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Fishery Management Plan for Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands King and Tanner Crabs.

Country/Territory
United States of America
Territorial subdivision
Alaska
Document type
Miscellaneous
Date
2011
Source
FAO, FAOLEX
Subject
Fisheries, Wild species & ecosystems
Keyword
Policy/planning Marine fisheries Fishery management and conservation Fishing authorization Marine fishes Crustaceans Landing Processing/handling Allocation/quota Fishing gear/fishing method Data collection/reporting Monitoring Aquatic animals Authorization/permit Management/conservation Protection of habitats Ecosystem preservation
Geographical area
Americas, Arctic, East Pacific, North America, North Atlantic
Abstract

The Fishery Management Plan (FMP) of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council for the Commercial King and Tanner Crab Fisheries in the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands (BSAI) establishes a State/Federal cooperative management regime that defers crab management to the State of Alaska with Federal oversight. State Regulations shall be subject to the provisions of the FMP, including its goals and objectives and also to the Magnuson-Stevens Act national standards, and other applicable federal laws. The North Pacific Fishery Management Council is one of eight regional councils established by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act in 1976 to manage fisheries in the 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone. This FMP is a framework plan, allowing for long-term management of the fishery without needing frequent amendments. Therefore, the plan is more general than other FMPs, and establishes objectives and alternative solutions instead of selecting specific management measures. Within the scope of the management goal, the FMP identifies seven management objectives and a number of relevant management measures used to meet these objectives. The FMP Management Objectives are: 1) Biological Conservation Objective (ensure the long-term reproductive viability of king and Tanner crab populations); 2) Economic and Social Objective (maximize economic and social benefits to the nation over time); 3) Gear Conflict Objective (minimize gear conflict among fisheries); 4) Habitat Objective (preserve the quality and extent of suitable habitat); 5) Vessel Safety Objective (provide public access to the regulatory process for vessel safety considerations); 6) Due Process Objective (ensure that access to the regulatory process and opportunity for redress are available to interested parties); 7) Research and Management Objective (provide fisheries research, data collection, and analysis to ensure a sound information base for management decisions). The FMP uses the following three categories of management measures: 1) Those that are fixed in the FMP and require a FMP amendment to change; 2) those that are framework-type measures that the state can change following criteria set out in the FMP; and 3) those measures that are neither rigidly specified nor frameworked in the FMP. Measure in these three categories may concern gear restrictions and requirements, permit requirements, essential fish habitat, closed waters, reporting, harvest levels, observer requirements, inseason adjustments, etc. The Habitat objective aims at protecting, conserving, and enhancing adequate quantities of essential fish habitat (EFH) to support king and Tanner crab populations and maintain a healthy ecosystem.

Full text
English
Website
www.npfmc.org