Camai, Relatives!
Jackie Boyer or Arnaciar here with a quick update on meetings happening that impact our traditional ways of life and opportunities that you can make your voice heard in the management process.
NOAA/DOI
The Department of the Interior (DOI) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are hosting first-ever in-region and virtual Tribal Consultations in Bethel (October 5), Nome (October 6), and Fairbanks (October 7) to consult with Tribes and subsistence users on fisheries protection, restoration, and subsistence policy.
DOI and NOAA welcome all comments, and are specifically seeking input on the following questions:
- How can federal agencies better cooperate with Alaska Native Tribes, Alaska Native Consortia, Alaska Native Organizations, Alaska Native Corporations, and subsistence users to better protect and restore fisheries that Alaska Native communities depend on?
- How has bycatch impacted fish populations and fish availability for Alaska Native communities?
- What are your suggestions for how the federal government can better address the impacts of bycatch?
- How has climate change impacted fisheries decline?
- How can the process for federal fisheries disaster declarations be improved to better account for Alaska Native subsistence needs?
- How can federal agencies better facilitate Tribal co-management of fisheries resources?
You can also register to join via zoom, here: https://www.doi.gov/priorities/tribal-consultation/upcoming-tribal-consultations
People in these decision-making positions need to hear from you! You are the expert in our ways of life and our ancestors have passed on their knowledge for generations to come. Your voice is powerful!
North Pacific Fisheries Management Council (NPFMC)
The North Pacific Management Council (NPFMC) will meet in person and online from October 3 – 11 at the Anchorage Hilton. In-person and remote testimony will be available in all three meetings.
The NPFMC is one of eight regional councils established by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act in 1976 to manage fisheries in the 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone, 3 miles off the coast of Alaska.
The council has been outlined by the Magnuson Stevens Act (MSA) to:
- Set harvest quotas
- Set prohibited species catch limits
- Set gear/season.area restrictions
- Design ecosystem and habitat protections
- Develop community protections
- Construct monitoring programs
- Create limited entry access privileges
The council manages trawling, longline, jig, pot, and dredge fishermen; catcher vessels and catcher-processors in the industry and groundfish, Bering sea, and Aleutian islands crab, scallops, salmon, and halibut
LINK FOR eAgenda/Meetings/Testimony Sign-Ups: https://www.npfmc.org/current-or-next-council-meeting/
The SSC will meet on October 3-5, 2022. The AP will meet October 4-7, 2022, and the Council will meet October 6-11, 2022.
To see when documents will be posted, check the review documents schedule. A short summary of agenda items is forthcoming.
In-person and remote testimony will be available in all three meetings.
To sign up for text alerts about all three meetings, text “NPFMC” to 1-833-237-1598. Please contact npfmc.admin@noaa.gov if you need help or have questions.
Board of Fisheries (BOF)
What is the BOF?
The Board of Fisheries’ main role is to conserve and develop the fishery resources of the state. This involves setting seasons, bag limits, methods, and means for the state’s subsistence, commercial, sport, guided sport, and personal use fisheries, and it also involves setting policy and direction for the management of the state’s fishery resources. The board is charged with making allocative decisions, and the department is responsible for management based on those decisions, including establishing open and closed seasons and areas for taking fish; setting quotas, bag limits, harvest levels, and limitations for taking fish; and establishing the methods and means for the taking of fish. The board of fisheries will be holding a meeting October 25-28 in Anchorage at the Egan Center.
Comment due date: October 11, 2022
Click here to submit comments to the Board of Fisheries for this meeting
Agenda Change Requests (PDF 645 kB)
Department Reports:
- RC2: ADF&G Staff Comments on ACRs (PDF 1,284 kB)
- Bristol Bay Escapement Goal Memo (PDF 510 kB)
- Areas L and M Escapement Goal Memo (PDF 535 kB)
- Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim, Salmon Escapement Goal Review (PDF 483 kB)
- Alaskan Peninsula/Aleutian Islands Stock of Concern Memo (PDF 985 kB)
and October 27-28 Alaska Peninsula, Aleutian Islands, Bering Sea, and Chignik Pacific Cod Meeting in Anchorage at the Egan Center.
Meeting Proposals
The Alaska Peninsula, Aleutian Islands, Bering Sea, and Chignik Pacific Cod — View PDF
of all proposals for Alaska Peninsula, Aleutian Islands, Bering Sea, and Chignik Pacific Cod
| Show Category
Alaska Peninsula, Aleutian Islands, Bering Sea, and Chignik Pacific Cod
- Aleutian Islands Subdistrict Pacific Cod Management Plan — View PDF
of all proposals for the Aleutian Islands Subdistrict Pacific Cod Management Plan
Show Proposals for Aleutian Islands Subdistrict Pacific Cod Management Plan
- Dutch Harbor Subdistrict Pacific Cod Management Plan — View PDF of all proposals for Dutch Harbor Subdistrict Pacific Cod Management Plan Show Proposals for Dutch Harbor Subdistrict Pacific Cod Management Plan
- Bering Sea-Aleutian Islands and South Alaska Peninsula Area Legal Gear, Landing Requirements, and Season Dates — View PDF of all proposals for Bering Sea-Aleutian Islands and South Alaska Peninsula Area Legal Gear, Landing Requirements, and Season Dates Show Proposals for Bering Sea-Aleutian Islands and South Alaska Peninsula Area Legal Gear, Landing Requirements, and Season Dates
- Chignik, South Alaska Peninsula, Dutch Harbor Subdistrict, Aleutian Islands Subdistrict Jig Gear Registration and Season Dates — View PDF of all proposals for Chignik, South Alaska Peninsula, Dutch Harbor Subdistrict, Aleutian Islands Subdistrict Jig Gear Registration and Season Dates Show Proposals for Chignik, South Alaska Peninsula, Dutch Harbor Subdistrict, Aleutian Islands Subdistrict Jig Gear Registration and Season Dates
- Aleutian Islands District and Western District of the South Alaska Peninsula Sablefish Management Plan — View PDF of all proposals for Aleutian Islands District and Western District of the South Alaska Peninsula Sablefish Management Plan Show Proposals for Aleutian Islands District and Western District of the South Alaska Peninsula Sablefish Management Plan
- Policy — View PDF of all proposals for Policy Show Proposals for Policy
Visit https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fisheriesboard.main to read and comment on proposals online or https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=process.commentoptions&ontimeinfo to comment
Closing Statement
Please feel free to message us back about which proposals you are concerned with or supporting. Quyana for reading and coming together to #WarriorUp for our homelands.
Jackie Arnaciar Boyer
Deputy Director
Native Peoples Action & Native Peoples Action Community Fund