96 Sharks, Sculpins, and Octopus as Target Species
Purpose and Need
As part of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006 (MSRA), new requirements for annual catch limits (ACLs) and accountability measures (AMs) were introduced to reinforce existing requirements to prevent overfishing and rebuild fisheries. This measure was to be immediately applied to overfished fisheries, but could be delayed until the 2011 fishing year for fisheries not overfished. Since none of the Alaska groundfish fisheries were overfished the implementation of ACLs and AMs could be delayed until 2011. Additionally, BSAI and GOA groundfish FMPs were out of compliance with the “other species” management strategy National Standard 1 (NS1) guidelines set in 2009. Each year the overfishing limit (OFL), acceptable biological catch (ABC), and total allowable catch (TAC) are established for the “other species” group as a whole. For this reason, NS1 standards dictated that the “other species” category must be comprised of species with similar life histories. The FMPs combined the management of shortlived invertebrates like squid and octopus with long-lived vertebrates like shark and skate. In the BSAI FMP skate, shark, sculpin, and octopus groups were managed as a complex, and in the GOA FMP shark, sculpin, octopus, and squid were managed as a complex. NMFS trawl surveys and catch information showed the 15 species of skate inhabited the BSAI, with different species abundances occurring in each sub-region. Based on the new information available, the Council decided to address the current management strategy of managing the skate group as a whole or individual skate species in the BSAI.
Analysis
A 9-page RIR and 75-page EA were prepared for Amendment 96. Three alternatives were analyzed to bring the FMPs into compliance with MRSA and NS1 standards. Six alternatives were considered but not carried forward because they did not comply with NS1 guideline
Regulation Summary
BSAI Amendment 96 and GOA Amendment 87 continued to allow the management of BSAI and GOA sharks, sculpins, octopuses, and GOA squids as a group for the purposes of prohibited species catch (PSC), but the term “other species” was removed from the paragraphs related to harvest limits, reserves, harvest specifications, and fishery closures to ensure consistency with “target species” management under Amendment 96 and Amendment 87. Both amendments brought BSAI and GOA FMPS into compliance with MRSA ACL and AM requirements
Results
While Amendment 95 and 96 were initiated by the Council in October 2009 and April 2010, respectively, they were combined as a proposed rule as both Amendments created separate target species complexes in the BSAI groundfish FMP.