Saving Seafood

Electronic monitoring has smooth first year; human observer costs rising

November 1, 2018 — After the first year of electronic monitoring on fishing vessels in Alaska, the National Marine Fisheries Service is expanding the pool for boats that want to get in on it.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council has been working on implementing an electronic monitoring program for commercial fishing vessels in Alaska for several years. The devices, essentially small cameras and sensors, replace a human observer and take note of the bycatch and total catch on eligible vessels. In 2018, the first year of the program, the council approved 145 vessels to participate.

At its meeting Oct. 4 in Anchorage, council staff member Elizabeth Figus said things went so well on those vessels that not a single one had to be removed from the pool for a violation of the Vessel Monitoring Plan, or VMP.

“That was really good news,” she told the council.

In June, the council approved an expansion of the program to allow up to 165 vessels to participate. The deadline to register through the Observer Declare and Deploy System was Nov. 1.

The small boat fleet in particular pushed for the implementation of electronic monitoring equipment after the council changed the requirements for observing to include small vessels — boats 60 feet or shorter— because it’s harder for them to provide the space and gear for another person besides the crew.

Read the full story at the Alaska Journal of Commerce

An act of cod: Alaska-based fleet gets a gift from Board of Fish

October 24, 2018 — Alaska’s inshore cod fishery got a significant upgrade at the state’s Board of Fisheries meeting on Friday, Oct. 19.

The board voted 6 to 1 to increase the fleet’s allocation from 6.4 percent of the total Bering Sea cod quota to 8 percent with an annual increase of 1 percent until it tops out at 15. The Under Sixty Cod Harvesters, a trade group that represents about half of the statewater fleet, had been lobbying to get up to 10 percent and were pleasantly surprised with the 15 percent allocation.

The fishery of pot-cod boats under 60 feet started in 2012 with 1.2 percent of the total Bering Sea cod share. Proponents of the increase argued that the Alaska Constitution mandates development of the state’s resources, prioritizing fisheries with low-impact gear.

“We applaud this board for recognizing how important these open-access statewater fishing opportunities are for our community-based fishermen, and for the young fishermen coming up in the industry,” says Todd Hoppe, president of the Under Sixty Cod Harvesters.

Opponents of the increase largely represent stakeholders in the federal fishery, from which the quota will be siphoned to expand the statewater quota. That includes the freezer-longliner fleet, which has about 50 percent of the quota, and the catcher vessels, which have 21.5 percent.

The move comes at an especially tough time for these historic stakeholders in Bering Sea cod.

“There’s very little recruitment showing up in the stock, and a big chunk of that stock is moving to the north,” says Brent Paine, executive director of the United Catcher Boats, a trade group that represents about 50 trawlers, ranging from about 80 to 130 feet.

Paine expects the North Pacific Fishery Management Council to cut the TAC by 20 percent this year, on top of about 16 percent last year.

“So you get that reduction combined with this statewater increase, and now it’s starting to hurt the federal participants,” Paine says. “It’s tough to get a fair shot [at a state meeting]for federal participants because we’re second-class citizens. The statewater fleet walks into the Board of Fish and says, ‘We’re Alaskans; this is an entry-level fishery… Give us the fish.’ And that’s what happens.”

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Ups and downs for Alaska cod and pollock

October 19, 2018 — Quotas for next year’s groundfish fisheries reflect ups and downs for Alaska’s key species — pollock and cod — and the stocks appear to be heading north to colder waters.

The bulk of Alaska’s landings come from waters federal waters. The North Pacific Fishery Management Council reviews stock assessments for groundfish each October, sets preliminary catches for the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea, and updates them as new data become available.

If the proposals get the go-ahead in December, the Bering Sea pollock TAC will increase slightly to nearly 1.4 million metric tons, or over 3 billion pounds of pollock.

For Pacific cod, the Bering Sea TAC could be reduced to 350 million pounds, a drop of 64 million pounds from this year.

The cod numbers might change as a result of big differences between the 2017 and 2018 survey results in southeastern and northern waters, where large numbers of fish appear to be migrating. Over the year, the cod biomass dropped 21 percent in the southern region but increased 95 percent in the northern area.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Bering Sea Pacific cod move north as survey sees fewer fish in east

October 10, 2018 — As was the case recently with pollock in Alaska’s southeastern Bering Sea, US government scientists found a surprising result when they surveyed Pacific cod stocks this summer: a large number of fish apparently moved north.

Staff at the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Alaska Fisheries Science Center are in the process of developing stock assessments that the North Pacific Fishery Management Council will use in making allowable biological catch (ABC) and total allowable catch (TAC) levels for Pacific cod in the Bering Sea for 2019.

However, one key input that will figure into the model that NOAA is making to estimate the Pacific cod biomass — the results of the 2018 southeastern Bering Sea bottom trawl survey — has declined significantly.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

ALASKA: Alaska snow crab TAC increased by 47%

October 5, 2018 — The harvesters of snow crab in Alaska’s Bering Sea have received the good news they anticipated just days before their next season is set to begin. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) has set their total allowable catch at 12,620 metric tons, a 47% increase over the 8,600t TAC permitted in the 2017/18 season.

The season begins Oct. 15 and closes on May 15 or May 31, depending on the subdistrict.

There was much optimism about the coming TAC for snow crabs (Chionoecetes opilio) given the stock assessments delivered roughly a week ago to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, as reported by Undercurrent News.  A survey had shown a biomass of 198,400t of mature male snow crabs, a 136% increase over the 84,000t found in 2017. That’s the largest it’s been since 1998, the Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) report noted. Also, there are 165,000t of females, up 55% from the 106,800t found in 2017.

The SAFE report also noted earlier high estimates of recruitment.

The new TAC is much better news than the TAC that ADF&G delivered before the 2017/18 season, which represented a decrease of 12% over the 2016/17 season (9,800t), and the 2016/17 season TAC, which was half of what was allowed during the 2015-16 season.

The new TAC breaks down this way: 24.8 million lbs for the individual fishing quota; and 2.8 million lbs for the community development quota.

“A higher quota for snow crab this year could have significant market implications,” said the Pacific Seafood Processors Association in a statement about the new TAC.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

State Dept. Appoints NOAA’s Chris Oliver Alternate Commissioner to IPHC

October 1, 2018 — SEAFOOD NEWS — Earlier this month, the State Department announced two new appointments to the three-member U.S. delegation of the Seattle-based International Pacific Halibut Commission. Yesterday, the third new commissioner was announced.

As with the previous announcement, yesterday’s appointment of Chris Oliver, Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries, to replace Dr. Jim Balsiger, regional administrator for NOAA Fisheries in Alaska is being done on a temporary basis until the President’s “duly designated” commissioner is appointed.

In all three cases, it is expected President Trump’s designation will be the same names appointed under ‘alternate’ status. They are: Bob Alverson, executive director of the Fishing Vessel Owners Association; Richard Yamada, president of the Alaska Charter Association and owner of Shelter Lodge; and Chris Oliver. Only Alverson is a reappointment.

“While NOAA awaits the Presidential appointments for the International Pacific Halibut Commission commissioners, Chris Oliver, the Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries, has been appointed by the Department of State as an Alternate Commissioner to the IPHC serving in the Federal Commissioner role,” the announcement read.

Alverson and Yamada were appointed to terms ending January 31, 2019. That is one day before the end of the annual IPHC meeting; presumably the President’s designation will be done for a longer term so the Commissioners can complete the annual meeting. Oliver’s term is through the end of March 2019.

“As Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries, Chris oversees the management and conservation of recreational and commercial fisheries across the United States. He previously served as the Executive Director of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council where he had direct experience working with the Pacific halibut fishery,” read yesterday’s release.

The statement referred to the Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 1982 as the defining legislation in the U.S. that put the Canadian-U.S. Treaty into law.

Below is the section of the law relevant to appointments of Commissioners.

“16 U.S. Code § 773a – International Pacific Halibut Commission

The United States shall be represented on the Commission by three United States Commissioners to be appointed by the President and to serve at his pleasure. The Commissioners shall receive no compensation for their services as Commissioners. Each United States Commissioner shall be appointed for a term of office not to exceed 2 years, but is eligible for reappointment. Any United States Commissioner may be appointed for a term of less than 2 years if such appointment is necessary to ensure that the terms of office of not more than two Commissioners will expire in any 1 year. A vacancy among the United States Commissioners shall be filled by the President in the manner in which the original appointment was made, but any Commissioner appointed to fill a vacancy occurring before the expiration of the term for which the Commissioner’s predecessor was appointed shall be appointed only for the remainder of such term. Of the Commissioners—

(1) one shall be an official of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and

(2) two shall be knowledgeable or experienced concerning the Northern Pacific halibut fishery; of these, one shall be a resident of Alaska and the other shall be a nonresident of Alaska. Of the three commissioners described in paragraphs (1) and (2), one shall be a voting member of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.

(3) Commissioners shall not be considered Federal employees except for the purposes of injury compensation or tort claims liability as provided in section 8101 et seq. of title 5 and section 2671 et seq. of title 28. This subsection shall take effect on the 90th day after May 17, 1982.

(b) Alternate United States Commissioners

The Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary, may designate from time to time alternate United States Commissioners to the commission. An Alternate United States Commissioner may exercise, at any meeting of the Commission, all powers and duties of a United States Commissioner in the absence of a duly designated Commissioner for whatever reason. The number of such alternate United States Commissioners that may be designated for any such meeting shall be limited to the number of authorized United States Commissioners that will not be present.”

This story originally appeared on Seafood News, it is republished here with permission.

 

Alaska snow crab stock assessment bodes well for coming TAC

September 27, 2018 — The US state of Alaska’s Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) could announce catch limits for its Bering Sea crab fisheries as soon as next Tuesday. And, based on the latest stock assessments delivered to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC), the snow crab harvest looks to be a big improvement.

But catch limits for red king and Tanner crabs aren’t likely to be so great.

ADF&G staff have been meeting this week via teleconference to discuss the recommendations contained in the 43-page “Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) Report for the King and Tanner Crab Fisheries of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Regions”. The paper, which addresses the health of 10 different Alaskan crab stocks, was compiled by the NPFMC’s 14-person crab plan team, a group that includes a combination of federal and state agency officials as well as some academics.

The NPFMC is set to begin meeting early next week in Anchorage, Alaska, where its Science and Statistical Committee (SSC), a similarly composed group, will make its recommendations, which can be expected to closely follow those of the SAFE report, Mark Stichert, ADF&G’s regional shellfish management coordinator, told Undercurrent News.

It’s unusual for the NPFMC to disagree with its SSC, though it will also likely hear from an industry panel, he said.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

ALASKA: Roundtable discussion focuses on salmon sustainability, culture

August 24, 2018 — With participants from a broad swathe of the salmon spectrum, the Kenai River Sportfishing Association’s Classic Roundtable discussion Wednesday focused on new research and management tools to preserve troubled salmon returns in the state.

Part of the Soldotna-based sportfishing association’s annual Classic event, the roundtable discussions invite experts and stakeholders to address various issues related to fishing and fisheries management. This year, the panelists focused on science related to recent changes in salmon size and age, the cultural and economic impacts of the declines and market-based strategies to change salmon fishery allocation.

Presiding as the keynote speaker was National Marine Fisheries Service Assistant Administrator Chris Oliver, who previously lived in Alaska for 27 years and served as the executive director of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. Since taking the role as the head of the National Marine Fisheries Service, which among other functions regulates fisheries in federal waters and enforcing the Marine Mammal Protection Act, he said he’s made a few adjustments to overall identified goals and gotten a broad perspective on issues in fisheries nationwide.

Read the full story at The Peninsula Clarion

ALASKA: Golden King Crab Quota Increases for First Time in Twenty Years

August 8, 2018 — SEAFOOD NEWS –For the first time in 20 years, the small fleet of vessels harvesting golden king crab in the remote waters of the Aleutian Islands can take 3.9 million pounds of golden king crab east of Adak and 2.5 million pounds west of Adak, increases of 18 percent and 11 percent respectively over last year. The 9-month season opened last week under a management system that relies on data from federal observers and fishermen themselves.

This is good news for Adak marketers of golden king crab, who last year shipped live by air directly to Shanghai and this year want to expand the market.

Golden king crab, also called brown king crab, is found throughout Alaska but in highest numbers in the deep water in an 800-mile swath of ocean east and west of Adak, AK. The crab live in deeper waters than any other commercially harvested species in Alaska, and on rocky bottoms. Fishermen use pots that are set on a longline, a hybrid approach not used for any other crab.

The remote location of the fishery, the relatively small stock size, the difficult terrain, and the short window of good weather all made surveys problematic. Historically the fishery used triennial surveys with commercial vessels and commercial gear: crab pots on longlines.

But the cost was prohibitive for such a small fishery, so in 1996 ADF&G adopted a constant catch harvest policy which set a cap that could not be increased, even when catch data, such as Catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) radically increased. The quota dropped occasionally in the past twenty years, but for the most part, it worked.

“It’s been quite successful,” said Mark Stichert, shellfish management coordinator for ADF&G in Kodiak. “We’ve not seen a closure in twenty years, we have a tremendous amount of stability in that fishery. We found a sweet spot; 3.3 million pouds in the east and 3 million pounds in the west turned out to be a pretty good ball park estimation of what we could catch from this stock.”

But when the fishery became rationalized in 2005, moving from a competitive, dangerous effort by 20-some vessels competing against each other in a short season, to a reduced fleet of about five boats, each with their own quota they can harvest over nine months.

Crab rationalization split the management between the federal managers, tasked with setting allowable biological catch (ABC) and overfishing limits (OFL), and the state managers who set the total allowable catch (TAC) and the season dates.

In order to set ABC and OFL limits the federal managers needed a stock assessment, which is usually based on surveys. In this case, the scientists worked on creating a stock assessment of golden king crab with the data they had, calculating the uncertainty limited data gives managers and running the model through the peer review process many times.

Finally last year, stock assessment model was approved by the North Pacific Council last year. The Alaska Board of Fish gave the state managers authority to increase the quota, but didn’t provide specific direction. The state managers needed to set a harvest policy.

“We’re taking a hybrid approach to partner with industry,” explained Stichert. “We have the benefit of working with a small fleet, we can all get in the same room together and find common objectives. What are your priorities? Do you want stability? We’re developing some exploitation rates to be reviewed.

In the process, the fleet has brought in their own stock assessment reviewers.

“We want a strategy that advances the science and allows us to make better decisions, but we don’t want to forget that we don’t know everything. We need a harvest strategy allows management to grow along with the improvements in data,” Stichert said. “It takes cooperation and committment.”

Since 2015, the fleet has worked with the state to conduct a hybrid survey on the eastern stock of golden king crab. The plan benefits both the managers and the harvesters. The first trip of the season will be a data collection effort using smaller mesh gear to catch sublegals, females, and males. The controlled catch will give managers information on recruitment, stock size and demographics.

“We’ll take care of the science if you take care of the gear,” Stichert said he told the fleet.

“On the very first trip you take, we’re going to tell you where to put the gear and we’re going to put out small mesh pots,” he said.

Meanwhile, Stichert said, “They get to sell the legal catch, the scientists onboard will document everything, then they’re off when the trip ends. The second trip they’re on their own.”

This week, the scientists are on crabbers fishing both eastern and western stocks for the first time. With the added information from both areas over time, the fishery could have the most data-rich management in its history.

The state approach will be reviewed by the Board of Fish for final approval later this year.

This story originally appeared on SeafoodNews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

ALASKA: Federal council names 5 commercial fishermen to committee

July 20, 2018 — A committee of five fishermen, four of whom live on the Kenai Peninsula, will help provide advice to the council that will write a new management plan for Cook Inlet salmon fisheries in federal waters.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council, the federal board that regulates fisheries in federal waters in of the North Pacific Ocean, announced the membership of a Cook Inlet Salmon Committee at its June meeting in Kodiak. The committee will provide feedback to the council on the formation of a new plan to manage salmon fisheries in the federal waters of Cook Inlet.

The council passed an amendment to its fishery management plan in 2013 that delegated management of salmon fisheries in federal waters in Cook Inlet, the Copper River area and part of the Alaska Peninsula to the state, but Cook Inlet drift gillnet fishermen objected. The United Cook Inlet Drift Association, which represents the drifters, sued over the decision, and in September 2016, a federal court overturned an earlier court decision in the state’s favor and sided with UCIDA. The council began the process of revising the plan in April 2017.

Read the full story at the Peninsula Clarion