IB 99-8: North Pacific Fishery Management Council Will Not Consider 1999 Harvest Activity for Purposes of Future Limited Access Programs

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announces the filing with the Office of the Federal Register a Notice to express the intent of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) NOT to consider 1999 harvest activity as "traditional harvest levels" when developing American Fisheries Act protection measures or other limited access programs for the year 2000 and beyond, according to Steven Pennoyer, Administrator, Alaska Region, NMFS.

On January 13, 1999, NMFS filed an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking establishing this date for use as a basis for determining historical or traditional participation in non-salmon fisheries under jurisdiction of the Council, including the crab fisheries. Participants in these fisheries during 1999 will not receive participation credit for future access to those fishery pursuant to section 211 of the American Fisheries Act (AFA) or under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) if a management regime that limits the number of participants is developed and implemented under those authorities. This notice is intended to promote public awareness that potential eligibility criteria for future access to the affected fisheries may be developed. It is also intended to discourage new entrants into those fisheries based on economic speculation while the Council considers further controls on access to those fisheries. The notice is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on January 19, 1999.

For further information contact the Sustainable Fisheries Division, NMFS, at (907) 586-7228.