Federal, State Meeting Will Take Up Salmon Management in Cook Inlet EEZ

Alternatives for salmon fishery management in the exclusive economic zone of Cook Inlet will be on the table when the Alaska Board of Fisheries and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council convene a Joint Protocol Committee meeting in a web conference on Thursday, Nov.5.

The agenda calls for the council to first hear staff reports on current management and then take oral public testimony. Public comment letters are also being accepted electronically at https://meetings.npfmc.org/Meeting/Details/1684 through 5 p.m. Alaska time on Nov. 4.

The Exclusive Economic Zone stretches from three nautical miles to 200 nautical miles offshore of Alaska. Back in 2012, the NPFMC revised the fishery management plan to comply with recent Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Management Act requirements, including annual catch limits, to more clearly reflect the council’s policy with regard to state management authority for commercial and sport salmon management in the EEZ.

Now in response to a federal appeals court decision, the council is considering how to revise the fishery management plan to manage the commercial fishery in EEZ waters of Cook Inlet that was removed from federal management with 2012 revisions to the fishery management plan.

The council is considering new management measures that comply with Magnuson-Stevens requirements for the Cook Inlet commercial salmon fishery, such as status determination criteria, annual catch limits and accountability measures.

Alternatives include federal management with or without delegation of management to the state. The council plans to take final action on this issue during its December meeting.

The adobe connection to join the meeting is https://npfmc.adobeconnect.com/jointprotocol/

Anyone who cannot connect should dial 1-800-832-0736 room number 12331143 to participate with a telephone connection only. State fisheries board officials said meeting materials will be posted on the board’s meeting page http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fisheriesboard.meetinginfo&date=11-05-2020&meeting=jointprotocol following the meeting.