Rules on remote Alaska communities' fishing quota return to council

Rules for how small, remote Alaska communities hold and trade halibut and sablefish quota return to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council this fall, in a paper up for discussion at the council's Oct. 8-13 meeting in Anchorage.

Community quota entities let eligible communities hold quota so fishing access stays local, and federal rules already restrict how it can be transferred. The paper weighs how much flexibility those communities should have to move and manage their quota against the program's core aim of keeping access local. The Alaska Longline Fishermen's Association says it covers how the entities "assign and manage quota in-season." At this stage the paper is analysis, not a proposed rule.

NOAA Fisheries has invited tribal governments and Alaska Native corporations to consult on the quota issue and other fishery actions, with no deadline; tribes can reach the agency at [email protected]. Written public comment to the council closes Oct. 2 at noon Alaska time.