Monday, December 12, 2022

Alaska Alaska Bycatch Review Task Force Final Report - November 2022 https://gov.alaska.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/Alaska-Bycatch-Review-Task-Force.pdf Significant increase in Alaska pollock quota gets greenlight, as Pacific cod gets cut The quota will come as a relief to industry that suffered drastic reduction last year. Intrafish by Rachel Mutter - December 12, 2022 The US North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) on Sunday evening approved advisory panel recommendations for an increase in the Alaska pollock quota next year. https://www.intrafish.com/fisheries/significant-increase-in-alaska-pollock-quota-gets-greenlight-as-pacific-cod-gets-cut/2-1-1371681 *Requires subscription West Coast Green crabs are not giving Washington a break: Today So Far KUOW by Dyer Oxley - December 8, 2022 The news is a bit crabby lately...green crabby. This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for December 5, 2022. https://www.kuow.org/stories/green-crabs-are-not-giving-washington-a-break-today-so-far Environment/Science New study proposes to uncover where Chinook salmon could be dying en route to Yukon Pending more talks, Alaskan study could go ahead this spring CBC News by Julien Gignac - December 8, 2022 The state of Alaska is proposing new research to track dwindling Chinook salmon numbers this spring, and it's possible the study could eventually extend into the Yukon. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/yukon-chinook-salmon-research-1.6679608 Alaska tribes join with Lower 48 allies to seek protections from impacts of Canadian mines KTOO by Yereth Rosen, Alaska Beacon - December 8, 2022 Alaska Native tribes seeking better protection from the environmental impacts of Canadian mines have enlisted some allies in their flight: Lower 48 tribal governments with concerns of their own about transboundary mining impacts. https://www.ktoo.org/2022/12/08/alaska-tribes-join-with-lower-48-allies-to-seek-protections-from-impacts-of-canadian-mines/ Federal Register Extension of Public Comment Period for Amendment 123 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (BSAI FMP); Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Halibut Abundance-Based Management of Amendment 80 Prohibited Species Catch Limit A Proposed Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 12/09/2022 On November 9, 2022, the National Marine Fisheries Service published a Notice of Availability and request for comments on Amendment 123 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (BSAI FMP), but inadvertently did not include the supporting Amendment text. With this notice, NMFS is extending the public comment period by 60 days to February 7, 2023, to afford the public with additional time to provide comments on Amendment 123. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/12/09/2022-26828/extension-of-public-comment-period-for-amendment-123-to-the-fishery-management-plan-for-groundfish Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Halibut Abundance-Based Management of Amendment 80 Prohibited Species Catch Limit A Proposed Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 12/09/2022 NMFS proposes regulations to implement Amendment 123 to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (BSAI). If approved, the proposed rule would amend regulations governing limits on Pacific halibut ( Hippoglossus stenolepis) (halibut) prohibited species catch (PSC), or bycatch, in the BSAI. Namely, the proposed amendment would link the halibut PSC limit to halibut abundance for the Amendment 80 commercial groundfish trawl fleet in the BSAI groundfish fisheries. This action responds to the obligation in section 303(a)(11) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) to minimize bycatch to the extent practicable, and is consistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Act national standards. This action: minimizes halibut PSC to the extent practicable under National Standard 9; ensures that the FMP will continue to achieve optimum yield in the BSAI groundfish fisheries on a continuing basis under National Standard 1; is based upon the best scientific information available under National Standard 2; to the extent it involves an allocation of fishing privileges, is fair and equitable, reasonably promotes conservation by reducing incidental halibut mortality caused by the Amendment 80 trawl fleet, and does not result in any excessive shares of fishing privileges under National Standard 4; and takes into account the importance of fishery resources to fishing communities under National Standard 8. The action is expected to provide incentives for the Amendment 80 fleet to minimize halibut mortality at all times and conserve and improve bycatch management of the halibut resource, and it may result in additional harvest opportunities in the commercial halibut fishery. This action is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, other applicable laws, and Amendment 123 to the BSAI FMP. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/12/09/2022-26337/fisheries-of-the-exclusive-economic-zone-off-alaska-bering-sea-and-aleutian-islands-halibut Fisheries Off West Coast States; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; Trawl Rationalization Program; 2023 Cost Recovery Fee Notice A Notice by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 12/12/2022 This action provides participants in the Pacific Coast Groundfish Trawl Rationalization Program with the 2023 cost recovery fee percentages and the average mothership (MS) price per pound to be used in the catcher/processor (C/P) Co-op program to calculate the fee amount for the upcoming calendar year. For the 2023 calendar year, NMFS announces the following fee percentages by sector specific program: 3.0 percent for the Shorebased Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Program; 0.1 percent for the C/P Co-op Program; and 1.7 percent for the MS Co-op Program. For 2023, the MS pricing to be used as a proxy by the C/P Co-op Program is $0.10/pound (lb) for Pacific whiting. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/12/12/2022-26923/fisheries-off-west-coast-states-pacific-coast-groundfish-fishery-trawl-rationalization-program-2023 FYI’s ComFish Alaska 2023 set for March 16-18 in Kodiak Cordova Times - December 9, 2022 The Kodiak Chamber of Commerce is welcoming the fisheries industry once again to participate in ComFish Alaska, billed as the state’s longest running commercial fisheries trade show that the chamber has organized for 40 years. https://www.thecordovatimes.com/2022/12/09/comfish-alaska-2023-set-for-march-16-18-in-kodiak/ Pacific Seafood Processors Association 1900 W Emerson Place Suite 205, Seattle, WA 98119 Phone: 206.281.1667 E-mail: admin@pspafish.net; Website: www.pspafish.net Our office days/hours are Monday-Friday 8:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. *Inclusion of a news article, report, or other document in this email does not imply PSPA support or endorsement of the information or opinion expressed in the document.