"Sculpin"

Analysis of the benefits and costs of proposed alternatives regarding processing and sale of squids and sculpins.

Analysis of proposed Amendment 121 to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Groundfish of the BSAI and Amendment 110 to the FMP for Groundfish of the GOA which would reclassify sculpin species to the non-target ecosystem component category.

This assessment is a partial assessment in accordance with the current assessment schedule. The estimated 2019 total sculpin complex biomass in the GOA is 33,010 t from a random effects model fit to survey data.

The Bering Sea and Aleutian Island (BSAI) sculpin complex is managed in Tier 5. The last full BSAI sculpin assessment was performed in 2016.

In accordance with the approved assessment schedule, no stock assessment was conducted for this stock this year, however, a full stock assessment will be conducted in 2021. Until then, the values generated from the previous stock assessment (below) will be rolled over for 2019 specifications.

[NOTE: In accordance with the approved schedule, no assessment was conducted for this stock this year, however, a full stock assessment will be conducted in 2019. Until then, the values generated from the previous partial stock assessment (below) will be rolled over for 2019 specifications]

The National Standard Guidelines for Fishery Management Plans published by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) require that a stock assessment and fishery evaluation (SAFE) report be prepared and reviewed annually for each fishery management plan (FMP). The SAFE reports are intended to summarize the best available scientific information concerning the past, present, and possible future condition of the stocks and fisheries under federal management. The FMPs for the groundfish fisheries managed by the Council require that drafts of the SAFE reports be produced each year in time for the December North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) meetings.

The Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) report summarizes the best available scientific information concerning the past, present, and possible future condition of the stocks, marine ecosystems, and fisheries that are managed under Federal regulation. It provides information to the Councils for determining annual harvest levels from each stock, documenting significant trends or changes in the resource, marine ecosystems, and fishery over time, and assessing the relative success of existing state and Federal fishery management programs. For the FMP for the Groundfish Fishery of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) Area, the SAFE report is published in three sections: a “Stock Assessment” section, which comprises the bulk of this document, and “Economic Status of Groundfish Fisheries off Alaska” (i.e., the “Economic SAFE report”) and “Ecosystem Considerations” sections, which are bound separately.