How Are Alaskan Groundfish Managed?
An Elected Council Works To Prevent Overharvest Of Alaskan Fisheries
Groundfish include such species as pollock, Pacific cod, Atka mackerel, and various flatfish and rockfish species. These fisheries fall under federal management of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), from 3 to 200 miles offshore.
The Fishery Conservation Act of 1976 (commonly known as the Magnuson-Stevens Act) is the primary legislation providing comprehensive federal authority in managing fisheries in the EEZ. It mandates a fishery management framework that assigns advisory oversight for domestic fisheries to eight regional fishery management councils, under the governance of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).
How The North Pacific Fishery Management Council Works
Alaskan groundfish fisheries fall under the management of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC). This council is comprised of delegates with working knowledge of Alaska’s fisheries and marine ecosystems, representing commercial and recreational user groups, state and federal agencies, and the public. The delegates serve as a democratic decision-making body that is advised by fishery scientists, user groups and environmental organizations. The council members and advisors work together to develop fishery management plans (FMP’s) and regulations for the fisheries. Their suggested plans and regulations are sent to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce for approval. The secretary has the final authority in approving or denying the recommendations, however, that authority is usually delegated to NMFS.
The Role Of Catch Limits
Representatives of NMFS and the council assert that Alaska’s groundfish fisheries remain relatively healthy as a result of well thought out science and strict annual catch limits. Each target stock is assigned three harvest levels: the Over-Fishing Level (OFL), the Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC), and the Total Allowable Catch (TAC). The OFL defines the unacceptable, unsustainable harvest. The ABC defines the acceptable degree of harvest from a biological perspective. The TAC is essentially the annual catch limit for the fishery, and is set at, or below, the ABC and includes social and economic considerations. Finally, the catch of all species combined is limited by an additional overall “optimum yield” cap which offers additional precautionary insulation.
Science And Statistical Committee
Many factors temper the NPFMC’s deliberations in setting their annual catch limits, but science weighs in heavily. In the 30 years since the Fishery Conservation Act was initiated, the North Pacific Council has never set a catch limit exceeding the recommendations of its Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC), which is comprised of more than a dozen prominent fisheries and marine scientists.
Their decisions consider natural mortality of target fish caused by predation from marine mammals, seabirds and other fish species, and factor this information into the annual stock assessment analysis by which individual species annual catch limits are based. Decisions are further informed by an ecosystem considerations report that supplements the annual stock assessment and fishery evaluation report. This chapter provides an annual assessment of the ecosystem, a review of literature in the discipline of ecosystem-based management, updates regarding ongoing research, local observations from coastal dwellers and fishermen, and any new information concerning the status of habitat, marine mammals, seabirds or other components in the North Pacific ecosystem.
Real-Time Catch Monitoring
The catch limits and bycatch limits themselves are strictly adhered to, as in-season management of these fisheries is based on information from onboard NMFS observers (100 percent coverage on vessels over 125 feet, and 30 percent coverage on vessels over 60 feet). Catch reporting is electronically communicated in real-time and administered by NMFS. Both retained and discarded catch counts toward the annual limit, and when those limits are reached, the fisheries are closed.
The NPFMC’s Impact
The council’s approach has been validated in the last several years in a number of ways. First, the Pew Ocean Commission Report, an independent national fisheries management review published in 2003, praised the NPFMC for its conservative approach to fisheries management, particularly its extensive use of observers and its conservative TAC’s. And the recent reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act earlier this year–which governs all the national councils–included a number of provisions modeled after the NPFMC. Three modifications in particular were 1) giving greater attention to the structure of the scientific and statistical committees and how those bodies are used for independent assessment of the science underlying fisheries quotas; 2) establishing annual catch limits whose determination is based on better science; and 3) improving accountability on how those catch limits are monitored.
The Future Of Fishery Management?
Historically, many social groups have overcome the threats of resource degradation, by developing and maintaining self governance. The relatively healthy state of the North Pacific groundfish fisheries, the NPFMC’s influence on the reauthorized Magnuson-Stevens Act, and the approval offered by the independent Pew Oceans Commission, suggests the NPFMC is governing the North Pacific fisheries fairly well. Even more important is the fact that the council seems infused with a conservative, science based culture vital to maintaining sustainable fisheries.
It is hoped that other fisheries managers are watching, and learning.
