1. WHY IT MATTERS AND WHAT COMES NEXT Becca Robbins Gisclair Alaska Marine Conservation Council/ Yukon River Drainage Fisheries Association Bycatch Accounting Presentation to Southwest Alaska Municipal Conference March 6, 2014

2. 1. Counting Bycatch 2. Accounting for Bycatch 3. Why Accounting for Bycatch Matters 4. How Can We Do better at Bycatch Accounting? Presentation Summary

3. Counting Bycatch: The Foundation North Pacific: Observer Program All groundfish fisheries, including halibut and sablefish 1. Full coverage (100%, pay as you go) 2. Partial coverage (“restructured “program)  Small vessel pool: Hook and line and pot gear vessels  40 feet, < 57.5 feet  Large vessel pool: All trawl catcher vessels, Hook and line and pot gear vessels  57.5 feet, Catcher processors exempt from full coverage

4. Bering Sea Gulf of Alaska 100% or more coverage: Bering Sea pollock fishery Amendment 80 (flatfish bottom trawl) Bering Sea cod trawl fishery (voluntary) All CDQ fisheries All catcher processors (with exceptions) All motherships 100% or more coverage: Central GOA Rockfish program All catcher processors (with exceptions) All motherships Counting Bycatch: Who’s All In?

5. Bering Sea Gulf of Alaska Partial coverage: Halibut IFQ Catcher Vessels > 40’ Cod CVs outside of voluntary 100% coverage No coverage: Vessels under 40’, jig Partial Coverage: Halibut IFQ Catcher Vessels > 40’ Pollock fishery Flatfish trawl fishery Cod fishery No coverage: Vessels under 40’, jig Counting Bycatch: Who’s Partial/Out?

6. Counting Bycatch Observer program Catch Accounting System Management Decisions/Data Availability

7. Accounting for Bycatch What do we do with this data? PSC caps Catch limits Data collection

8. Accounting for Bycatch Not all bycatch is treated equally Halibut Salmon

9. Accounting for Bycatch: Why? What’s the quickest and easiest way to get rid of the bycatch problem?

10. Accounting for Bycatch: Why? 1. Managing fisheries to sustainable levels/avoiding overfishing 2. Allocation: between bycatch uses and other uses (commercial, sport, subsistence, ecosystem) 3. Ecosystem impacts 4. Public accountability and perception 5. It’s the law!

11. Accounting for Bycatch: Why? To reduce bycatch, you have to account for it. Individual accountability for bycatch Bycatch undesirable/something to be avoided Public awareness and pressure

12. Bycatch Accounting: How Can We Do Better? 1. Count better Observer coverage allocations Utilizing electronic monitoring (EM) 2.Manage bycatch species Current system prioritizes bycatch over directed fisheries for PSC Ecosystem-based management 3.Make information easily accessible to the public

13. Questions?