migratory species, ecosystem, and administrative matters.

Please see the March 2-5 and 8-11, 2021 Council meeting notice on the Council’s website for further updates and details regarding webinar participation; schedule of advisory body meetings, our E-Portal for submitting public comments, and public comment deadlines. There will be no meetings scheduled during the weekend of March 6-7, however, the meeting will continue daily on Monday, March 8 at 8 a.m. through Thursday, March 11, 2021. Meetings of advisory bodies will also be conducted by online meetings based on the schedules in the agenda.

Instructions for how to connect to the online meetings will be posted on the Council’s March 2021 meeting webpage prior to the first day of the meeting.

For further information:

Halibut Area 2A License Applications Open for Submission for 2021

January 27, 2021 — The International Pacific Halibut Commission has opened the license application period for fishermen in Area 2A, Washington, Oregon and California.

While the IPHC sets the overall total fishery removals (mortality limit) for the area, the Pacific Fishery Management Council and National Marine Fisheries Service adopts a catch-sharing plan for all three states to further allocate the amount of fishery removals between sectors.

Read the full story at Seafood News

PFMC: Area 2A Pacific Halibut Managers online meeting will be held January 4, 2021

December 4, 2020 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The Pacific Fishery Management Council will host an online meeting of the Area 2A Pacific halibut governmental management entities that is open to the public.  The meeting will be held Monday, January 4, 2021 from 10:30 a.m., Pacific Standard Time, until 2 p.m., or until business for the day has been completed.

Please see the Area 2A Pacific Halibut Manager’s online meeting notice on the Council’s website for participation details.

For further information:

  • Please contact Pacific Fishery Management Council staff officer Ms. Robin Ehlke  at 503-820-2410; toll-free 1-866-806-7204.

ALASKA: Seafood Bycatch Donation Relieves Hunger and Reduces Waste

November 2, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Fishermen sometimes unintentionally catch fish they do not want or cannot keep. This is called bycatch. While these fish are returned to the sea, many of them do not survive. This is a major problem worldwide—nearly 10 percent of global fishery catches are discarded each year

This waste of valuable seafood protein has been an increasing focus of management, industry, and public concern due to its ecological and economic impacts. That’s where our innovative donation program comes in.

Alaska fishermen occasionally catch Pacific halibut and salmon incidentally in trawls targeting groundfish. Because halibut and salmon are valuable targets of other fisheries, they are designated as prohibited species. Groundfish trawlers are not allowed to retain or sell them. Historically, all prohibited species caught in Alaska were discarded at sea to avoid any incentive to catch these species.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council and the Alaska seafood industry have a long history of cooperative efforts to reduce bycatch. However, even after bycatch has been eliminated to the extent practicable, some is inevitable.

In 1996, NOAA Fisheries and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council established the Prohibited Species Donation Program. It takes a unique approach to the problem of discarded fish by making it possible for fishermen to donate some bycatch to hunger relief organizations. It simultaneously reduces waste, provides high quality seafood protein to people in need, and avoids incentives to catch prohibited species.

“Bycatch donation is an example of thinking outside the box. When we think about reducing waste, it is usually about avoiding bycatch. This program is a creative solution to maximize the value of the bycatch that can’t be avoided,”  said Jordan Watson, NOAA Fisheries biologist at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center.

Read the full release here