Alaska
Board of Fisheries approves Kenai River king salmon action plan
The plan adds bait restrictions for in-river fisheries, doubles the sport bag limit for sockeye salmon, and adds a swath of restrictions to the commercial setnet fishery
Peninsula Clarion by Jacob Dye - March 2, 2024
The State Board of Fisheries in a 4-3 vote on Friday approved an action plan for the recovery of Kenai River late-run king salmon that adds bait restrictions for in-river fisheries, doubles the sport bag limit for sockeye salmon, and adds a swath of restrictions to the commercial setnet fishery while setting a new threshold for possible opportunity at 14,250 large kings.
https://www.peninsulaclarion.com/news/board-of-fisheries-approves-kenai-river-king-salmon-action-plan/
NOAA postpones controversial bottom trawling experiment in Alaska’s Northern Bering SeaTribal governments have objected to the plan and say the project threatens the marine ecosystem, with some planning to file a lawsuit to stop it
Alaska Beacon by Yereth Rosen - March 1, 2024
A controversial bottom-trawling experiment that a federal agency has designed for the Northern Bering Sea will not be conducted this year, a decision that was welcomed by tribal and environmental groups poised to sue to block the project.
https://alaskabeacon.com/2024/03/01/noaa-postpones-controversial-bottom-trawling-experiment-in-alaskas-northern-bering-sea/
International
NOAA Fisheries Gathers Experts to Combat Forced Labor in the Seafood Sector
The summit marked the conclusion of a 15-month initiative to address forced labor.NOAA Fisheries - March 1, 2024
On February 28, NOAA Fisheries brought together more than 100 officials representing government agencies, labor and environmental advocacy organizations, and the seafood industry. They reflected on progress and identified next steps in their efforts to address labor issues within the seafood supply chain. The Seafood Labor Summit was the final step in a 15-month initiative known as the Collaborative Accelerator for Lawful Maritime Conditions in Seafood, or CALM-CS.
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/noaa-fisheries-gathers-experts-combat-forced-labor-seafood-sector
Federal Register
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Gulf of Alaska; Final 2024 and 2025 Harvest Specifications for Groundfish
A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 03/04/2024
NMFS announces final 2024 and 2025 harvest specifications, apportionments, and Pacific halibut prohibited species catch limits for the groundfish fishery of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to establish harvest limits for groundfish during the remainder of the 2024 and the start of the 2025 fishing years and to accomplish the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (FMP). The 2024 harvest specifications supersede those previously set in the final 2023 and 2024 harvest specifications, and the 2025 harvest specifications will be superseded in early 2025 when the final 2025 and 2026 harvest specifications are published. The intended effect of this action is to conserve and manage the groundfish resources in the GOA in accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act).
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/03/04/2024-04516/fisheries-of-the-exclusive-economic-zone-off-alaska-gulf-of-alaska-final-2024-and-2025-harvest
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