Scallop Fisheries Management in Alaska

History

Under the Fishery Management Plan for the Scallop Fishery off Alaska (scallop FMP), management of all aspects of the scallop fishery, except limited access, is delegated to the State of Alaska. To limit access, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (the Council) developed a scallop license limitation program. NOAA Fisheries implemented this program in 2000. NOAA Fisheries and the Council also developed overfishing definitions and essential fish habitat for scallops.

Participation

State regulations establish guideline harvest levels for different scallop registration areas, fishing seasons, open and closed fishing areas, the scallop observer program, bycatch limits, gear restrictions, and measures to limit processing efficiency (including a ban on the use of mechanical shucking machines and a limitation on crew size). The gear regulations limit vessels to using no more than 2, 15-foot (4.5 m) dredges, except in Cook Inlet (State Registration Area H) where vessels are limited to using a single 6-foot (1.8m) scallop dredge.

Resources

• Scallop Licence Limitation Program
• Scallop Fisheries Management Plan and Amendments
  • Analyses
• State of Alaska - Weathervane Scallop Management and Research

More Information

• Essential Fish Habitat
• Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) Reports (broken link)
• Federal Fisheries in Alaska