North Pacific Management Council June 2015 newsletter

Dan Hull
Chairman
Chris Oliver
Executive Director
605 W 4th, Ste 306
Anchorage, AK 99501
(907) 271-2809
(907) 271-2817

News& Notes

North Pacific Fishery Management Council
June 2015

www.npfmc.org

Dersham Retires
The Council acknowledged Council
member Ed Dersham’s 8 years on
the Council, and his service on
various committees and
commitment to sustainably
managing the resources. Good luck
in your future endeavors, Ed.

Halibut Bycatch
The Council took final action to reduce halibut PSC
mortality limits in the BSAI groundfish fisheries
overall from 4,426 mt to 3,515 mt, a 21% reduction.
PSC limits in the BSAI groundfish fisheries are
apportioned among sectors and gear types
(currently to all trawl fisheries and longline fisheries
for all targets except IFQ sablefish), and a different
reduction was applied to each.

Alaska Lt.
Governor Mallott
Addresses Council
The Lt. Governor of Alaska, Byron
Mallott, spoke to the Council the
first day of its meeting. He spoke of
the rich resources in the North
Pacific ocean, as well as the cultural
heritage that has evolved around
those resources. He urged the
Council members to find common
ground and work together to solve
the difficult issues.

The PSC reduction for the Amendment 80 sector
will result in the greatest impact, both in terms of
halibut PSC savings and costs to the sector. The
Amendment 80 sector is responsible for about 60%
of halibut PSC mortality in the BSAI groundfish
fisheries, based on average PSC usage from 2008
through 2014. Vessels fishing as part of an
Amendment 80 cooperative (all Amendment 80
vessels since 2011) will have their halibut PSC limit
reduced by 25%. As the sector has consistently
used less than the halibut PSC apportioned to it
since 2008, the new limit represents a 15%
reduction from average PSC usage in 2008 through
2014. In order to encourage Amendment 80 vessels
to stay in cooperatives, where they have more tools
available to control their PSC, the Council chose a
steeper PSC limit reduction of 40% from current
levels to be applied to the Amendment 80 limited
access sector.
For the Bering Sea trawl limited access fisheries
and the longline fisheries, the Council chose PSC
reduction levels of 15% each. For trawl limited
access fisheries, this places the PSC limit at
approximately the level of average PSC usage from
2008 through 2014. With the exception of the
pollock fishery, which is not constrained inseason by
the PSC limit, the trawl limited access fisheries are
not rationalized, and have fewer tools available to
institute behavioral changes to meet lower PSC

limits. For the longline fisheries, their halibut mortality
rate is currently the lowest of any of the groundfish
fisheries, and they have contributed only 12-15% to
average PSC usage from 2008 through 2014.
Finally, the Council also reduced the CDQ PSC limit
by 20%. This limit is used by the CDQ groups to
harvest their groundfish quotas in all their trawl and
longline fisheries. The CDQ sector is the only one
where PSC usage has been steadily increasing in
recent years, because the CDQ sector is trying to
harvest more of their allocated groundfish. Even with
the 20% PSC limit reduction, there will still be some
room for growth in the sector.
The Council’s decision was contentious, with some
members considering that steeper reductions were
warranted. In support of the recommended PSC limit
reductions, the Council spoke to the need to institute
reductions that are practicable in the groundfish
sectors, their expectation that the reduced PSC limits
will result in mortality savings in excess of the limits,
and the importance of taking action at this meeting in
order to effect PSC mortality reductions in 2016.
There was general agreement about the continuing
importance of maintaining a directed halibut fishery
in the Bering Sea, and it was reiterated that this
action represents only a first step in addressing BSAI
halibut needs among the different user groups.
New
Current PSC limit
PSC
PSC limit reduction
limit
Amendment 80
cooperatives

2,325 mt

-25%

1,745 mt

BSAI trawl limited
access fisheries

875 mt

-15%

745 mt

Longline fisheries

833 mt

-15%

710 mt

CDQ fisheries

393 mt

-20%

315 mt

4,426 mt

-21%

3,515 mt

TOTAL

Upcoming 
meetings: 
CIE review of General Model for
Alaskan Crabs Stocks (GMACs)
and its implementation for Bristol
Bay Red King Assessment
(BBRKC): June 29 – July 1, 2015,
from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. AFSC
EM Workgroup: July 30-31, 2015;
Coast International Hotel,
Anchorage, AK
Ecosystem Committee: August
6-7, 2015; TSMRI, Auke Bay,
Juneau, AK
Legislative Committee: First
week in August, TBA
EM Workgroup: September 8,
2015; TBD
Observer Advisory Committee:
September 17-18, 2015; Seattle,
AK

Observer
Program Small
CPs
The Council took final action to
revise the exceptions allowing
small catcher processors to be in
the partial observer coverage
category rather than automatically
being placed in the full coverage
category. Under the Council’s
preferred alternative, the
exceptions would be revised such
that a fixed gear catcher processor
vessel that is not participating in a
catch share program would be
eligible for partial coverage if their
production is below an average
weekly level of 79,000 pounds
(35.8 metric tons). As described in
the analysis, the three vessels that
qualify for the current exceptions
could continue in partial coverage
if their fishing patterns remain
unchanged, and potentially five to
seven more vessels may qualify in
future. The motion is available
online, and staff contact is Diana
Evans.

NPFMC Newsletter
June 2015
Page 2

Next steps for BSAI
Halibut

CDQ entities to lease IFQ halibut without the IFQ
owner on board in 4B and 4CDE, in years with
low directed halibut harvest.

During staff tasking, the Council outlined next steps
for addressing BSAI halibut. The Council has
already tasked a discussion paper exploring ways to
index BSAI halibut PSC limits to a metric of halibut
biomass, which is scheduled for October. In
addition, the Council also initiated three new
actions:

Observer Program

 The Chair and the Executive Director will evaluate
ways to integrate the variety of halibut
management and research activities currently
underway, and develop a framework for improving
coordination between the Council and IPHC.
Council and agency staff, including the IPHC, and
State agency representatives on the Council, will
be consulted. Both Council members and the
public highlighted a need for better alignment of
the two management bodies when dealing with
halibut needs among the various directed fishery
and bycatch user groups. The intention is to
outline a process to ensure progress continues on
issues both that were raised at this meeting, and
were outcomes of the joint Council-IPHC meeting
in February. These include, among others, a
discussion of the Council’s management
objectives with respect to the tension between the
needs of the directed halibut fishery and halibut
bycatch needs in the groundfish fishery; the role
of stakeholder working groups to develop a more
surgical resolution to halibut use conflicts; and a
common understanding of available data and the
science of various halibut stock and life history
issues, such as growth and migration. The Chair
and Executive Director will bring back
recommendations for the Council in October,
which may be followed by a public scoping
session, and the consideration of specific actions
by the Council in December.

Report, and made recommendations for improving

 The Council requested both Amendment 80
cooperatives to provide halibut bycatch
management plans for 2016 to the Council in
December. The plans should be designed not just
to accommodate the revised PSC mortality limit,
but to bring savings to levels below the hard cap.
These are to include: halibut avoidance practices
on the grounds, increased communication
between participating harvesters, sharing data for
performance tracking, use and development of
excluders, deck sorting, performance
measurement and assessment at the boat and
company level, incentives for continuous efforts to
minimize bycatch, and consequences for
substandard performance.
 In order to assess mechanisms to increase
halibut harvest opportunities for Bering Sea
community residents, the Council also initiated a
discussion paper to examine options to allow

2014 Annual Report and
Supplemental EA
The Council received the 2014 Observer Annual
the program in 2016, and the report in future years.
Most significantly, the Council requested that the
2016 Annual Deployment Plan define additional
strata to deploy observers by gear and FMP area,
and provide sufficient information for the Council to
combine strata as appropriate in October. The
Council also recommended the agency pursue
improvements to ODDS, addressing the potential for
temporal bias, and the ability to link deployed trips
with e-Landings. The agency, perhaps with the help
of the OAC or some subgroup, was also requested
to assess ways to achieve cost efficiencies in partial
coverage within the existing 5-year contract.
The Council appreciated the development of
performance metrics, and encouraged NMFS to
continue to develop tools to evaluate both the
reliability of the data, and deployment performance.
Future reports should also incorporate quantitative
measures of program compliance, and the Council
supports continued outreach by enforcement
personnel regarding observer issues, especially to
vessels where captains are under increasing
pressure to monitor PSC.
The Council authorized sending a letter to NMFS
expressing concern about the lack of predictability in
the timing of observer fee funds released from
Treasury to the Office of Management and Budget
to NMFS for use in funding the partial coverage
category observer program.
While the Council did not hear a staff presentation
on the Supplemental EA, they received various
Committee reports on the document, and noted its
conclusion that data is improved under the new
program, despite lower than anticipated coverage
rates. The Council encouraged NMFS to consider
SSC, AP, OAC, and public comments when
finalizing the analysis. Staff contact is Diana Evans.

BSAI Trawl CV Observers

changes required to deploy observers directly from
tender vessels. The problem statement and alternative

The Council adopted a Purpose & Need Statement
and developed alternatives for an action that could
change observer coverage requirements for catcher

for this proposed amendment, which was last revisited
by the Council in June 2014, is posted on online. Staff

On January 20, 2015 NMFS

contact is Jon McCracken

published a proposed rule for the

vessels using trawl gear in the BSAI. Since 2013,
NMFS has accommodated AFA trawl CVs in the
partial coverage category to carry full coverage on a
voluntary basis. Those vessel owners have been
responsible for both the 1.25% ex-vessel partial
coverage fee, and the daily cost of full coverage.
Volunteers accepted that additional cost because
doing so allowed their AFA cooperatives to better
manage halibut PSC at the vessel level, and
because their vessels would no longer be affected
by the extrapolation of fleet wide PSC rates from
observed vessels.
The Council defined the scope of the potential

National
Standard
Revisions
revisions to the guidelines for

The Council also initiated a discussion paper on a

National Standards 1, 3, and 7 of

regulatory amendment to revise observer provider

the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery

insurance requirements. NMFS wrote a letter

Conservation and Management

responding to the Council’s request for guidance on this

Act. The proposed rule has a June

matter, and recommended that several types of

30, 2015 comment deadline. The

currently required insurance coverage are unnecessary

revisions are described by NMFS

and could be removed from regulation, and other

as a product of lessons learned

elements merit further analysis. The discussion paper

since the implementation of annual

will examine the scope of the proposed regulatory

catch limits and accountability

changes, and will also get input from the national

measures. Shortly after the

discussion on changes to observer provider insurance

proposed rule was published, the

requirements. Staff contact is Diana Evans.

Council formed a special working
group to develop comments on the

action. In consideration of recommendations by the

proposed revisions. The working

Panel, the Council selected a narrowly focused

Electronic Monitoring

range of alternatives. The action alternatives pertain

The Council received a report from the fixed gear

SSC to develop detailed comments

only to AFA trawl CVs. Any full coverage

EM Workgroup about progress towards developing

that will accompany the Council’s

requirement would apply only during BSAI fishing.

an EM pre-implementation plan for 2016, which will

comments on the proposed

The movement of AFA CVs from partial to full

be presented to the Council in October. The

changes. The Council’s major

coverage could be either mandatory (Alternative 2)

Workgroup discussed a process for fixed gear

concerns with the proposed

or voluntary (Alternative 3). If the Council selects a

vessels under 58 ft to opt in to the 2016 EM

revisions center on whether the

voluntary structure, the choice could be framed as

program, with preference given to vessels meeting

changes will be interpreted as

either a one-time permanent decision, or an annual

specified criteria and that express their interest to

requiring amendments to all of the

choice. If vessel owners are permitted to select full

NMFS by July 27, 2015. The Workgroup are still

Council’s FMPs. Although the

or partial coverage on an annual basis, that choice

finalizing a recommendation on criteria, which will

revisions are characterized by

would need to be made by July 1 of the preceding

also depend on the size of the EM pool and

NMFS as improving flexibility for

calendar year. Neither of the action alternatives

deployment options for 2016. The current working

the Councils, and some needed

would require full coverage for trawl CVs delivering

draft is posted on the Council’s website. Two more

improvements are made, the new

unsorted codends to motherships, which is

workgroup meetings are scheduled over the

language could set the stage for

consistent with status quo management. The next

summer. Staff contact is Diana Evans.

very different expectations from

Observer Advisory Committee and the Advisory

NMFS about which species to

step for this action is an initial review analysis. Staff
contact is Sam Cunningham.

Tendering
The Council heard testimony citing the importance
both of addressing perceived bias issues with
respect to vessels delivering to tenders, and also
providing more opportunities for observer data to be
collected within the western GOA trawl fleet
delivering to tenders. In response, the Council
raised the priority of its existing amendment
package to revise Observer Program regulations to
change the definition of a trip to end with at the
offload or transfer of all fish from the vessel, rather
than ending at the return to port. As part of this
amendment package, the analysis will consider the

group worked with the Council’s

Call for
Nominations

include in FMPs, how OY is

The Council is soliciting nominations for an
Amendment 80 representative for the Observer
Advisory Committee. Additionally, nominations are
being taken for a Ecoystem Committee seat that
has subsistence and rural Alaska interests.
Nominations for both these seats are due June 25.
Additionally, Duncan Fields was appointed Chair of
the IFQ committee, which will meet prior to the
February 2016 Council meeting. Simon Kinneen
will chair the Rural Outreach Committee which will
meet following Council discussion this fall of the role
and scope of the committee.

These concerns are reflected in the

calculated and characterized, and
how often formal review and
revision of FMP objectives is done.

comment letter drafted by the
Council. Staff contact is Jim
Armstrong.

NPFMC Newsletter
June 2015
Page 3

Research
Priorities
At the June meeting, the Council
adopted its research priorities
for 2016‐2020. This is the first year in
which the Council identified research
priorities under revised priority
categories: “critical on-going
monitoring”, “urgent”, “important (near
term)”, and “strategic (future
needs)”. These categories place less
emphasis on the relative value of
research topics and more emphasis
on the correspondence of research to
the Council’s time horizon of
management concerns. The Council
clarified that the critical on-going
monitoring and urgent categories
reflect research that is needed to
address immediate needs and could
significantly hinder the Council’s

Crab Management WAG Crab
Exemption
The Council reviewed final stock assessments and
set specifications for three crab stocks in the
BSAI: Pribilof Islands golden king crab (PIGKC),
Western Aleutian Islands (Adak) red king crab
(WAIRKC), and Aleutian Islands golden king crab
(AIGKC). OFL and ABC were established based on a
Tier 5 formulation (average catch); biomass
estimates are not available at this time to determine
stock status for these stocks. For all three stocks, the
Council adopted a buffer for the ABC consistent with
the SSC recommendations, and consistent with the
previous fishing season for that stock.

in that urgent research needs include
projects that would have a limited
duration while critical on-going
monitoring applies to projects that
generate time-series of data and for
which interruption of the time series
would significantly diminish the value
of the data. The important and
strategic categories include research

from each other in the timeframe for
which the data generated will likely
meet management needs. The
Council continues to highlight
the importance of research
addressing integrated
ecosystem‐based management,
salmon bycatch issues and stellar
sea lion interactions. A web‐based
interface for organizing and
cataloguing research priorities is
publically accessible and is linked to
from the Council’s website. The
Council’s revised research plan for is
posted on the website. Staff contact
is Jim Armstrong.

NPFMC Newsletter
June 2015
Page 4

exemption that would allow vessels participating
in the Western Aleutian golden king crab (WAG)
fishery to continue fishing after offloading a
portion of their retained catch. Under current
Federal regulations, a vessel participating in a
crab rationalization fishery is not permitted to
processor and resume fishing for additional crab,
prior to delivering the remainder of the catch.
The Council established the action alternative of
creating an exemption from this regulation for the
WAG fishery as a preliminary preferred
alternative.
The issue was first raised in February of 2015,

Additionally, due to public testimony, the Council
tasked staff with a discussion paper to consider
removing the WAIRKC in Area O, east of 179° W
from the BSAI king and Tanner crab FMP, and
allowing the State of Alaska to take full management
responsibility. Staff contact is Sarah Marrinan.
At the end of this month, there will be a CIE review of
General Model for Alaskan Crabs Stocks (GMACs)
and its implementation for Bristol Bay Red King
Assessment (BBRKC): June 29 – July 1, 2015, from
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. AFSC

when stakeholders of the WAG fishery provided
public testimony to the Council. Stakeholders
indicated that the processing company operating
in Adak has taken advantage of the live market
for WAG, but the amount of crab they can
receive is constrained by the capacity of the
commercial airliner that lands twice weekly in
Adak. Therefore this live crab market opportunity
is possible for small deliveries at a time. Relaxing
the full offload regulation for this specific fishery
could allow vessels harvesting in the WAG

topics that represent less pressing
management issues and also differ

Public Review that considers a regulatory

deliver a portion of their retained harvest to a
The SSC also commented on presentations for EBS
snow and Tanner crab, Bristol Bay red king crab,
Pribilof Island red king crab, and St. Matthew Island
blue king crab, and made recommendations on a
variety of other crab relevant issues identified by the
Crab Plan Team. The SSC was glad to see a
workshop on data poor stocks is planned for fall
2015.

ability to fulfill its management
obligations. These categories differ

The Council moved an analysis forward for

Staff Tasking
In addition to discussing the timing and relative
priority of previously tasked projects, and tasking for
various workgroups and committees, the Council
provided clarifications on several important issues.
Additionally, the Council tasked the following be
prepared by staff:
 Letter to NMFS commenting on the proposed
changes to National Standard 1 guidelines.
 Request for emergency action to allocate an
additional 1,600 Chinook salmon to the GOA nonpollock, non-rockfish program catcher vessels for
the remainder of 2015.
 Regulatory Amendment to allow reapportionment
of GOA Chinook PSC cap among sectors.
 Prepare a discussion paper that examines options
for leasing halibut in Area 4BCDE in years with low
quota for harvest by CDQ residents.

fishery to make partial deliveries and continue
harvesting crab before fully offloading at a
processor that could accommodate the full
volume of crab onboard these catcher vessels.
The Council is considering this action due to 1)
the remote and economically challenging
characteristics of the fishery, 2) the possibility of
mutual benefits to harvesters, the local
processor, and the community, and 3)
consistency with previous Council action that
intended to encourage entrepreneurial activity
related to fisheries in the Western Aleutian
Islands. Final action is scheduled for October.
Staff contact is Sarah Marrinan.

DRAFT NPFMC THREE-MEETING OUTLOOK - updated 6/15/2015
October 5-13, 2015
Anchorage, AK
North Pacific Climate Vulnerability Assessment:Review (T)
Halibut Management Framework: Report
GOA Trawl Bycatch Management: Review Paper

December 7-15, 2015
Anchorage, AK
Enforcement Precepts: Review Paper
Halibut Management Framework: Next Steps
GOA Trawl Bycatch Management: Action as necessary (T)

Charter Halibut RQE Program: Preliminary Review (T)

Charter Halibut RQE Program: Initial Review (T)
Charter Halibut Measures for 2016

Charter Halibut RQE Program: Final Action (T)

Halibut/Sablefish IFQ program review: Review outline (T)

Halibut/Sablefish IFQ program review:Cttee Rep/Workplan (T)

AI Pcod A/B Seasonal Apportionment: Discussion paper
AI Pcod Allocation: Final Action
AFA program review: Review Workplan

February 1-9, 2016
Portland, OR

GOA Trawl Bycatch Management: Action as necessary (T)

Observer Program 2016 Annual Deployment Plan: Review
EM Workgroup recommendation for 2016 Pre-implementation
Observer coverage on BSAI trawl CVs: Initial Review
100% Observer coverage for GOA Trawl: Discussion paper

Observer coverage on BSAI trawl CVs: Final Action (T)

Biomass based BSAI Halibut PSC Limits: Discussion paper
Halibut Deck Sorting Scales 2016 EFP: Review
GOA Salmon PSC Reapportionment: Preliminary Review
BS FEP: Discussion paper, Ecosystem Ctte Report (T)
Groundfish Policy and Workplan: Review (T)
Proposed groundfish harvest specs: Approve; PT report
WAI GKC Partial Offloads: Final Action

Am 80 Coop Reports on 2016 Halibut PSC Management Plans
Area 4 Halibut Leasing Options for CDQ Vessels: Disc paper
GOA Salmon PSC Reapportionment: Initial/Final Review (T)

BSAI Crab SAFE/ specs for 6 stocks: Approve; PT report

AI RKC Stocks in FMP: Discussion paper (T)

Observer Tendering: Initial Review (T)

Final groundfish harvest specs: Approve; PT report
Halibut DMRs 2016-2018: Review and approve

ITEMS BELOW NOT YET SCHEDULED
Salmon genetics spatial/temporal refinement: Disc Paper
EM Integration: Initial Review (October 2016)
EFH 5-year Review: Review Draft Report (April 2016)
BSAI Crab bycatch limits/area closure evaluation: Disc paper
Observer Lead Level 2: Discussion paper for Reg Am
Observer Insurance Requirements: Disc paper for Reg Am

Pribilof Canyon Corals: Receive Report/Next Steps
Enforcement Precepts: Enforcement Cttee Review

AI - Aleutian Islands
AFA - American Fisheries Act
BiOp - Biological Opinion
BSAI - Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands
BKC - Blue King Crab
BOF - Board of Fisheries
CQE - Community Quota Entity
CDQ - Community Development Quota
EM - Electronic monitoring
EFH - Essential Fish Habitat
EFP - Exempted Fishing Permit
EIS - Environmental Impact Statement
FEP - Fishery Ecosystem Plan
FLL - Freezer longliners
GOA - Gulf of Alaska
GKC - Golden King Crab
GHL - Guideline Harvest Level

BSAI Crab 10-year Review: Review Report (T)

HAPC - Habitat Areas of Particular Concern
IFQ - Individual Fishing Quota
ICA - Inter-cooperative Agreements
IPA - Incentive Program Agreements
LLP - Limited License Plan
MPA - Marine Protected Area
MRA - Maximum Retainable Allowance
PSC - Prohibited Species Catch
RKC - Red King Crab
ROFR - Right of First Refusal
RQE - Recreational Quota Entity
SIR - Supplemental Information Report
SSC - Scientific and Statistical Committee
SAFE - Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation
SSL - Steller Sea Lion
TAC - Total Allowable Catch
VMS - Vessel Monitoring System

Future Meeting Dates and Locations
October 5-13, 2015 Anchorage
December 7-15, 2015, Anchorage
February 1-9, 2016, Portland
April 4 - 12, 2016, Anchorage
June 6-14 , 2016, Kodiak
October 3 -11, 2016 Anchorage
December 5-13, 2016, Anchorage

(T) = Tentative