Dan Hull, Chairman
Chris Oliver, Executive Director
SUBJECT: title
GOA Groundfish Harvest Specifications and Region-wide Halibut Discard Mortality Rates - Final Action for 2017-2018.
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STAFF CONTACT: Jim Armstrong
ACTION REQUIRED: recommended action
Review and approve the GOA SAFE report (including Ecosystem and Economic SAFEs) and approve the final GOA Harvest Specifications for 2017-2018 including:
1. Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC), and annual Total Allowable Catch (TAC).
2. TAC considerations based on the State Pacific cod fishery and the Prince William Sound Pollock fishery.
3. Prohibited Species Catch Limits
Review and approve Halibut DMRs for in-season management in 2017-2018.
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BACKGROUND:
In order to manage the 2017 and 2018 Gulf of Alaska (GOA) groundfish fisheries, the Council must make final recommendations on harvest and PSC limits. A number of resources are provided to facilitate that action. All GOA groundfish and Halibut DMR items are under C7 on this agenda. Additionally, presentations to the SSC, AP, and Council at the meeting will provide an overview of the Plan Team Meeting and the GOA SAFE.
* The GOA SAFE consists of chapters contributed by assessment authors and an Introduction assembled by the GOA Plan Team (Item 1). This document provides the analytical basis for the 2017 and 2018 GOA groundfish harvest specifications.
* The GOA and Joint Plan Team Minutes (Item 2) provide summaries of the issues raised during the November Plan Team meeting as well as recommendations for subsequent work by assessment authors.
ABCs, TACs, and Apportionments
ABC increased or remained unchanged for 15 stocks (Item 1; Table 1) and decreased for 8 stocks. Overall, the 2017 ABCs represent a net decrease of 8% (-59,807 t) compared to 2016. Most of the contribution to the net decrease was from lowered ABCs for pollock (-50,541 t) and Pacific cod (-10,258 t).
Where estimable, the biomasses of all stocks except sablefish are above target ...
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