Purpose and Need

This omnibus amendment was designed to conform the Gulf of Alaska groundfish plan to the newly adopted Bering Sea plan, enhance management, and protect incidentally caught species. The establishment of four species categories was designed to allow more flexible treatment of species caught incidentally to the target species. Information on squid, rockfish, and several other species was found insufficient to warrant optimum yields for the three main regulatory areas in the Gulf, so their management was changed to Gulf-wide. Sablefish management also needed changes because the growing U.S. fishery tended to fish in too localized an area off Southeast. The Eastern area thus was divided into three smaller areas to spread the fishery out. Requiring biodegradable panels was intended to reduce ghost fishing by lost sablefish pots.

The purpose of modifying the timing of reserve releases was to allow for increased catches by domestic fisheries.  The 20% of OY reserve for each species of groundfish enabled managers to provide fish to domestic fishermen if they needed it, or release it to the foreigners if the domestic fisheries did not need it. The new schedule of releases was designed to give domestic fishermen more time to demonstrate their needs. 

Analysis

An 8-page environmental assessment (undated) was prepared for this plan amendment. Each of the alternatives was briefly compared to the status quo at the time. Very little was done in the way of economic analysis of the alternatives.

Regulation Summary

The amendment included six measures:

1) Change plan management year to January 1- December 31 and remove plan expiration date;

2) Set Gulf-wide OY for squid, thornyhead rockfish, other rockfish, and other species;

3) Establish four species categories: target species, other species, unallocated species, and non-specified species;

4) Establish three regulatory districts for sablefish management: Yakutat, Southeast Outside, and Southeast Inside;

5) Adjust reserve release schedule to 40% in April, 40% in June, 20% in August; allow transfer of domestic allocations to foreign Total Allowable Level of Foreign Fishing (TALFF); and

6) Require biodegradable panels on sablefish pots.

A seventh measure which would have authorized the Regional Director to issue field orders to resolve gear conflicts between foreign and domestic fishermen, was disapproved by NMFS for lack of specificity on January 11, 1982.

Results

Parts 1 and 2 mainly were administrative changes that facilitated management of the fisheries. Part 3 replaced three categories with four to alleviate operational problems with fishermen having to report non-target species in the “other species” category. Under that system, there was a threat of closure of the groundfish fishery when one of those species of no commercial value was present in high abundance. This replaced Amendment 5, which had created a new species category of ‘rattails, grenadiers’. The term “unallocated species” replaced the term “prohibited species”. In 1988, this category was changed back to “prohibited species’ under Amendment 16, and included crab, herring, salmon and other species that must be avoided, and if caught, must be returned to the sea immediately. 

The sablefish management areas subsequently were revised to further divide the Yakutat area, but other than that remain mostly intact. The schedule for the release of the 20% reserve was used until the mid-1980s. With the withdrawal of foreign fleets from 1986 on, the reserves were released mainly at the first of the season when the final groundfish specifications are set. The Council banned the use of sablefish pots in the GOA in 1985, but under Amendment 101, sablefish longline pots were reauthorized in the GOA. At present, biodegradable panels are required in all groundfish and crab pot gear.