Final action is slated for maximum retainable amount (MRA) regulations related to bycatch in groundfish fisheries at the Sept. 29-Oct. 9 meeting of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council in Anchorage, Alaska.
Current MRA regulations, designed to limit the catch of species closed to directed fishing while allowing for the retention of unavoidable incidental catch, have been identified as potentially complex and leading to difficulties in prosecuting fisheries, as well as contributing to regulatory discards, council staff noted.
The action under consideration was initiated by a council motion at their April 2024 meeting, following a review of a discussion paper developed and presented by National Marine Fisheries Service.
This action is intended to improve the regulations that implement the MRA of species closed to directed fishing (incidental catch species) while a vessel operator is engaged in fishing for species or species groups that are open to directed fishing. These revisions are needed to clarify current MRA regulations, make MRA calculations earlier, reduce regulatory discards and address medical mechanical and weather issues that can impact MRA calculations, according to Taylor Holman, the council's fishery analyst/economist.
The alternative options range from no action (status quo) to providing exemptions in regulations from MRA requirements in cases of medical emergencies, mechanical emergencies or poor weather that ends a fishing trip.
The council is also scheduled to hear the observer 2026 annual development plan and review several topics related to Bering Sea/Aleutian Island crab issues related to the Stock Assessment and Fisheries Evaluation (SAFE) report and adoption of acceptable biological catch (ABC) and overfishing limits (OFLs) for Bristol Bay red king crab, Tanner crab and snow crab.
The written public comment period opens on Sept. 5 and closes at noon on Sept. 26. Signups for oral public testimony will open once the meeting begins.
The draft agenda for the October meeting is online here.
