The Agenda for the April NP Council meeting is now online and documents are beginning to be become available, including the State of Alaska’s petition to the Alaska Supreme Court to repeal the Ninth Circuit’s decision that Cook Inlet and the other state salmon fisheries that overlap with federal waters (Alaska Peninsula and Prince Willam Sound) will need to be managed under a federal fishery management plan (FMP). The petition also argues that the Ninth Circuit’s decision would also apply to and require an FMP for other non-salmon fisheries overlapping with federal waters that NMFS previously deemed are better managed by the State. This would include the Tanner crab fishery in the Gulf of Alaska and lingcod throughout Alaska.
Also on the agenda for the April meeting is a discussion paper on abundance-based prohibited species catch (PSC) limits for halibut. Halibut PSC is currently set at a fixed limit in metric tons. When halibut abundance decreases, this limit is a larger portion of the total removals and directed fishery catch limits are lowered. In times of high abundance, the groundfish fisheries can be constrained by the fixed PSC limit. The Council is looking at options for linking halibut PSC limits to abundance.
The agenda for the April NP Council meeting is here:
http://legistar2.granicus.com/npfmc/meetings/2017/4/955_A_North_Pacific_Council_17-04-03_Meeting_Agenda.pdf
Click on C2 State vs UCIDA to read the full petition.
Comments for the April meeting are due by 5:00pm Tuesday, March 28th. Please email them to [email protected]
Alaska Airlines has a discount code for 7% off travel to the April NP Council meeting. To take advantage of your discount, go to www.alaskaair.com, click on ‘use discount code,’ enter your origin/destination city and travel dates, enter discount code ECMJ150 and click on ‘Find Flights.’