Notice2022-12135
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Request for Information on Bristol Bay Red King Crab Mortality Mitigation Measures
Primary source
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Published
June 6, 2022
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) is requesting information from the public on ways to reduce fishing related mortality for Bristol Bay red king crab (BBRKC). Information from commercial fishing sectors is critical to that effort and, therefore, the Council is seeking public input. This notice invites the public to submit written comments on the topic generally and in response to specific questions outlined below.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 108 (Monday, June 6, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 108 (Monday, June 6, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34255-34256]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-12135]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XC079]
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Request for
Information on Bristol Bay Red King Crab Mortality Mitigation Measures
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notification; Request for Information (RFI).
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SUMMARY: The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) is
requesting information from the public on ways to reduce fishing
related mortality for Bristol Bay red king crab (BBRKC). Information
from commercial fishing sectors is critical to that effort and,
therefore, the Council is seeking public input. This notice invites the
public to submit written comments on the topic generally and in
response to specific questions outlined below.
DATES: Comments must be received via the Council's eAgenda meeting
portal by 5 p.m. AKT on September 23, 2022 at <a href="https://meetings.npfmc.org/Meeting/Details/2941">https://meetings.npfmc.org/Meeting/Details/2941</a>.
ADDRESSES: Please submit written comments to the Council's' eAgenda
meeting portal, at ``Bristol Bay Red King Crab--Request for Information
(RFI)'': <a href="https://meetings.npfmc.org/Meeting/Details/2941">https://meetings.npfmc.org/Meeting/Details/2941</a> by the
September 23, 2022, deadline.
Council address: North Pacific Fishery Management Council, 1007 W
3rd Ave., Anchorage, AK 99501-2252; telephone: (907) 271-2809.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sam Cunningham, Council staff; email:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#abd8cac685c8dec5c5c2c5ccc3cac6ebc5c4caca85ccc4dd"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="a1d2c0cc8fc2d4cfcfc8cfc6c9c0cce1cfcec0c08fc6ced7">[email protected]</span></a>; telephone: (907) 271-2809.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The results of the 2021 eastern Bering Sea bottom trawl survey
continued a trend of overall decreasing BBRKC biomass. This trend is
primarily driven by a decrease in mature female red king crab
abundance. While the abundance of female red king crab has been low in
[[Page 34256]]
recent years, 2021 was the first year since 1995 that the mature female
red king crab abundance fell below the established threshold in the
State of Alaska's harvest strategy to hold a directed fishery. As a
result, the directed BBRKC fishery was closed for the 2021/22 season.
To better understand the decline of BBRKC and scope potential
management actions that are within the Council's authority, the Council
has reviewed an analysis of trawl gear crab prohibited species catch
limits (February 2021) and an emergency rule analysis to expand the Red
King Crab Savings Area (RKCSA) in the Bering Sea (December 2021). In
April 2022, the Council reviewed a discussion paper addressing an array
of topics including red king crab biology, existing management and
stock assessment boundaries, seafloor contact by pelagic trawl gear,
and flexible spatial management tools used in other fisheries. At its
April 2022 meeting, the Council both initiated this RFI and tasked
Council and NMFS staff to produce an expanded discussion paper that is
fully described in the April 9, 2022, motion linked below. That paper
will consider annual or seasonal gear closures to the RKCSA, provide
data on BBRKC mortality, identify information that would be needed to
implement dynamic time/area closures that could protect mature female
BBRKC, assess available information on groundfish predation on BBRKC,
and analyze the impacts of limiting groundfish pot gear activity.
Request for Information
This notice requests comment on the motion put forward by the
Council on April 9, 2022, which can be viewed at <a href="https://tinyurl.com/D1BBRKCcouncilmotion4-9-22">https://tinyurl.com/D1BBRKCcouncilmotion4-9-22</a>. In particular, the Council wishes to hear
from Bering Sea commercial fishery sectors that may cause BBRKC
mortality, including both directed crab fishing and directed groundfish
fishing where red king crab are encountered. See ADDRESSES for
information on how to submit comments.
The scope of public comments is not limited, but questions that may
be considered include:
1. Voluntary measures for implementation in 2023 and beyond to
avoid BBRKC and reduce crab mortality in the non-directed fisheries;
2. Measures in the directed crab fishery to reduce discard
mortality of BBRKC;
3. Description of research that would inform development of more
flexible and effective spatial management measures; gear modifications
to reduce impacts on the BBRKC stock, or to evaluate unobserved
mortality in the trawl sector.
The Council will review comments submitted in response to this
request for information at the October 2022 Council meeting, which is
scheduled to begin on October 3, 2022. The schedule and agenda will be
available prior to that meeting. All responses to this request for
information will be posted and publicly available on the Council agenda
for the October 2022 meeting.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: June 1, 2022.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-12135 Filed 6-3-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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