The Kodiak-based trawl fleet is pausing its fishing for pollock in state waters for three days while the Alaska Board of Fisheries weighs in on proposed tighter restrictions for trawl fishermen, including monitoring of seafloor contact in and around state waters.
According to Rebecca Skinner, the executive director of the Alaska Whitefish Trawlers Association, the local pollock trawl fleet temporarily stopped fishing by Tuesday morning, March 17, and will wait 72 hours before resuming. Skinner said by phone that her understanding is that the fleet made this decision to give some of its fishermen time to testify at this week’s state Board of Fisheries meeting in Anchorage without missing out on fishing.
The federal Gulf of Alaska pollock fishery “A season” opened in January with a total allowable catch this year of just under 140,000 metric tons, roughly 25% less than last year’s harvest, and is expected to go into April.
The Alaska Board of Fisheries is taking up 24 proposals during its statewide finfish meeting that lasts through Saturday, March 17-21. Several of those proposals seek to further regulate trawl gear by mandating monitoring of seafloor contact or restricting commercial trawl fishing in state waters. Although there is only one smaller state-managed pollock trawl fishery in Prince William Sound, commercial fishermen are able to trawl in state waters within three nautical miles of the Aleutian Islands for other groundfish like Pacific cod.
In the Kodiak-based association’s comments to the board, the group said its members rely on trawl fisheries and, “oppose any proposal that categorically shuts down trawling in areas currently open to trawl gear."
The Alaska Whitefish Trawlers Association is based in Kodiak and represents commercial harvesters that fish for pollock, Pacific cod, rockfish, flatfish, halibut, sablefish, Tanner crab and tender for salmon.
Proposal 11 would close state waters west of 170 degrees W longitude, which includes the community of Adak, to all commercial groundfish fishing with trawl gear. The proposer, Linda Kozak on behalf of the F/V Alaska Trojan, said this closure is needed to protect golden king crab populations and habitat in the area.
The Adak Community Development Corporation, the nonprofit economic development entity for the Aleutian Islands community, submitted public comments opposing the closure, saying it would have minimal impact on golden king crab bycatch in the region.
The Alaska Board of Fisheries is scheduled to begin its meeting each day at 8:30 a.m. and accept public testimony through Wednesday, March 18, before deliberating on proposals starting on Friday, March 20.
