Dan Hull, Chairman
David Witherell, Executive Director
SUBJECT: title
Committees and Tasking (including Ecosystem Committee and IFQ outreach meeting reports)
end
STAFF CONTACT: Diana Evans (NPFMC)
ACTION REQUIRED: recommended action
• Receive report on IFQ outreach meeting, action as necessary
• Receive Ecosystem Committee minutes, action as necessary
• Review committees
• Provide direction on tasking and scheduling
body
BACKGROUND:
Meeting Reports
The Council is holding a public IFQ outreach meeting in Kodiak on June 5th, to provide an open forum for stakeholders to give insight on the present state of the halibut and sablefish IFQ Program and provide direction for future actions that might be considered by the Council and its IFQ Committee. The Council is particularly seeking input on issues related to entry level opportunities and rural participation in the fishery. Sam Cunningham will provide a report on the meeting during staff tasking.
The Ecosystem Committee is also meeting on June 5th. The items on their agenda <http://npfmc.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=809c704d-71cd-4b3b-b765-bcc554b834f8.pdf> include review of the Council’s Ecosystem Workshop Summary Report, and updates on Northern Fur Seal Conservation Plan revisions, US Army Corps of Engineers projects in Dutch Harbor and St. George, and a NOAA bathymetry data project. Sam MacLean will distribute minutes and can provide a report to the Council during this agenda item.
Committees
Attached is the updated Council committee list reflecting Council changes in April 2018.
At the April meeting, the Council solicited nominations for a Cook Inlet Salmon Committee. The Committee’s primary function will be to (1) review and provide comments on specific, Council-identified issues; (2) develop options for fishery management measures for specific, Council-identified management needs, and (3) provide perspectives on potential social and economic impacts of proposed fishery management measures. The Council received many nominations, and the Chairman will appoint members at this meeting to achieve a representative group of stakeholders.
Committee and Plan Team meetings that are currently anticipated between June and October include:
• Bering Sea Fishery Ecosystem Plan Team subgroup on objectives, June 14, AFSC, Seattle, WA
• Assessment Methods Workshop, June 27-28, AFSC, Seattle, WA
• Ecosystem Committee, July 24, Anchorage, AK
• EM Workgroup meeting, August 23-24, AFSC, Seattle, WA
• Crab Plan Team meeting, September 10-13, AFSC, Seattle, WA
• Observer Advisory Committee, September 13-14, AFSC, Seattle, WA
• Groundfish Plan Team meeting, September 17-21, AFSC, Seattle, WA
Tasking and Scheduling
Also attached are various tasking documents. The Council may wish to discuss priorities for completing ongoing projects, as well as any new tasks assigned during the course of this meeting.
• Three-meeting outlook
• Project and Staff Workload
• Observer Program projects
• Groundfish Workplan
October meeting
Looking ahead to the October meeting, we thought it might help to clarify expectations about what you will see in October for abundance-based management (ABM) for BSAI halibut PSC. At this meeting, two issues related to ABM were reviewed-item D4: a description of potential methodologies for evaluating the alternatives was discussed by the SSC and item D5: a discussion paper on data available to establishing a performance standard for O26 inch halibut in groundfish fisheries in conjunction with ABM items. Pending Council action at this meeting, two additional documents will be prepared for October. The primary paper is the preliminary analysis of ABM alternatives as requested by the Council in April 2018. This paper will provide a full description of the alternatives, a description of groundfish and halibut fisheries, a preliminary analysis of the alternatives using a bookended approach for a subset of the alternative set, and performance metrics that will be used in the forthcoming Draft EIS to assist in comparing and contrasting how alternatives address competing Council objectives. The full description of the alternatives as well as the preliminary analysis are intended to assist the Council in refining the alternative set at that time. The second paper will address Council action on the development of an O26 performance standard. Pending Council direction at this meeting as to what specific performance standard options should be developed, as well as what objectives those options would achieve, staff will develop a discussion paper to describe the potential for the development of these options and the data and management considerations to be taken into account in doing so. At that time, the Council could consider moving forward with an O26 performance standard as part of the ABM alternative set or as a potential follow up action.
Public Comment
Public comment letters submitted for your review and consideration are linked to the agenda.