111 Halibut Prohibited Species Catch Limits
Purpose and Need
Declines in the exploitable biomass of halibut since the late 1990s, and decreases in the Pacific halibut catch limits set by the IPHC for the BSAI commercial halibut fisheries (IPHC Area 4) have raised concerns about the levels of halibut PSC by the commercial groundfish trawl and hookand-line (longline) sectors. The declines were most evident beginning in 2012 for the commercial halibut Analysis for Revising BSAI Halibut PSC Limits, January 2016 20 fishery in the northern and eastern Bering Sea (Area 4CDE), The Council acknowledged that BSAI halibut PSC levels had declined in some sectors since the current PSC limits were implemented, and that PSC does not reach the established sector limits in most years. The Council also recognized efforts by the groundfish industry to reduce total halibut PSC in the BSAI. However, these efforts had the unintended effect of concentrating groundfish fishing effort in Area 4CDE, and increasing the proportion of Area 4CDE halibut exploitable biomass taken as PSC since 2011. In 2014, the levels of halibut PSC in Area 4CDE increased relative to 2013. Based on the stated IPHC harvest policy and the estimates of exploitable biomass and PSC, the 2015 commercial halibut fishery catch limit for halibut in Area 4CDE could have been reduced to a level that the halibut industry deemed insufficient to maintain an economically viable fishery in some communities. The Council did not have authority to set catch limits for the commercial halibut fisheries, and halibut PSC in the groundfish fisheries is only one of the factors that affects harvest limits for the commercial halibut fisheries. Nonetheless, halibut PSC in the groundfish fisheries was a significant portion of total mortality in BSAI IPHC areas and had the potential to affect catch limits for the commercial halibut fisheries in Area 4 under the current IPHC harvest policy. While the impact of halibut PSC reductions on catch limits for commercial halibut fisheries is dependent on IPHC policy and management decisions, reductions to halibut PSC limits in the BSAI could provide additional harvest opportunities in the BSAI commercial halibut fishery.
Analysis
The EA/RIR/IRFA prepared for this action
analyzed two action alternatives and six
options. The EA concluded that the
cumulative impacts of the proposed action
are determined to be not significant. The
RIR determined that, given the degree of
centralization of ownership of the directly
engaged BSAI groundfish fishery sectors in
Seattle, and the centralization of the support
services provided by Seattle-based firms,
potential adverse impacts associated with
the BSAI halibut PSC limit revisions overall
would largely accrue to Seattle in particular
and the Pacific Northwest in general
Regulation Summary
Amendment 111 reduced PSC limits for Pacific halibut in the BSAI groundfish fisheries in four groundfish sectors and established the following halibut PSC limits: 1,745 mt for the Amendment 80 sector (a 25% reduction) 745 mt for the BSAI trawl limited access sector (a 15% reduction) 710 mt for the non-trawl sector (a 15% reduction) 315 mt for the Western Alaska CDQ Program (a 20% reduction) This results in an overall BSAI halibut PSC limit of 3,515 mt, a 21% reduction.
Results
It is too early to gauge the success of Amendment 111.