Eric Olson, Chairman
Chris Oliver, Executive Director
SUBJECT: Title
Adopt final harvest specifications for GOA groundfish
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ESTIMATED TIME:
10 hours (all Groundfish Specifications items)
ACTION REQUIRED: Recommended Action
Review and approve GOA SAFE report (including Ecosystem and Economic SAFEs) and approve final GOA Harvest Specifications for 2014-2015 including:
1. Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC), and annual Total Allowable Catch (TAC)
2. TAC considerations for the State Pacific cod fishery
3. Prohibited Species Catch Limits
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BACKGROUND:
At this meeting, the Council makes final recommendations on groundfish and bycatch specifications as listed above to manage the 2014 and 2015 Gulf of Alaska (GOA) groundfish fisheries.
GOA SAFE Document
The groundfish Plan Teams met in Seattle November 18-22, 2013 to prepare the final SAFE reports and to review the status of groundfish stocks. The GOA SAFE report forms the basis for the recommended GOA groundfish specifications for the 2014 and 2015 fishing years. Note that there are three volumes to the SAFE report: a stock assessment volume, a fishery evaluation volume ("Economic SAFE"), and an ecosystems considerations volume. The introduction to the GOA SAFE report was mailed to the Council and Advisory Panel November 20th. The full GOA SAFE report, the economic SAFE report and the ecosystem considerations volume were mailed to the SSC. The GOA Plan Team recommended OFLs and ABCs for 2014-2015 are attached as Item C-6(a). The GOA Plan Team minutes are attached as Item C-6(b). The Joint Plan Team minutes are included with the BSAI Plan Team minutes under Item C-7. An overview of the GOA SAFE report and ecosystem considerations volume will be provided to you at the meeting.
Two year OFL and ABC Determinations
Amendment 48/48 to the GOA and BSAI Groundfish FMPs, implemented in 2005, removed the requirement for annual assessments of rockfishes, flatfish, and Atka mackerel since ne...
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