Purpose and Need

The amendment was proposed in response to socioeconomic concerns of the fishing industry and the need for stability in the trawl gear and fixed gear (longline, pot, and jig) fleets that target Pacific cod. The fishery was exhibiting numerous overcapitalization problems such as compressed fishing seasons, high bycatch and waste, gear conflicts, and an overall reduction in benefit from the fishery.  At the April 1993 meeting, the Council developed a problem statement that focused on resolving overcapitalization in the BSAI Pacific cod fishery. In June, the Council recommended three management measures to be implemented through 1996: 1) allocation of the BSAI Pacific cod initial Total Allowable Catch (TAC) among the jig gear, fixed (longline and pot) gear, and trawl gear fleets;  2) seasonally apportion the amount of Pacific cod TAC allocated to vessels using longline or pot gear; and 3) provide the authority to reallocate Pacific cod from the trawl sector to the longline and pot sectors, and vice versa, if NMFS determines that one gear group or the other will not be able to harvest its full allocation. The part of the jig gear harvest that is expected to go unharvested would also be reallocated to the trawl and longline or pot sectors. 

The Council’s action was intended to provide industry and community stability by directly allocating to gear groups approximately the average percent of Pacific cod taken with these gear types during the years 1991-1993. While the fixed and trawl gear fleet were allocated about their average catch, the amendment allowed for a substantial increase in the share of the fixed gear catch taken with jig gear. This was intended to increase participation of small, shore-based vessels. Without explicit gear allocations, the Pacific cod fishery would continue to operate under an open access situation, and the amount of cod taken by each gear group would be based on how well individual vessels compete among gear groups. A direct allocation combined with seasonal apportionment in the fixed gear sector was expected to provide the potential for each gear group to increase the average benefits received from the harvest of Pacific cod.

Analysis

A 77-page EA/RIR/IRFA (final draft dated October 1993) and a separate volume of nine appendices were prepared for this amendment.  Two types of changes were considered: the direct allocation to gear groups and the seasonal apportionment of the fixed gear BSAI Pacific cod allocation.  The analysis determined that the preferred alternative would provide stability in terms of the distribution of catch between the trawl and non-trawl fisheries, improve the current situation by reducing salmon and other prohibited species bycatch rates, and provide information to develop more effective management measures in the future. 

Regulation Summary

Amendment 24 was proposed to authorize the explicit allocation of BSAI Pacific cod among vessels using trawl, hook-and-line or pot gear, and jig gear through 1996.  The alternative adopted and approved allocated the BSAI Pacific cod TAC to the jig gear (2%), hook-and-line or pot gear (44%) and trawl gear (54%) fleets. The action also authorized the seasonal apportionment of the Pacific cod TAC for hook-and-line and pot gear, creating three four-month seasons. In addition, the regulation allowed for the reallocation of Pacific cod from the trawl sector to the longline and pot sectors, and vice versa, if NMFS determines that one gear group or the other will not be able to harvest its full allocation.

Results

The BSAI Pacific cod allocations resulting from Amendment 24 were approved through 1996. At the December 1995 Council meeting, it was noted that while the action provided the necessary stability to the various gear sectors, significant regulatory, economic, and biological changes had occurred in the Pacific cod fishery since the amendment was implemented in 1994. These changes were incorporated into the original analysis with a specific focus on prohibited species mortality, impacts on habitat, and cod discards by the different gear sectors. In June 1996, the Council approved Amendment 46 to continue allocations of the Pacific cod TAC, revising the allocation as follows: 51% to fixed gear, 47% to trawl gear, and 2% to jig gear. Most recently, the Council approved BSAI Amendment 64 (October 1999), to further split the BSAI Pacific cod fixed gear allocation between freezer longline, catcher longline and pot vessels.