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Attend one of our upcoming tribal engagement sessions!
- May 24th, 10-11am (Virtual): June NPFMC items
- May 31st, 10-11:30am (Virtual): Humpback Whale Recovery Planning
If consultation is desired in addition to these engagement sessions, please contact Amilee Wilson at: amilee.wilson@noaa.gov or use our online request form.
Calendars
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North Pacific Fishery Management Council
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC, also referred to as Council) was established by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA, also referred to as the Magnuson-Stevens Act) to manage fisheries off the coast of Alaska. The NPFMC meets five times per year and consists of the Science and Statistical Committee (SSC), the Advisory Panel (AP), and the Council. This newsletter includes information about the upcoming February Council meeting and is adapted from the three-meeting outlook (Council schedule for the next three meetings). Visit the NPFMC webpage for the upcoming meeting schedule, which includes a detailed breakdown of the upcoming Council meeting by agenda item.
Council Process
June 2024 Council Meeting
NOTE: For referenced materials that are available online, links are provided below. Leading up to the Council meeting, Council staff will post additional materials on the eAgenda.
B Reports (Agency level reports on recent events under their jurisdiction)
- (B1) Executive Director’s Report including CCC meeting update
- (B2) NOAA Fisheries Management Report
- (B3) NOAA General Counsel Report on any legal issues
- (B4) NOAA Enforcement Report
- (B5) Alaska Fisheries Science Center Report on program updates and science activities
- (B6) ADF&G report on State of Alaska fisheries management
- (B7) USCG report on any highlights and news
- (B8) USFWS report on a summary of major agency updates
- (B9) U.S State Department Report
- (B10) North Pacific Research Board Report
- (B11) Public Comment on B1 through B10 agenda items
- (B12) SSC report on SSC agenda items
- (B13) AP report on AP agenda items
C1: Observer Annual Report for 2023 – Review, FMAC Report
- The Council will review a NMFS report on observer coverage in the groundfish fisheries in 2023, as well as a report from the Fishery Monitoring Advisory Committee (FMAC), which is an industry group that advises NMFS on issues related to monitoring. The Council will provide feedback to the agency as needed.
C2: BSAI Crab Harvest Specifications - Aleutian Islands Golden King Crab Stock Assessment and Fisheries Evaluation Report, ABC/OFL, and Plan Team Report
- The Crab Plan Team will meet in May with an agenda to review and discuss the Aleutian Island golden king crab stock assessment making ABC/OFL harvest specifications recommendations to the Council. The Crab Plan Team will also discuss the economic impacts of the continued Eastern Bering sea snow crab closure, updates on assessment model and methodology, and review and provide recommendations to assessment authors on the preliminary stock assessments prior to setting harvest specification in October 2024 for Bristol Bay red king crab, St. Matthew Island blue king crab, Eastern Bering Sea Tanner crab, and Bering Sea snow crab.
C3: Area 4 Vessel Caps – Initial Review
- The Council will review an analysis to remove vessel cap limitations for IFQ halibut harvested in Area 4 as a longer term policy change.
- In the near term, the final rule, published July 26th, 2023 (88 FR 48137) removes the limit on the maximum amount of halibut IFQ that may be harvested by a vessel (i.e, vessel use caps) in Area 4 for 2023 through 2027.
- Tribal consultation was offered for this action item in September 2023, March 2024, and May 2024. This action was originally scheduled for April 2024 and rescheduled to June 2024 due to the meeting running over time for other actions.
C4: Small Sablefish Release - Initial Review
- Current regulations prohibit releasing or discarding sablefish in both the BSAI and GOA Groundfish FMPs and the Council will review an analysis to allow voluntary release of sablefish of any size or under 22 inches body length in the sablefish IFQ fishery. The analysis will include a review of discard mortality rates (DMRs) of released sablefish to apply as recommended by the SSC, catch and release mortality accounting with a review of associated impacts on the sablefish stock assessment, monitoring, enforcement, and inseason management. The analysis will provide a discussion on selectivity of sablefish pots and whether requiring escape mechanisms meet the objective of this action.
D Items
- D1 Unobserved Fishing Mortality Workgroup - review report
- D2 BSAI Crab Program Review - review report
- D3 Central GOA Rockfish Program Review - Review Workplan
- D4 BSAI Pot Cod LAPP - review discussion paper
- D5 Research Priorities - adopt 5-year research priorities
Future Agenda Items
Tribal consultation will be offered for action items prior to each of the Council meetings.
October 2024 Council Meeting
- Election of officers
- Alaska Fisheries Science Center report BSAI Groundfish: proposed specifications, plan team reports
- GOA Groundfish: proposed specifications, plan team reports
- GOA Rockfish Spatial Management: Discussion paper
- BSAI Crab stocks: ABC/OFL specifications, plan team report
- 2025 Observer ADP: review, PCFMAC report
- Crew data collection: Initial review
- Chum salmon bycatch: Draft Environmental Impact Statement presentation and action, as necessary
- Area 4 vessel use caps: Final Action
- IFQ Program Review: Review Report
- BS FEP CCTF Final Report: Review
- Report from Climate Scenarios Workshop: Review
December 2024 Council Meeting
- NMFS report: Final annual deployment plan, inseason management report
- NOAA Enforcement report
- Executive session
- IPHC halibut assessment presentation
- BSAI Groundfish: final specifications, plan team reports
- GOA Groundfish: final specifications, plan team reports
- Ecosystem status reports: Review
- Norton Sound red king crab: ABC/OFL specs, crab plan team report
- Cook inlet salmon: proposed harvest specifications
- Maximum retainable amount adjustments: Initial review
- 2023 Charter halibut management measures: Final review
Marine Mammal and Co-Management Update
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Amilee Wilson, Tribal Relations Coordinator for the Alaska Regional Office, amilee.wilson@noaa.gov (assists with requests for consultation, information on regulations, and NOAA Fisheries tribal engagement policy, in addition please contact Amilee with feedback or questions on this newsletter)
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Fisheries Tribal Engagement Team, Alaska Regional Office, akro.sfd.tribal.team@noaa.gov (assists the Tribal Relations Coordinator with fisheries tribal engagement and cooperative agency agreements)
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Maggie Mooney-Seus, Communications Program Manager for the Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC), marjorie.mooney-seus@noaa.gov (assists with questions on collaborative research efforts)
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Kate Haapala, Rural Fishing Community and Tribal Liaison for the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, kate.haapala@noaa.gov (assists with questions regarding Council actions and process)
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Amilee Wilson, Tribal Relations Coordinator for the Alaska Regional Office, amilee.wilson@noaa.gov (assists with requests for consultation, information on regulations, and NOAA Fisheries tribal engagement policy, in addition please contact Amilee with feedback or questions on this newsletter)
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Fisheries Tribal Engagement Team, Alaska Regional Office, akro.sfd.tribal.team@noaa.gov (assists the Tribal Relations Coordinator with fisheries tribal engagement and cooperative agency agreements)
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Maggie Mooney-Seus, Communications Program Manager for the Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC), marjorie.mooney-seus@noaa.gov (assists with questions on collaborative research efforts)
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Kate Haapala, Rural Fishing Community and Tribal Liaison for the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, kate.haapala@noaa.gov (assists with questions regarding Council actions and process)
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Aleut Community of St. Paul Island Co-Management: NMFS AKR Protected Resources Division (PRD), AFSC Marine Mammal Lab, and the Aleut Community of St. Paul Island (ACSPI) have been working together formally since 2000 under a co-management agreement established under Section 119 of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. We are continuing to plan field collaboration for this fall to tag northern fur seals to examine the duration of onshore visits and foraging trips.
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Steller Sea Lions: NOAA Fisheries announces its intent to conduct a 5-year review of the endangered western distinct population segment (DPS) of the Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus). The Federal Register Notice was posted on April 17, 2024 and will be open for public comment through June 17, 2024. More information can be found on our website here. NOAA Fisheries is required by the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to conduct 5-year reviews to ensure that listing classifications of species are accurate. The 5-year review must be based on the best scientific and commercial data available at the time of the review. We request submission of any information on the western DPS (WDPS) of Steller sea lion, particularly information on their status, threats, and recovery that has become available since the previous 5-year review was issued in 2020.
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Ice Seals: In February 2024, NOAA Fisheries released the 5-year review for Arctic Ringed Seals. All species listed under the Endangered Species Act are required to undergo a status review every five years to ensure that the listing status is still accurate. Per the 2024 review, we concluded that the ‘threatened’ status for ringed seals has not changed. The Beringia DPS of bearded seal 5-year review is in progress and expected to be released in January 2025. Once this review is complete, NOAA Fisheries will develop recovery plans for both ice seal species. Recovery plans are non-regulatory documents that serve as a roadmap of the actions required to restore and conserve listed species. At their annual board meeting in March, we informed our co-management partner, the Ice Seal Committee, of our intentions and will coordinate with them closely throughout the process, including holding a workshop in early 2025.
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Vessel Traffic: NOAA Fisheries has heard concern over changes in vessel traffic from co-management partners and Bering Strait stakeholders. We are looking into recent changes in vessel traffic in the Bering Strait region and potential impacts to marine mammals.
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Marine Debris: NOAA Fisheries released the Guide for Identifying Gear from Marine Mammal Entanglements in the U.S. West Coast and Alaska. NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region and Alaska Region have created the Entanglement Gear Guide that describes the characteristics of fishing gear currently used by NOAA Fisheries to identify the gear that may be involved in entanglements throughout the Eastern North Pacific Ocean.
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Humpback Whale Recovery Plan: The NMFS Humpback Whale Recovery Planning Team is making progress in developing an updated Recovery Plan for the ESA-listed Distinct Population Segments of humpback whales in the North Pacific. We are planning a tribal engagement session to share details, seek additional resources, and solicit feedback.
- May 31st, 10-11:30am (Virtual): Humpback Whale Recovery Planning
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Strait Science Presentation: On May 23rd at 6:30 pm AK, NOAA Fisheries leadership that works on protected species (e.g., marine mammals) will be presenting on their trips to the Bering Strait region and Utqiaġvik last fall to celebrate the Endangered Species Act 50th Anniversary and to listen to community concerns. They will touch on topics they have been able to follow up on and plans moving forward. More information on the presentation and links to the live presentation will be available soon on the Strait Science website.
Habitat Update
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Amilee Wilson, Tribal Relations Coordinator for the Alaska Regional Office, amilee.wilson@noaa.gov (assists with requests for consultation, information on regulations, and NOAA Fisheries tribal engagement policy, in addition please contact Amilee with feedback or questions on this newsletter)
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Fisheries Tribal Engagement Team, Alaska Regional Office, akro.sfd.tribal.team@noaa.gov (assists the Tribal Relations Coordinator with fisheries tribal engagement and cooperative agency agreements)
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Maggie Mooney-Seus, Communications Program Manager for the Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC), marjorie.mooney-seus@noaa.gov (assists with questions on collaborative research efforts)
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Kate Haapala, Rural Fishing Community and Tribal Liaison for the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, kate.haapala@noaa.gov (assists with questions regarding Council actions and process)
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Eskay Creek Revitalization Project: NOAA Fisheries is a technical advisor on the BC-based mine proposal, Eskay Creek Mine, which would place a mine in the Unuk River watershed. British Columbia’s Environmental Assessment Office is holding project review meetings for the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) subgroups this upcoming March including those on Heritage Resources, Soils & Terrain, Vegetation & Ecosystems, Wildlife & Wildlife Habitat, Noise, Air Quality, and Greenhouse Gases. Our Habitat Conservation Division comments have focused on the risk of tailings dam failure on Unuk River salmon habitat. Project information is available here.
General Updates
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The Bering Sea Fishery Ecosystem Plan Climate Change Task Force Meeting: On March 1 & 2, the Bering Sea Fishery Ecosystem Plan Climate Change Task Force conducted a Hybrid meeting at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center, 7600 Sand Point Way, N.E., Building 4, Seattle, WA. For more information, click here.
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Town Hall on the EPA’s Climate Adaptation Plan and Leveraging Grants for Climate Action May 9, 11am AKDT: The National Tribal Caucus (NTC) and the EPA are hosting a Tribal Climate Town Hall. Two main questions will be discussed: 1) How can the EPA help your Tribe adapt to climate change? and 2) What are the best practices for integrating climate action into your grant activities? The session will be moderated by Bill Hand, Tribal Administrator of the Native Village of Kluti-Kaah, Alaska. Speakers will include Tribal leaders and Administrators who are using grant funding to advance climate goals. Link to register.
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Climate Scenario Workshop, June 5-6: The Council is hosting a Climate Scenario Workshop in Kodiak, Alaska, June 5-6. The workshop will explore ideas for improving the climate resiliency and readiness of all federally managed fisheries under the Council’s jurisdiction in the Gulf of Alaska, the Bering Sea, and the Aleutian Islands. The workshop is intended to generate ideas for the Council’s future consideration and no decisions or actions will be taken during the workshop sessions. In-person and remote participation will be available. Full workshop attendance is not required.
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NOAA Fisheries denied a petition received January 17, 2024 regarding Chinook salmon bycatch in the Bering Sea pollock trawl fishery. The petition – submitted by the Association of Village Council Presidents, Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, Tanana Chiefs Conference, Yukon River Drainage Fisheries Association, and Yukon River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission – requested that NOAA Fisheries take emergency action to institute a cap of zero Chinook salmon bycatch, effectively closing the fishery, and urge the Council to evaluate and update current Chinook salmon bycatch management. NOAA Fisheries reviewed the petition following three criteria under the Magnuson Stevens Act. All three criteria must be met to determine that an emergency exists. While NOAA agrees with the petitioners’ observations of declining Chinook salmon returns to rivers and tributaries in the Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim region, the best available scientific information indicates that a closure of the Bering Sea pollock trawl fishery would not effectively resolve the Chinook salmon crisis and is therefore not a practicable solution, under the MSA’s National Standards guidelines. More details on NOAA’s evaluation of the petition can be found in the published web story. NOAA Fisheries recognizes the cultural and material significance of subsistence and commercial salmon harvest to Native Alaskans. We are committed to seeking meaningful improvements to the status of AYK salmon runs.
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The University of Alaska received $20 million to fund a 5-year project studying the effects of human-caused climate change on fishing, farming, and harvesting in the Gulf of Alaska. A major goal of the project is developing tools for adapting to changing seasonality and location of subsistence foods as well as reconnecting younger generations to traditional foods. The project will involve working closely with Tribes in Juneau, Haines, Klukwan, Seldovia, Halibut Cove, Homer, Cordova and Valdez, as well as local science centers and industry.
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Alaska Salmon Research Task Force DRAFT Report 2023: The next Task Force meeting will be held on May 22, 2024 (virtual–open to the public) where they will report on progress toward the DRAFT Report. NOAA greatly values your input in the development of this report. Comments on Existing Knowledge, Research Gaps, and Applied Research Needs can be given via this form. The Final report will be made available on June 27, 2024. Read more.
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NOAA Fisheries Equity & Environmental Justice (EEJ) Meetings: Alaska Regional Administrator, Jon Kurland, AKRO Tribal Coordinator, and AFSC Tribal Research Coordinator visited Kotzebue, AK to meet with Alaska Native Tribes, Corporations and tribal serving organizations as well as hosted a public meeting to share information and receive feedback on development of an Alaska EEJ Implementation Plan. Read the Soundings Article. To share your input on the development of the Alaska EEJ Implementation Plan use this EEJ feedback form. Visit our Alaska Equity and Environmental Justice Implementation Plan website for more information.
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The EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights (OEJECR) is hosting a webinar May 29th, 10:30am AKDT. Agenda to come. Link to register. This is part of OEJECR’s Webinar Series for Tribes and Indigenous Peoples. Recordings and slides (with clickable links) from previous webinars are available on the EPA’s Environmental Justice for Tribes and Indigenous Peoples website.
Grants
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FY24 Species Recovery Grants to Tribes: The FY24 Species Recovery Grants was awarded to the Native Village of Kotzebue Tribe. Summaries for grants awarded are found here. The FY25 Notice of Funding Opportunity will open in early August of 2024 on grants.gov. All federally recognized tribes are eligible to apply. These grants support tribally-led management, research, monitoring, and outreach activities that have direct conservation benefits for threatened and endangered species. Feel free to visit our FAQ webpage.
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Alaska Region Federal Funding website: The Alaska Region has put together a website to include federal funding opportunities related to fisheries and mariculture. The website is updated regularly and lists all programs and funding that the Alaska Region supports as well as other opportunities that may be of interest to those living in Alaska. The grants office is constantly working on listing available opportunities and welcomes any feedback on the site. Visit: fisheries.noaa.gov/alaska-grants, and any feedback or questions about grants or upcoming announcements can be sent to akr.grants@noaa.gov.
NOAA Fisheries Tribal Resources
- NOAA Fisheries Tribal Consultation
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Executive Order 13175: Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribal Governments
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NOAA Tribal Resources & Updates: On July 12, 2023, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reaffirmed its commitment to strengthen its relationship between NOAA and Indigenous peoples by releasing its updated Tribal Consultation Handbook, Revised NOAA Administrative Order, and Indigenous Knowledge Guidance. Updated resources are available here.
Employment Updates
NOAA Fisheries Vacant Positions
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Upcoming Jobs at NOAA Fisheries Alaska Region:
- Current Openings (NOAA Fisheries Alaska Region)
- The Alaska Region has been frequently posting new job opportunities. Please check USAjobs for updates (Use search query with the keyword: “NOAA” and location: “Alaska” for NOAA jobs in Alaska).
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Resources for navigating USAJOBS:
Educational Opportunities
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Graduate Programs at University of Alaska Fairbanks
Contacts
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Amilee Wilson, Tribal Relations Coordinator for the Alaska Regional Office, amilee.wilson@noaa.gov (assists with requests for consultation, information on regulations, and NOAA Fisheries tribal engagement policy, in addition please contact Amilee with feedback or questions on this newsletter)
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Fisheries Tribal Engagement Team, Alaska Regional Office, akro.sfd.tribal.team@noaa.gov (assists the Tribal Relations Coordinator with fisheries tribal engagement and cooperative agency agreements)
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Maggie Mooney-Seus, Communications Program Manager for the Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC), marjorie.mooney-seus@noaa.gov (assists with questions on collaborative research efforts)
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Kate Haapala, Rural Fishing Community and Tribal Liaison for the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, kate.haapala@noaa.gov (assists with questions regarding Council actions and process)
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