Tuesday April 23, 2024
SeafoodSource —
NOAA Fisheries has denied a request for emergency action to institute a cap of zero on Chinook salmon bycatch in the Bering Sea pollock fishery, which would have closed the fishery for the first half of 2024.
Group’s representing Alaska’s commercial and recreational salmon fisheries and Native Alaskan groups have clashed with the Alaska pollock sector over the cause of smaller Chinook salmon runs and actions that can be taken to reverse the decline.
The request to lower the pollock sector’s allowed Chinook salmon bycatch limit, which currently ranges from 45,000 to 60,000 depending on abundance, to zero, was impractical, NOAA said in its 18 April decision.
The request, submitted on 17 January 2024, effectively asked U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo to close the Bering Sea pollock fishery, which opened on 20 January, for the first half of 2024, NOAA said.