The Western Alaska Community Development Quota Program
October 01, 2018
Program Summary: The western Alaska Community Development Quota Program (CDQ Program) provides western Alaska villages with the opportunity to participate and invest in fisheries in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands fisheries.
Six non-profit corporations represent 65 communities with the purpose of economic development in western Alaska. The goals are to alleviate poverty, provide economic and social benefits to residents, and achieve sustainable local economies. Legislative action under Section 305(i)(1)(C) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act enabled allocation to CDQ groups of groundfish, halibut, crab, and bycatch species. A decennial review allows for program and allocation adjustments. The allocations were implemented in 1992 for pollock, 1995 for halibut and sablefish, and 1998 for multispecies groundfish. In 2016, the CDQ groups harvested 249,538 mt of seafood worth $120 million. In the same year, the CDQ groups processed 196,037 mt in seafood volume worth $213.9 million. This report reviews the regulatory landscape, allocative process, and changes in CDQ investments.
The groundfish and halibut CDQ fisheries are managed by NOAA Fisheries and the CDQ crab fisheries are managed by NOAA Fisheries and the State of Alaska. Federal reporting requirements for management of CDQ fisheries are incorporated into standard reporting requirements for the groundfish, halibut, and crab fisheries.