Alaska Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands Flatfish Trawl - MMPA List of Fisheries

Category

II

Estimated Number of Participants

29

Target Species

flatfish

Applicable Take Reduction Plans

N/A

Observer Coverage

From 1998-2005, pooled observer coverage for all areas was: 59.4%, 66.3%, 64.5%, 57.6%, 58.4%, 63.9%, 68.2%, and 68.3%, respectively.

Marine Mammal Species/Stocks Killed or Injured

Bearded seal, Beringia;

Gray whale, Eastern North Pacific;

Harbor porpoise, Bering Sea;

Harbor seal, Bristol Bay;

Humpback whale, Western North Pacific;

Killer whale, Eastern North Pacific Alaska resident¹;

Killer whale, Eastern North Pacific GOA, AI, BS transient¹;

Northern fur seals, Eastern Pacific;

Ribbon seal;

Ringed seal, Arctic;

Spotted seal, Bering;

Steller sea lion, Western U.S.¹;

Walrus, AK.

Original Category (Year added to the LOF)

III (1996)

Original Number of Participants

490

Basis for Original Classification

Incidental take of killer whales (unknown transient and resident stocks) was 8% of the stock’s PBR. However, population estimates of both stocks were known to be biased low (because estimates were based on direct counts) and NOAA Fisheries had good estimates of incidental take in this fishery as a result of 60% observer coverage.  Therefore, the levels of take were not thought to have a significant effect on the population and the fishery was listed as Category III.

Past Names

AK BSAI Groundfish Trawl (until 2004)

Species/stocks historically documented as killed or injured (but not currently on the list)

N/A

• Removed the superscript “1” from the Western North Pacific stock of humpback whale to indicate the stock is no longer driving the Category II classification.
• Estimated number of participants updated from 32 to 29.

• Revised the following stock names:
  • Bearded seal, AK to bearded seal, Beringia;
  • Harbor seal, Bering Sea to harbor seal, Bristol Bay;
  • Killer whale, AK resident to killer whale, Eastern North Pacific Alaska resident;
  • Killer whale, GOA, AI, BS transient to killer whale, Eastern North Pacific GOA, AI, BS transient;
  • Ringed seal, AK to ringed seal, Arctic;
  • Ribbon seal, AK to ribbon seal;
  • Spotted seal, AK to spotted seal, Bering.

• Estimated number of participants updated from 34 to 32.

2013

• Added the following species/stocks: Gray whale, Eastern North Pacific; Humpback whale, Western North Pacific(1); Killer whale, GOA, AI, BS transient(1); Ribbon seal, AK; Ringed seal, AK.

2010

• Changed the stock name of the Northern fur seals stock from "Eastern North Pacific" to "Eastern Pacific" to match the SARs.

2009

• Estimated number of participants updated from 26 to 34.

2006

• Added the following species/stocks to update the stocks associated with the fisheries delineated in 2004: Bearded seal (AK); Harbor porpoise (Bering Sea); Harbor seal (Bering Sea); Northern fur seals (Eastern North Pacific); Pacific walrus; Spotted seal (AK).
• Changed the stock name of the killer whale resident stock from “Eastern North Pacific resident” to “AK resident.”
• Deleted killer whale (Eastern North Pacific transient).  Since the 2005 LOF, NOAA Fisheries performed genetic testing on biopsy samples of killer whales killed/injured in this fishery and determined that the fishery only interacts with the resident stock of killer whales.
• Added a superscript “1” after killer whale (AK resident) and Steller sea lion (Western U.S.), indicating that takes of these stocks are driving the classification of this fishery.

2005

• Elevated to Category II based on documented interactions with Steller sea lions (Western U.S.) and killer whales (Eastern North Pacific resident and transient stocks).  Estimated take of Steller sea lions (Western U.S.) was 3.1 animals/year, or 1.48% of PBR (PBR=209); estimated take of killer whales (Eastern North Pacific resident stock) was 0.5 animals/year, or 6.94% of PBR (PBR=7.2); and estimated take of killer whales (Eastern North Pacific transient stock) was 0.5 animals/year, or 17.86% of PBR (PBR=2.8).

2004

• The “AK BSAI flatfish trawl” fishery was split from the Category III "AK Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Groundfish trawl" fishery.
• The list of marine mammal species/stocks incidentally killed/injured in the larger fishery was also delineated to correspond to the more discrete fisheries listed for the first time in 2004.  The list of species/stocks incidentally killed/injured in the “AK BSAI Pollock trawl” fishery included: Steller sea lion (Western U.S.), Killer whale (Eastern North Pacific resident), and killer whale (Eastern North Pacific transient).

Changes on the LOF when the “AK BSAI flatfish trawl” fishery was included in the larger “AK BSAI groundfish trawl” fishery

2003

• NOAA Fisheries proposed to elevate this fishery to Category II, but did not elevate the fishery at that time based on public comments and the fact that this fishery is made up of a diverse group of trawl fisheries targeting different groundfish.  NOAA Fisheries stated its intent to propose fishery delineations within this fishery to accurately reflect the fishing regimes, and evaluate incidental take, in the 2004 LOF.
• Added fin whale (Northeast Pacific) because this stock is known to interact with the fishery and was inadvertently omitted from lists of species in the past. 
• NOAA Fisheries proposed to delete harbor seals (Gulf of Alaska) from the list, but decided not to do so after verifying that the species range overlapped with the fishery range.
• Estimated number of participants updated from 166 to 157.

2001

• Added humpback whale (Central North Pacific) and humpback whale (Western North Pacific) based on the mortality of a single whale in 1998.  The stock identification for the whale was uncertain; therefore, the mortality was attributed to both the Central and Western North Pacific stocks.   
• Estimated number of participants updated from 193 to 166.

1999

• Estimated number of participants updated from 186 to 193.

1998

• Estimated number of participants updated from 490 to 186.