Red king crab emergency rule request under review

An emergency rule request for closure of the Red King Crab Savings Area to all fishing gear with bottom contact will be up for review by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council when the federal fisheries managers meet in Anchorage from Dec. 8 to 14.

If implemented, the emergency closure request from Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers (ABSC) would impact pelagic trawl, pot gear and longline gear and would be in effect for 180 days after the emergency rule is published. ABSC had request that the closure occur for six months, from Jan. 1 to June 30, 2023. Under existing regulations non-pelagic trawl gear is already prohibited from fishing in the Red King Crab Savings Area year-round and the Red King Crab Savings Subarea when Bristol Bay red king crab is not open for directed fishing. 

Public comment on this and other issues before the council is being accepted through noon on Dec. 2.

All submitted comments will be reviewed as per the council’s comment policy.

The council meeting itself and that of the council’s advisory panel will be broadcast on Zoom. Those intending to give oral testimony remotely must be connected to the meeting either through Zoom on their own electronic device or by using the call-in phone number +1-346-248-7799, +1-408-638 0968, +1 669 900 6833 or +1 253 215 8782 depending on their current location. All information provided through the council’s eAgenda or during testimony becomes part of the public record.

NOAA Fisheries plans to make a determination on the petition after considering public comments on its notice published in the Federal Register and public comments received during the council’s meeting. The deadline to comment on the Federal Register notice is Dec. 5. Those comments, identified by Docket ID NOAA-NMFS-2022-0111, can be submitted electronically via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal or mailed to Assistant Regional Administrator, Sustainable Fisheries Division, Alaska Region NMFS, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802-1668.

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Other major issues before the council at its December meeting include an initial review of the snow crab rebuilding analysis, an initial review of an amendment to the Cook Inlet Salmon Federal Management Plan, final harvest specifications for groundfish fisheries in the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands and the Gulf of Alaska, and final action on charter halibut management measures.

Also on the council’s agenda is a review of findings by the state’s bycatch task force and a chum salmon bycatch discussion paper.

The complete council agenda for the December meeting and other related details are online at www.npfmc.org.

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