Fisheries Management and the Aleutian Islands
Steven J. Barbeaux, Ph.D. Research Fisheries Biologist
Alaska Fisheries Science Center
2
Alaska Aleutian Islands* Contiguous US
Area 1,718,000 km2 16,092 km2 8,081,867 km2
Coastline 54,563 km 8,876 km 95,219 km
Population 710,231 3,779 306,073,283
EEZ Area 3,770,021 km2 1,000,105 km2 2,449,144 km2
Shelf Area (< 200 m) 1,319,692 km2 64,412 km2 995,557 km2
* For the NMFS AI Region west of 170° W longitude
North Pacific Fishery Management Council
Research survey Abundance data
Commercial fishery Catch data
Biological data: Catch at age, size
Life history
Plan Team Review Initial ABC OFL
Advisory Panel Initial TAC
Scientific & Statistical Committee
Final ABC OFL
Final TAC specifications
Public input
Public input
Stock assessment
Ecosystem Report
Biological data: Food habits,
nontarget species
Physical data: Climate,
Habitat indices Fishery data: Effort, gear,
nontarget catch
Results
Hollowed, et al. 2011. Fisheries and Fisheries 12: 189-208.
Economic assessment
Economic and sociological data
2/27/2015 4
The Aleutian Islands
How do we define the Aleutian Islands?
6
Aleutian Islands Climate • The islands experience a cool, wet, and windy maritime climate. • Summertime temperatures 5 – 10°C • Winter temperatures ~0°C • Precipitation varies widely (5 cm up to 21 cm) • Wind, light rain, and fog common in the summer • Wettest conditions October–December.
Aleutian Islands Oceanography
Aleutian North Slope Current
• Shelf narrows
• Porous boundary
• Deeper passes
• Strong tidal flows
Our window into the Aleutian Islands
8
Aleutian Islands food web • Largely
pelagic/oceanic
• Very diverse
• Highly productive
Aleutian Islands exploitation Go to ARCGIS
http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/npfmc/PDFdocuments/meetings/Management_FMP.pdf
Prevent Overfishing – Annual Catch Limits Promote Sustainable Fisheries and Communities – science based guidelines Preserve Food Web – Weak stock management Manage Incidental Catch and Reduce Bycatch and Waste Avoid Impacts to Seabirds and Marine Mammals Reduce and Avoid Impacts to Habitat Promote Equitable and Efficient Use of Fishery Resources Increase Alaska Native Consultation Improve Data Quality, Monitoring and Enforcement
North Pacific tier system
Tier 1 – Reliable stock recruitment relationship Projections based on stock recruitment
relationship Tier 3 – Age or length based stock
assessment model Projection based on mean recruitment
Tier 5 – Reliable biomass estimates and
natural mortality FOFL= M and FABC = 0.75 × M
Tier 6 – Only catch history available
OFL =average catch 1978 – 1995 ABC = 0.75 × OFL
13
Buffering for uncertainty
biomass (B0)
catch
OFL
(BMSY )
Tier 1 ABC
*ABC = Allowable biological catch
Buffering for uncertainty
biomass (B0)
catch
OFL
(BMSY )
Tier 3 ABC
*ABC = Allowable biological catch
Buffering for uncertainty
biomass (B0)
OFL
(BMSY )
ABC
*TAC = Total allowable catch TAC < ABC
TAC
catch TAC =
Ecosystem consideration report
• A reference for the current state and trajectory of key indices of ecosystem health in which single species models can be framed
• Adaptive document
• Revised annually in response to review and new information available
• New indicators added each year
Aleutian Islands Fishery Ecosystem Plan • Provides enhanced scientific
information and measurable indicators to evaluate and promote ecosystem health, sustainable fisheries, and vibrant communities
• Expands on ecosystem report by including anthropogenic threats to the ecosystem outside of the fishery
• Although meant to be an adaptive resource not updated since 2011
• Not yet integrated into the NPFMC process
• . http://www.npfmc.org/aleutian-islands-fishery-ecosystem-plan/
19
• Fisheries interactions with endangered species • Reduction of fisheries impacts on sensitive habitats • Increase Alaska Native consultation • Climate change and ocean acidification • Increased vessel traffic
The top issues in the Aleutian Islands
• Spatial Management • Marine protected areas • Time/area closures • Fishing gear restrictions
Top down management approaches
Management Approaches • Community-based management (CDQ 1992)
• 6 Alaska Native Communities • 10-14% of all TACs
Managing bycatch • Halibut and Herring
• Catch limits • Area/time closures
• Crab • Catch limits • Bristol Bay Red King Crab
Conservation Area • Salmon
• Hard cap • Incentive Program Agreements • Self-monitoring and closures
Pacific herring. Photo: JJ Vollenweider, NOAA Fisheries
(a) Changes in global mean sea level (teal line; Jevrejeva et al. 2008),summer Arctic sea-ice area ( yellow line;Walsh & Chapman 2001),0–700-m ocean heat content (orange line; Levitus et al. 2009),sea-surface temperature (brown line; Rayner et al. 2006), mean ocean-surface pH (blue line; Natl. Res. Counc. 2010), andpCO2 (red line; Petit et al. 1999). Light purple shaded region denotes projected changes in pH and pCO2 consistent with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s twenty-first-century A2 emissions scenario with rapid population growth.
Doney et al. 2012. Annu. Rev. Mar. Sci. 2012. 4:4.1–4.27
Planning for physical changes: Observations and projections
Projected EBS July bottom temperatures in SE Bering Sea ( Al Hermann JISAO)
} “medium” } “cold”
} “warm”
CGCM3 MIROC ECHOG
Inter
natio
nal P
anel
on C
limate
Cha
nge
Prediction:from initial
conditions of environment and
spawning biomass: from larvalabundance
: from juvenile abundance
: from juvenilesand predatoroverlap
Recruitment level
Time
Abun
danc
e
Egg JuvenileLarval Recruit
Scheme of Continuous Refinement of Recruitment Forecast
Small scale….. increasing to…. large scale
Predominantly activating processes
: add habitat,densitydependence
Predominantly constraining processes
• Growth – bio-energetics • Recruitment • Catchability (non-trawlable grounds) • Selectivity/availability • Phenology • Natural mortality • Bio-economic (fishers choice) • Stock structure
Tracking Climate Impacts Through Life History Gauntlet
Recruitment Processes Alliance GOA IERP GOA food web network:
Prioritize process studies on nodal species Gaichas & Francis (2008) CJFAS 65:1965-1982
Technical Options- Scenario Testing System Management Strategy Evaluations
A’mar et al. 2009 GOA pollock Mueter et al 2011 BS pollock Ianelli et al. 2011 BS pollock Wilderbuer et al 2013 rock sole Holsman et al. submitted BS MSM
Change Fishing Strategy? “modifying management strategies to include environmental factors seldom improves the ability to
achieve management goals unless the system is well known.” Punt et al. 2013
• Alt. 1: (no action) Adjust quota to maintain historical Bmsy • Alt 2: Adopt steeper control rule to create a larger no fishing buffer. • Alt 3: Adopt larger buffer between OFL and ABC to account for increased uncertainty due to climate change • Alt 4: Account for climate impact on growth, maturation schedule, M, fishery selectivity . Then reset biological reference points
February 27, 2015
28
Schematic of Harvest Control Rule
ABC/ACL TAC ≤ ≤Catch OFL <Total Allowable Catch Acceptable Biological Catch Overfishing Level
2/27/2015 29
Shipping and pollution
Summary
30
Bottom Trawl Surveys
32
10 m
Cooperative acoustic and pelagic trawl surveys
33
0.5 m from bottom
15 m from surface
Show 3d survey data
Monitoring fishery catch
• Observer Program • Started in 1972 • ~40,000 at sea days per year • All fishing vessels > 38.1 m • 16% random selection of fishing boats > 12.2 and < 38.1m • Report every day or at each delivery
34
Monitoring fishery catch
• Fishing Logbooks • All vessels fishing groundfish
• Landings and Production Reports
• Every landing • All products
35
Monitoring fishery catch •Vessel Monitoring System (VMS)
• Position, bearing, and speed by satellite • All fishing boats > 12.2 m • One position every 30 minutes
36
Aleutian Islands demersal ichthyofauna
37
• Shelf narrows
• Porous boundary
• Deeper passes
• Strong tidal flows
Aleutian North Slope Current
Unimak Pass Akutan Pass
Umnak Pass
Amukta Pass Seguam Pass Amlia Pass
Atka Pass Tanaga Pass
Amchitka Pass
Buldir Pass
Adak Pass
Near Strait
Samalga Pass
Attu Is.
Aleutian Islands Oceanography
39
North Pacific Fishery Management Council
Research survey Abundance data
Commercial fishery Catch data
Biological data: Catch at age, size
Life history
Plan Team Review Initial ABC OFL
Advisory Panel Initial TAC
Scientific & Statistical Committee
Final ABC OFL
Final TAC specifications
Public input
Public input
Stock assessment
Ecosystem Report
Biological data: Food habits,
nontarget species
Physical data: Climate,
Habitat indices Fishery data: Effort, gear,
nontarget catch
Results
Hollowed, et al. 2011. Fisheries and Fisheries 12: 189-208.
Economic assessment
Economic and sociological data
North Pacific Fishery Management Council
Research survey Abundance data
Commercial fishery Catch data
Biological data: Catch at age, size
Life history
Plan Team Review Initial ABC OFL
Advisory Panel Initial TAC
Scientific & Statistical Committee
Final ABC OFL
Final TAC specifications
Public input
Public input
Stock assessment
Ecosystem Report
Biological data: Food habits,
nontarget species
Physical data: Climate,
Habitat indices Fishery data: Effort, gear,
nontarget catch
Results
Hollowed, et al. 2011. Fisheries and Fisheries 12: 189-208.
Economic assessment
Economic and sociological data