Three proposals before the Alaska Board of Fisheries, which took place March 17-21 in Anchorage, would require that bycatch mitigation tools recognized as best practice be used in groundfish harvesting within state waters. 

These proposals are not intended to prohibit pelagic trawling or shut down a fishery, but to keep trawl gear off the ocean bottom, where it is not legally allowed, according to the Alaska Healthy Habitat Alliance (AHHA). 

Proposal 163 would define all trawl gear operated inside state waters as non-pelagic and develop new standards for its use in state waters to ensure such gear operates responsibly in compliance with sustainable fisheries. It addresses concerns that pelagic trawl gear does not comply with intended midwater operations. 

Proposal 164 would establish bottom contact monitoring requirements for pelagic trawl gear used inside state waters, and Proposal 165 would establish salmon excluder requirements for pelagic trawl gear operated inside state waters. 

All three proposals have support from the environmental entity Oceana,  which said in a letter to the Alaska Board of Fisheries that these proposals clarify regulatory expectations, strengthen enforcement and reduce risks to benthic habitat and salmon populations. 

All three proposals were introduced by the AHHA, which contends that the current regulatory definition of pelagic trawl gear does not include specific bycatch mitigation measures, particularly for salmon bycatch. 

AHHA includes the Alaska Marine Conservation Coalition, which is already advocating for a ban on bottom trawling in federal waters, along with the Bering Sea Fishermen's Association, Homer Charter Association, Alaska Longline Fishermen's Association, The Boat Company, Native Peoples Action, and Under 60 Cod Harvesters.