The top crab is a snow crab, and the bottom crab is a Tanner crab. Credit: NOAA Fisheries.
At the June Council meeting, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) revised alternatives for analysis of a groundfish fishing area closure on the east side of Kodiak Island. The Council’s objective is to further conserve and protect Gulf of Alaska (GOA) Tanner crab around Kodiak Island, while minimizing negative impacts on groundfish fisheries, as both crab and groundfish fisheries are important to the harvesting, processing and support sectors in the community of Kodiak.
Both Tanner crab and groundfish are present in Barnabas Gully, on the east side of Kodiak Island. The Council added an additional closure area for consideration and indicated its preliminary preference to have the closure apply to all vessels fishing with non-pelagic trawl gear. Importantly, the Council’s motion includes a framework for the timing and performance metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of a closure if implemented.
Initially, this action also included an alternative to evaluate whether to remove or modify several existing crab protection closures mostly established in the 1980s around Kodiak Island, based on whether they continue to meet the original objectives. At this meeting, the Council removed all but one area for further consideration. The Council identified an option to evaluate whether the existing Marmot Bay Flats area closure should be modified. Available data from the Marmot Flats shows limited abundance of Tanner and red king crab, and because the Alaska Department of Fish and Game regularly surveys this area, there is opportunity to monitor the effects of reopening a portion of this area.
At the recommendation of its Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC), the Council requested another review draft from staff, to provide additional analysis of the impact of proposed actions on groundfish fisheries and Tanner crab protection.
