Purpose and Need

Amendment 13 was proposed to combine the Western and Central GOA regulatory areas into one unit for pollock management and increase the pollock optimum yield (OY) for the combined area. The amendment was based on new scientific information and analysis which indicated that: 1) the pollock resource would be managed more effectively and the possibility of over- or under-harvest would be minimized if the Western and Central areas were combined, and 2) the exploitable biomass of pollock and therefore the amount available for harvest have increased substantially for those areas and supports an increase in OY.

The amendment was necessary to allow the pollock resource in the Western and Central Gulf to be managed as one stock. It was intended to provide optimum harvest of the pollock resource and to prevent undue restriction and economic hardship to the domestic groundfish fishery, by allowing both the harvest of the increased surplus production of the pollock resource and the distribution of fishing effort according to pollock availability.

Analysis

An emergency interim rule to implement Amendment 13 and a 30-page supplemental EA/Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (IRFA) (draft dated January 1984) were written. The emergency interim rule went into effect on March 23, 1984 (49 FR 10931) and was extended through September 18, 1984 (49 FR 24142).  In addition to the status quo, the analysis evaluated the impacts of increasing the pollock OY. Projections of exploitable biomass of pollock in the Western and Central Gulf were made for 1984-1986 for five different levels of OY and four different recruitment scenarios. 

Regulation Summary

The final regulations contained the following two actions: 

1) Adjusted the management of the pollock resource by combining the Western and Central Regulatory Areas of the Gulf of Alaska for managing the pollock fisheries only; and

2) Increased the optimum yield for the combined area from 200,000 mt to 400,000 mt.

Results

The pollock OY was increased to 400,000 mt for the Western/Central Gulf. Since the amendment was passed, the Western and Central regulatory areas have been separated and an allowable biological catch (ABC) and total allowable catch (TAC) is set for each area (Amendment 25). Exploitable biomass and catches of Gulf pollock have varied over the years, and major exploitable concentrations are found primarily in the Western and Central areas. In 2019, the Gulf-wide TAC was 141,227 mt with the Western and Central areas apportioned 24,875 and 101,831 mt, respectively.

Through Amendments 25, 45, and 49, management of pollock has considered the importance of pollock as a significant prey source for Steller sea lions. Amendment 70 established a modified harvest control rule that prohibited directed fishing if pollock falls below 20% of the unfished level.