OPINION: North Pacific Fishery Management Council is acting to reduce bycatch

In a recent opinion piece, Brooke Woods, Linda Behnken and Nanci Morris Lyon stated, “Federal fisheries off Alaska are managed via the dictates of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC), which has done little to address the trawl fleet’s enormous bycatch of species immeasurably important to Alaskans.” Nothing could be further from the truth.

The council adopted hard caps for chinook salmon in the Bering Sea trawl pollock fisheries that vary depending upon the expected returns to western Alaska rivers. When expected returns are low, the caps are adjusted downward. Additionally, the fishing industry has stepped forward to implement chinook salmon avoidance measures that hold each vessel accountable for limiting bycatch to below the caps. In fact, the fleet is well below their caps, recognizing the need to rebuild these stocks.

The NPFMC has also initiated an analysis to establish a cap on chum salmon bycatch in the Bering Sea trawl pollock fisheries. These caps are intended to reduce bycatch of Western Alaska origin chum salmon with options to tie caps to expected abundance levels like is done for chinook salmon. The council also included mechanisms for the fleet to implement chum salmon avoidance measures with vessel-level accountability to minimize bycatch to the extent practicable. This issue is complicated by the fact that on average 82% of the chum bycatch is not Western Alaska chum but primarily Asian and Russian origin chum. This does not preclude action, but it makes the issue more complex.

The NPFMC also adopted regulations to reduce halibut bycatch in Bering Sea non-pollock trawl fisheries. The abundance-based management program sets allowable bycatch limits annually based on halibut abundance and will go into effect in 2024.

The NPFMC is also considering further fishing restrictions in a long-established closure area and a potential new closure area in the Bering Sea to address the recent climate-related declines in crab populations. In the Gulf of Alaska, the NPFMC is evaluating whether further protections are needed for Tanner crab through expansion of existing closure areas or other means. They also support expanded research to better understand and manage the causes of the declines.

In the coming years, the NPFMC is considering looking at gear modifications to reduce bycatch in both bottom and midwater trawls. Research is currently underway to inform such potential actions. The council will also be looking at means to reduce bycatch in other federally managed fisheries such as rockfish in longline industry and crab discard in the directed crab fisheries.

In sum, the NPFMC is addressing bycatch of species that are immeasurably important to Alaskans and the nation using a deliberative process required by federal statute. In recent years, the NPFMC has initiated and adopted several actions in response to concerns about bycatch in federal fisheries while also providing for safe and sustainable U.S. fisheries based on the best scientific information available, unlike seafood produced by many other nations. Also, the National Standards guidance as currently written has clearly not constrained the Council’s ability to take meaningful action to minimize bycatch.

I support these actions and strongly encourage Alaskans to continue participating in the NPFMC process. Your participation is critical to help identify solutions for addressing bycatch concerns in federal fisheries.

Doug Vincent-Lang is the commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

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