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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRes2020-082' PULLED FROM THE AGENDA Sponsored by: Council Member Baclaan Postponed: October 26, 2020 CITY OF SEWARD, ALASKA RESOLUTION 2020-082 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEWARD, ALASKA, SUPPORTING KENAI PENINSULA BOROUGH RESOLUTION 2020-074, A RESOLUTION ADVOCATING FOR A REDUCTION OF HALIBUT BYCATCH WHEREAS, it has been more than five years since the State of Alaska, through the federal North Pacific Fishery Management Council, agreed to lower Pacific halibut bycatch caps in the face of a diminishing biomass; and WHEREAS, despite efforts on both sides for five years, tying the management of halibut bycatch to the halibut abundance is still not a reality; and WHEREAS, while the federal council struggles with the abundance -based management issue, Alaska's small boat commercial, charter, sport and subsistence fleets and their coastal communities bear the short and long-term impacts that high halibut bycatch creates; and ' WHEREAS, short-term impacts are felt every year when halibut fishermen in the Bering Sea lose a part of their annual allocation that is tied, not strictly to abundance, but to the forecasted landings of bycatch; and WHEREAS,, long-term impacts are felt by halibut fishermen beyond the Bering Sea, as all sizes (including sub-legals) are removed from the entire biomass forever; and WHEREAS, the loss of thejuvenile halibut to future catches in Southcentral and Southeast Alaska represent more than a 1:1 loss to those fishing communities; and WHEREAS, managing the prohibited species bycatch of halibut without tying it to an accurate abundance index of the halibut stocks is a political decision, while managing bycatch using abundance indices for the stock as a whole, is a sustainability decision; and WHEREAS, politically based management decisions that impact a long-lived, wide- ranging species such as Pacific halibut, are indefensible and if the overarching goal is sustainability, abundance -based bycatch management is the only approach; and WHEREAS, tying halibut bycatch to abundance is especially important during low levels of abundance, a situation we have been in for the past eight years., and the halibut population is particularly vulnerable to high caps that leave the gate open for high- Resolution 2020-074 Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska Page 2 of 3 take levels that could mark a point of no return for several year -classes of Pacific halibut; and CITY OF SEWARD, ALASKA RESOLUTION 2020-082 WHEREAS, abundance -based management (ABM) would bring immediate positive results to Alaska's rural coastal communities as ABM control of bycatch means coastal communities are more sustainable because they can rely on rigorous and informed management strategies which are not only more consistent and responsive to the health of the resource, but are also more equitable, managing all halibut users on abundance, including those harvesting as bycatch; and WHEREAS, the revenue generated by Alaska's coastal communities mean the state's economy is more stable long-term, as well as more diversified when coastal communities thrive and they cannot thrive with the uncertainty of high prohibited species catches looming over them each year. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEWARD, ALASKA that: 1 Section 1. The Seward City Council supports the Kenai Peninsula Borough's Resolution 2020-074, A Resolution Advocating For A Reduction Of Halibut Bycatch. Section 2. The Seward City Council strongly encourages the Commissioner of the Alaska , Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) to take the lead in this issue when it comes before the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) this October. Actions to reduce all halibut bycatch caps to levels that are directly tied to the best available scientifically informed indexes of abundance will ensure that all sectors share in conserving the resource. Section 3. Pacific halibut is important to Alaskans culturally, economically, and socially. Halibut, salmon and crab are Alaska's most iconic seafoods. Coastal communities rely upon them, but are sadly losing access to them. Section 4. A copy of this resolution shall be provided to the Commissioner of ADF&G and shall be provided as testimony during the October 14, 2020 public comments section of the NPFMC meeting. Section 5. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon adoption. PASSED AND APPROVED by the City Council of the City of Seward, Alaska, this 22nd day of February, 2021. 1 I CITY OF SEWARD, ALASKA RESOLUTION 2020-082 THE CITY OF SEWARD, ALASKA PULLED FROM THE AGENDA Christy Terry, Mayor AYES: NOES: ABSENT: ABSTAIN: ATTEST: Brenda J. Ballou, MMC City Clerk ' (City Seal) Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly MEMORANDUM TO: Kelly Cooper, Assembly President Members, Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly FROM: Kelly Cooper, Assembly President Brent Johnson, Assembly Member DATE: October 1, 2020 RE: Resolution 2020- 0-14, Advocating for a Reduction of Halibut Bycatch (Cooper, Johnson) The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) established by the Magnuson -Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act is holding their October Meetings. Currently, a sector of the bottom trawl fishery in the Bering Sea (called the "Amendment 80 Fleet") operates with a "Prohibited Species Catch" (PSC) #11owance of halibut and of other species. This PSC is a limit of bycatch of halibut, estimated in pounds, that the collective fleet must stay below in their fishing operations, or face shutdown until the next season. The bycatch of Pacific halibut in the Bering Sea by this fleet is widely seen as unavoidable, as often halibut and the species targeted by the Amendment 80 Fleet share ecosystems and even ecological niches. Commercial and charter harvest of Pacific halibut is managed by the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC). Each year the IPHC determines a Total Constant Exploitation Yield (TCEY) which is an aggregate number in pounds the commission believes can be sustainably removed from the coast - wide stock of the species. This number is annually a product of the IPHC Stock - Assessment (scientifically rigorous estimate of the biomass of Pacific halibut) and through a political process carried out by IPHC commissioners and stakeholder representatives. These processes set the dynamic annual allocations and limits all directed halibut fishers and fleets are subject to. However, before any annual allocation can be set to directed fishers, the Amendment 80 Fleet's PSC of Pacific halibut is subtracted from the coast wide TCEY as a first cut. This cut is not dynamic like the TCEY but static. It is an annual cap that does not change to reflect the change in Pacific halibut abundance or any other biological or ecological characteristic, In times of low halibut abundance, this static allocation to non -directed users of the Pac�ific halibut Page -2- October 1, 2020 Re: Resolution 2020-% resource burdens directed users with smaller and smaller cuts of the remaining resource, and could potentially lead to the collapse of coastal Alaskan fisheries and communities if it remains unchanged. The current analysis being presented to NPFMC in October examines the pros and cons of an abundance based PSC (bycatch), potentially changing the PSC from a static number to an annually dynamic one determined based on some index of halibut abundance. At the center of the analysis being presented to the NPFMC is the choice of which halibut abundance index to use. One is the annual IPHC Stock Assessment and the other is the National Marine Fisheries Service Bottom Trawl Survey. Neither index is truly suited to adequately or accurately establishing a PSC for the Amendment 80 Fleet. Both indexes have weaknesses in this specific application, so it comes to picking the lesser of two evils. That said, if preserving the halibut resource is a priority of the council and of any management body or sponsor, an index based on the IPHC Stock Assessment must be promoted. Utilizing an index based on the bottom trawl surveys potentially increases the PSC the Amendment 80 Fleet would have access to. This is due to size and growth - related biological characteristics of the halibut stock. In short, Pacific halibut have experienced declining growth -performance over the past 20-30 years (it takes them longer to grow). This lowered growth -performance has been identified by the IPHC as the primary contributing factor to current levels of low abundance. This is important when a bottom trawl survey is a potential index in setting PSC. The smaller a halibut is, the harder time it has escaping a trawl net, and the more likely it is to be caught. This has led to Bottom Trawl Surveys showing an increase in halibut abundance despite an actually shrinking biomass of the species. Basing a Prohibited Species Catch of this scale on an inaccurate and misleading index which does not capture the trends in abundance does not accomplish the goals or objectives the NPFMC seeks to ensure and does a disservice to every halibut fisher and halibut -dependent community in the state. If an index of halibut abundance has to be chosen from these options or their combination, the IPHC Stock Assessment should be weighted greater of the two options or be considered on its own. We appreciate your support.