Alaska Native community engagement opportunities on halibut bycatch and salmon bycatch issues
NOAA Fisheries Alaska Region notes that there were two primary topics of immediate interest to Alaska Native communities at the October 2021 North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) meeting, specifically halibut and salmon bycatch issues. NOAA Fisheries Alaska Region is carefully monitoring these issues in the Council process and would like to discuss these topics with you. NOAA Fisheries Alaska Region will hold two engagement opportunities, one on halibut bycatch and one on salmon bycatch issues. These will be virtual discussion sessions and will occur on:
November 29, 11-1 pm AKST, Halibut Bycatch
Call in: (386) 753-7850 PIN: 860 125 148#
January 11, 11-1 pm AKST, Salmon Bycatch
Call in: (401) 684-2886 PIN: 368 317 399#
We invite you to attend these engagement opportunities and to continue to participate in the Council process. The next Council meeting will be held virtually in December. The Council’s schedule, agenda, and information on participation options may be found on the Council’s website.
A reminder email, with an outlined agenda for the engagement sessions, will be sent out shortly before each session.
If you have any questions about the above engagement sessions, please email Kelly Cates (kelly.cates@noaa.gov).
Oceanic whitetip shark. Hawaiʻi longline fishermen use leaders to connect weighed branch lines and baited hooks. A new rule prohibits steel wire leaders in the Hawaiʻi deep-set longline fishery, starting May 31, 2022. The rule aims to increase the survival of hooked oceanic whitetip sharks caught as bycatch in the Pacific Islands region. Credit: Andy Mann
A pod of killer whales in Alaska waters.