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

U.S. fisheries are classified under the Marine Mammal Protection Act according to the level of interactions that result in incidental mortality or serious injury of marine mammals.

Alaska

Current Classification on the List of Fisheries

Category	II
Estimated Number of Participants	32
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 Pacific¹; 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.

^ Number of participants estimates are based on state and federal fisheries permit data. The estimated number of participants is expressed in terms of the number of active participants in the fishery, when possible. If this information is not available, the estimated number of vessels or persons licensed for a particular fishery is provided. If no recent information is available on the number of participants, then the number from the most recent LOF is used. NOAA Fisheries acknowledges that, in some cases, these estimations may be inflating actual effort.

*Observer coverage levels include the latest information reported in the most current final Stock Assessment Report (SAR).

¹ Indicates the stock or species is driving the classification of the fishery.

Basis for Current Classification

The total annual mortality and serious injury of Steller sea lions (Western U.S. stock) and killer whales (AK resident stock) is more than 1% and less than 50% of each stock's Potential Biological Removal (PBR) level.

Distribution

Fishing effort in this fishery occurs within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone of the Eastern Bering Sea and the portion of the North Pacific Ocean adjacent to the Aleutian Islands, which is west of 170°W. long. up to the U.S.-Russian Convention Line of 1867.

Gear Description

Management

This fishery is federally managed under the BSAI FMP. The authorized gear, fishing season, criteria for determining fishing seasons, and area restrictions by gear type are defined in the regulations implementing the BSAI FMP (50 CFR 679). Management measures for the BSAI groundfish fisheries constrain fishing both temporally and spatially.

Historical Information

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

Timeline of Changes

2022	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.
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.