North Pacific Fisheries Council Votes to Reduce Trawl Halibut Bycatch
Pacific Halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) range map, Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Thanks to the support and testimony of hundreds of Alaskans, including many Alaska Wildlife Alliance members, the North Pacific Fisheries Council voted on Monday to reduce trawl halibut bycatch in the Bering Sea. As summarized by KDLL reporter, Sabine Poux, in Council ties limits on Bering Sea trawlers to halibut abundance, “Under the new guidelines, when halibut abundance is high, the fleet could catch the same amount of bycatch it is limited to now. But when halibut abundance is very low, that cap would drop by 35 percent.” The new limits only apply to the Washington-based Amendment 80 fleet, which catch and process groundfish in the Bering Sea.
Leading up to the vote, Alaska Wildlife Alliance joined numerous Alaska Native groups (including the Aleut Community of St.Paul), a bipartisan coalition of Alaska legislators, and fishermen’s associations across the state in supporting the greatest halibut bycatch reduction option before the council, known as Alternative 4. We signed a joint letter requesting that the North Pacific Fisheries Council adopt Alternative 4, and joined a chorus of hundreds of other commentors across the North Pacific calling for dramatic bycatch reduction.
On Monday, the council approved a hybrid regulation between Alternative 3 and Alternative 4, which ties bycatch to the halibut population and caps bycatch by as much as 35 percent. NOAA Fisheries will have to review the final action before it goes into effect.
Never before have Alaskans from all regions and sectors come together in this way to support unified action to protect our fisheries and communities. We are honored to have stood with Alaskan communities, Tribes, and fishing industries in support of reduced bycatch, and will continue to advocate for intact marine habitat across Alaska.
We thank all the members and supporters who took action to support this effort!
Read more:
Alaska Wildlife Alliance call to action blog
Council cuts Alaska halibut bycatch caps for groundfish fleet, Jessica Hathaway
Council ties limits on Bering Sea trawlers to halibut abundance, Sabine Poux
Fishery council approves new restrictions on Bering Sea trawl fleet’s incidental take of halibut, Hal Bernton
Tribal, commercial fishing groups call for drastic reductions in trawl salmon bycatch, Sage Smiley
Fishery council must act to reduce Alaska halibut bycatch, Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, Kevin McCabe, Dan Ortiz and Sarah Vance
