[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 108 (Monday, June 6, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34255-34256]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-12135]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XC079]


Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Request for 
Information on Bristol Bay Red King Crab Mortality Mitigation Measures

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notification; Request for Information (RFI).

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SUMMARY: The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) is 
requesting information from the public on ways to reduce fishing 
related mortality for Bristol Bay red king crab (BBRKC). Information 
from commercial fishing sectors is critical to that effort and, 
therefore, the Council is seeking public input. This notice invites the 
public to submit written comments on the topic generally and in 
response to specific questions outlined below.

DATES: Comments must be received via the Council's eAgenda meeting 
portal by 5 p.m. AKT on September 23, 2022 at https://meetings.npfmc.org/Meeting/Details/2941.

ADDRESSES: Please submit written comments to the Council's' eAgenda 
meeting portal, at ``Bristol Bay Red King Crab--Request for Information 
(RFI)'': https://meetings.npfmc.org/Meeting/Details/2941 by the 
September 23, 2022, deadline.
    Council address: North Pacific Fishery Management Council, 1007 W 
3rd Ave., Anchorage, AK 99501-2252; telephone: (907) 271-2809.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sam Cunningham, Council staff; email: 
[email protected]; telephone: (907) 271-2809.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The results of the 2021 eastern Bering Sea bottom trawl survey 
continued a trend of overall decreasing BBRKC biomass. This trend is 
primarily driven by a decrease in mature female red king crab 
abundance. While the abundance of female red king crab has been low in

[[Page 34256]]

recent years, 2021 was the first year since 1995 that the mature female 
red king crab abundance fell below the established threshold in the 
State of Alaska's harvest strategy to hold a directed fishery. As a 
result, the directed BBRKC fishery was closed for the 2021/22 season. 
To better understand the decline of BBRKC and scope potential 
management actions that are within the Council's authority, the Council 
has reviewed an analysis of trawl gear crab prohibited species catch 
limits (February 2021) and an emergency rule analysis to expand the Red 
King Crab Savings Area (RKCSA) in the Bering Sea (December 2021). In 
April 2022, the Council reviewed a discussion paper addressing an array 
of topics including red king crab biology, existing management and 
stock assessment boundaries, seafloor contact by pelagic trawl gear, 
and flexible spatial management tools used in other fisheries. At its 
April 2022 meeting, the Council both initiated this RFI and tasked 
Council and NMFS staff to produce an expanded discussion paper that is 
fully described in the April 9, 2022, motion linked below. That paper 
will consider annual or seasonal gear closures to the RKCSA, provide 
data on BBRKC mortality, identify information that would be needed to 
implement dynamic time/area closures that could protect mature female 
BBRKC, assess available information on groundfish predation on BBRKC, 
and analyze the impacts of limiting groundfish pot gear activity.

Request for Information

    This notice requests comment on the motion put forward by the 
Council on April 9, 2022, which can be viewed at https://tinyurl.com/D1BBRKCcouncilmotion4-9-22. In particular, the Council wishes to hear 
from Bering Sea commercial fishery sectors that may cause BBRKC 
mortality, including both directed crab fishing and directed groundfish 
fishing where red king crab are encountered. See ADDRESSES for 
information on how to submit comments.
    The scope of public comments is not limited, but questions that may 
be considered include:
    1. Voluntary measures for implementation in 2023 and beyond to 
avoid BBRKC and reduce crab mortality in the non-directed fisheries;
    2. Measures in the directed crab fishery to reduce discard 
mortality of BBRKC;
    3. Description of research that would inform development of more 
flexible and effective spatial management measures; gear modifications 
to reduce impacts on the BBRKC stock, or to evaluate unobserved 
mortality in the trawl sector.
    The Council will review comments submitted in response to this 
request for information at the October 2022 Council meeting, which is 
scheduled to begin on October 3, 2022. The schedule and agenda will be 
available prior to that meeting. All responses to this request for 
information will be posted and publicly available on the Council agenda 
for the October 2022 meeting.
    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: June 1, 2022.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-12135 Filed 6-3-22; 8:45 am]
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