NPFMC to Take Final Action on Charter Halibut Annual Management Measures

Final action on charter halibut annual management measures is on the agenda, along with reports on groundfish specifications for the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands and Gulf of Alaska when the North Pacific Fishery Management Council meets in Anchorage Dec. 5-10.

The meeting is being held at the Egan Center and via Zoom. Contact information for the Zoom link is posted on the Council’s website: https://meetings.npfmc.org/Meeting/Details/3066.

There are also Zoom links to the Council’s Advisory Panel, which meets from Dec. 3-6 and the Scientific and Statistical Committee meeting from Dec. 2-4, both also at the Egan Center. In addition, the Crab Plan Team meets virtually on Dec. 5.

Proposed groundfish harvest specifications for both 2025 and 2026 are typically set to match the final 2025 harvest specifications that were previously approved and published in the Federal Register in March.

The council is expected to recommend final harvest specifications in December based on stock assessments that incorporate the most recent 2024 survey data. The assessments are to be compiled in the Groundfish SAFE reports for the BSAI and GOA that are to be released in late November. When the final rule implementing those recommendations is published in early 2025, the updated specifications will replace the 2025 specifications that were approved last year.

The comment period for addressing the council and the AP opens on Nov. 15 and the deadline for written comments is noon Alaska time (1 pm Pacific time) on Friday, Nov. 29.

In-person and remote testimony will be available.

Those wishing to receive text alert on council timing of issues can text “NPFMC” (without the quote marks) to 1-833-237-1598.

Source: https://fishermensnews.com/npfmc-to-take-final-action-on-charter-halibut-annual-management-measures/