The IPHC made the following decisions on Friday Jan. 27th, 2012 concerning the 2012 Halibut season dates and catch limits.
2Aa 0.989
2Bb, includes sport 7.038
2C 2.624
3A 11.918
3B 5.070
4A 1.567
4B 1.869
4CDEc 2.465
Total 33.540
a Includes sport, tribal, and commercial fisheries.
b Includes sport and commercial fisheries.
c Individual catch limits for Areas 4C, 4D, and 4E are determined by the NPFMC catch sharing plan.

Season dates March 17th to October 31st. The earlier date is basically to give staff more time to develop catch limit recommendations and have all the information to work with.

Reverse slot limit for Area 2C halibut charter fleet was adopted (under 45 – over 68) Council also adopted a plan to include wastage and careful release education

The Conference Board, Processor Advisory Group and Staff presentations are all posted HERE: The conference board made at least five motions regarding by-catch, The Canadians supported with US opposing a motion that would designate Area 3A an area of concern which would drop the harvest rate resulting in a catch limit of 6.95 million pounds. The CB also voted in support again of last years proposal to investigate the use of tags for accounting of all non-commercial removals.

The King and Tanner Task Force (KTTF) met by teleconference on January 12, 2012 prior to the Board of Fish meetings. At this meeting they discussed membership of the task force, board of fish proposals and the Board of Fish charge which was presented to the Board. The Board adopted the new charge which will replace the charge adopted in 2001.

Charge to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and Southeast Alaska King and Tanner Crab Task Force

The Southeast Alaska King and Tanner Crab Task Force (KTTF) is an advisory industry group that meets annually with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) to exchange information on Southeast Alaska commercial king and Tanner crab fisheries. The Alaska Board of Fisheries (Board) directs ADF&G and KTTF to work together collaboratively for the following purposes:
Evaluation and design of research plans;
Stock assessment and survey design;
Fishery data collection;
Management issues of mutual concern;
Long-term management plans and goals.

Additionally, the KTTF and ADF&G will work together toward achieving consensus on king and Tanner management proposals for the board.

The king and Tanner crab fisheries and associated regulations should be compatible with a vision for the sustainable management of the Southeast Alaska crab fisheries, outlined as follows:
Abundance based management by area with preseason GHLs, incorporating information about all stock segments;
Survey and stock assessment protocols in place that are understood by stakeholders;
In-season management targeting specific area GHLs;
Follow the policies set out in the Board’s king and Tanner crab policy;
Maintain the concurrent Tanner and golden king crab fisheries.

Click KTTF Meeting 1.12.12 for a copy of the meeting notes submitted to the Board of Fish for the Jan 12, 2012 teleconference

The NPFMC & IPHC joint workshop on Halibut Bycatch EStimation, Halibut Growth and Migration, & Effects on Harvest Strategy is scheduled for April 24-25 at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Seattle. The following information document has been posted for the meeting. Click HERE

The Taku Legislative Task Force met on January 5th & 7th. The task force is strictly for fact-finding and not for recommendations. The various presentations for January 5th are available HERE and for the January 7th meeting HERE. At the hearing on the 7th Chieftain Metals stated that their they were pursuing a road option for the mine tailings rather than a barging operation.

POT SHRIMP TASK FORCE MEETING
Sitka. . . The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced today the Pot Shrimp Task Force will be meeting in Petersburg on January 14, 2012. The meeting is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Petersburg City Council Chambers. This meeting is between members of the Pot Shrimp Task Force and ADF&G management and research staff involved with the Southeast Alaska shrimp pot fishery. The Pot Shrimp Task Force was formed by the Alaska Board of Fisheries in 2003 as a forum for discussion and continuing development of the shrimp fishery in the region. Topics for the meeting include discussion of shrimp proposals before the Alaska Board of Fisheries during the January 15–24 Southeast and Yakutat shellfish meeting in Petersburg and the status and plans for the Pot Shrimp Task Force.

The Dept of Natural Resources, Division of Mining, Land and Water, now is accepting aquatic farm, joint-agaency applications for new aquatic farm sites and existing farm site amendments each year from January 1st through April 30th. Joint-agency application forms may be obtained by emailing calling or writing to:
Dept of Natural Resources
550 W 7th Avenue, Suite 900C
Anchorage, AK 99501-3557
(907) 269-8543
Email: john.thiede@alaska.gov
www.dnr.alaska.gov/mlw/aquatic/

Sitka. . . The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced today the following information
concerning the preseason forecast for king salmon returning to the Taku River in 2012. The 2012 pre-season terminal run forecast for large Taku River king salmon is 48,036 fish. The resulting U.S. Allowable Catch (AC) is 6,703 large Taku Kings. An AC of this size allows for limited directed commercial fisheries to occur in District 11 beginning in May. Taking into consideration recent trends in forecasts and forecast confidence intervals, department management of this fishery will be conservative. It is likely that both time and area will be significantly restricted. Once inseason Taku River king salmon stock assessment data is available the department will respond accordingly. A news release announcing specific opening times and areas will be released in mid-April, 2012.

Petersburg . . . The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced today that seasons for the 2011/2012 commercial Tanner and golden king crab fisheries in Southeast Alaska will open by regulation at 12:00 noon on Thursday, February 16, 2012. The season start date for the Tanner and golden king crab fisheries is based on the date with the smallest Juneau tidal range between February 10 and February 17 (5 AAC 35.110 and 5 AAC 34.110 (b)). The registration deadline for both fisheries will be Tuesday, January 17, 2012. Fishermen who register after that date will be required to pay a $45.00 late fee. Buoy tags are mandatory for all commercial Tanner and golden king crab gear and are available in any area office in Southeast Alaska for $1.25 each. Further information on the 2011/2012 Tanner crab and golden king crab fisheries will be announced in subsequent news releases.

Goals
1. Review biological health and status regarding Taku River fish stocks, habitat, and game resources.
2. Investigate who is responsible (e.g., Alaska departments of Fish and Game, Natural Resources, Environmental Conservation, and the U.S. Coast Guard) for monitoring industrial vessel traffic on the river and determine if industrial vessel safety and spill response requirements are appropriately met.
3. Assess current state and federal statutes and regulations and their effectiveness.

Meeting 1 - January 5th – 5:00 P.M. TO 8:00 P.M. Capitol Building, House Finance Committee Room, Room 519

AGENDA – Organization of the Task Force and Taku River Values (3 hours)
• (20 minutes) – Introductions, Discussion with Juneau Legislative Delegation
• (10 minutes) – Mission, process and procedural ground rules, facilitator, agendas, speakers.
• (25 minutes) Statements of Task Force Members regarding to river values to their user group, and questions to have answered to achieve the fact-finding mission of the TF. (up to 3 minutes per member).
• (30 minutes) – Ed Jones and Charlie Swanton, Dept of Fish and Game – Expert testimony on fish runs and characteristics of spawning and rearing habitat, especially habitat fragility and threats. Questions by Task Force members.
• (30 minutes) – Randy Bates and Jackie Timothy – Expert testimony DF&G permitting. Questions by Task Force members.
• (30 minutes) – Open public questions. (Questions from the public will be submitted in writing and read by the facilitator. If there is not time to complete all questions this evening, they will be read at the Saturday meeting.)
• (15 minutes) – Discussion by Task Force regarding the information provided, additional information requested, future meeting agendas, etc.

Meeting 2 – Saturday, January 7th – 9:00 a.m. to noon – Capitol Building, House Finance Committee Room, Room 519

AGENDA – Current Regulatory Protections for the Taku River Fishery
• (30 minutes) – Recap of previous meeting and beginning discussion of future meetings and topics.
• (45 minutes) – Dept of Natural Resources – Office of Project Management – Large Project Coordinator – Kyle Moselle – 10 minute presentation and Q & A from Task Force
• INVITED (20 minutes) – Status of planned industrial development. (Chieftain Metals – developers of the Tulsequah mine – officials invited.)
• (45 minutes) – Public Hearing (Questions from the public will be submitted in writing and read by the facilitator. If there is not time to complete all questions this evening, they will be read at the Saturday meeting.)
• (30 minutes) – Discussion by Task Force regarding the Strategic Planning for the future including: additional information and resource speakers requested, future meeting agendas, etc.