Purpose and Need

Four problems were identified in the GOA groundfish fisheries:

1) inability to efficiently adjust harvest guidelines;

2) inadequate reporting requirements;

3) inadequate protection of king crab near Kodiak Island; and

4) inadequate in-season management authority.

Analysis

A 44-page EA/RIR/IRFA (final draft dated October 1986) was prepared for this amendment. Two alternatives (in addition to the status quo) were examined for actions 1, 3 and 4. One alternative to the status quo was examined for action 2.

Regulation Summary

The Secretary of Commerce sent out an emergency rule for immediate implementation of certain parts of the proposed amendment prior to implementation of this final rule.

Regulations designated the following:

1) a multispecies OY, as a Gulf-wide range of 116,000-800,000 mt, set a framework procedure to set target quotas for each species category, and set administrative procedures for setting PSC limits in the Gulf fishery;

2) revised recordkeeping and reporting requirements such that at-sea catcher/processor and mothership vessels must submit weekly catch reports regardless of how long their catch was retained before landing;

3) Type I, Type II and Type III areas for special bottom trawl restrictions to protect king crab. Type I areas have very high king crab concentrations and, to promote rebuilding of the crab stocks, are closed all year to all trawling except with pelagic gear. Type II areas have lower crab concentrations and are only closed to non-pelagic gear from February 15 through June 15. Type III areas are adjacent to Type I and II areas and have been identified as important juvenile king crab rearing or migratory areas. Type III areas become operational following a determination that a "recruitment event" has occurred. The Regional Administrator will classify the expanded Type III area as either Type I or II, depending on the information available. A "recruitment event" is defined as the appearance of female king crab in substantially increased numbers (when the total number of females estimated for a given district equals the number of females established as a threshold criterion for opening that district to commercial crab fishing). A recruitment event closure will continue until a commercial crab fishery opens for that district or the number of crabs drops below the threshold level for that district.

The Alitak Flats/Towers and Marmot Flats areas are Type I areas, closed to non-pelagic trawls all year. Chirikof Island and Barnabas are Type II areas, closed to non-pelagic trawls from February 15 to June 15. These areas encompass 80% to 90% of the known female king crab stocks. When necessary, Type III areas will be closed by regulatory amendment; the Regional Administrator will specify which of the Type III areas are closed and whether the closure is for an entire year or only a portion of a year;

4) authority to the Secretary of Commerce to make certain inseason changes to gear regulations, seasons, and harvest quotas.

Results

The OY for the Gulf has remained unchanged, but the TACs are adjusted annually based on updated information. In the last several years, the sum of the GOA groundfish TACs were 427,512 t (2018), 535,863 t (2017), and 590,809 t (2016).

Recordkeeping and reporting requirements have been further modified via GOA Amendments 17 and 18, as well as regulatory amendments, however, weekly reporting by at-sea vessels is still required.

When the Kodiak red king crab trawl closure areas were first implemented, they included a three-year sunset. These closure areas were renewed in Amendment 18, which was in effect for 1990-92. Amendment 26 extended the closures permanently, and Amendment 89 added other closures intended to protect Tanner crabs and benthic habitat in Marmot Bay. Nonetheless, king crab stocks in the vicinity of Kodiak Island remain depressed.