Purpose and Need

Expansion of a fishery for these species in the central GOA in the mid-1990's was believed to possibly result in unsustainable black and blue rockfish catches. Two problems with Federal management of black and blue rockfish were identified: 

1) The total allowable catch (TAC) for all pelagic shelf rockfish (PSR) species was based on a triennial trawl survey. Survey catches are dominated (93 – 99%) by the underexploited dusky rockfish. This led to acceptable harvest levels for the PSR assemblage as a whole, but may be inappropriate for lower black and blue rockfish stocks;

2) The trawl survey only samples fish on or near a smooth bottom. However, most black and blue rockfish occur in rocky nearshore reef habitats that are not sampled by this survey. 

Amendment 46 was to implement more responsive, regionally-based, management of these species than is currently possible under the FMP. The intended effect of this action was to:

1) prevent localized overfishing of black and blue rockfish stocks; 

2) provide for more responsive State management; and

3) repeal duplicative Federal regulations.

Analysis

A 31-page analysis (Secretarial Review draft dated January 6, 1998) identified 1,416 catcher vessels that participated in the GOA groundfish fishery in 1996. Of those, 302 vessels, or 21%, were presumably affected by the proposed action. Those vessels landed 973,443 lb of black rockfish, most in the directed jig-gear fishery, at an estimated value of $344,000. Removing black and blue rockfish from the PSR TAC was predicted to encourage the development of a small vessel fishery targeting under-exploited black and blue rockfish stocks in the Western and Eastern GOA. At the same time, the State was predicted to more effectively manage potentially overexploited stocks in the Central GOA and increase their long-term yield.

Another alternative which was examined would have kept black and blue rockfishes in the FMP and assigned management authority for them to the State of Alaska. Similar management authority was granted to the State to address similar management problems for demersal shelf rockfish (DSR) in Southeast Alaska under Amendment 14 and clarified under GOA Amendment 21. This alternative was rejected because under delegated authority, the state would need to meet federal requirements that were deemed unwieldy. Further, the state believed it could not meet the costly assessment needs required under a federal plan for the nearshore complex in the near future; though conservation was assured through precautionary management.

Regulation Summary

Amendment 46 removed black and blue rockfishes from the FMP.

Results

Black and blue rockfishes are no longer federally managed. The State of Alaska (State) now regulates fishing for these species by vessels registered under Alaska law to provide for more responsive management and prevent localized overfishing of black and blue rockfish stocks.