Chum Salmon Bycatch: What to Know for February 2025

Chum Salmon Bycatch: What to Know for February 2025

Photo by Terese Vicente/KRITFC.

KRITFC will continue to update this page leading up to the meeting, so make sure to check back. This page was last updated on 1/17/25 at 3:00 PM.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) and National Marine Fishery Service (NMFS, or NOAA Fisheries) are reevaluating chum salmon bycatch management in the Bering Sea pollock trawl fishery. KRITFC is a cooperating agency in this reevaluation and has helped develop and review sections of the draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for this issue.

The NPFMC will next discuss chum salmon bycatch at a special meeting in February 2025. Here is what you need to know to engage.

WHAT IS HAPPENING?

For many years, Tribes, salmon fishers, and public have been calling for a reduction of or restriction to chum salmon bycatch in the Bering Sea. Though this issue has come up at the NPFMC several times over the last decades, there is no formal cap on chum salmon bycatch, and current efforts to reduce chum salmon bycatch are left to the Bering Sea pollock trawl industry.

Outcry about high levels of chum salmon bycatch heightened after recent record-low chum salmon returns to Western and Interior Alaskan rivers, including the Kuskokwim. Bycatch is one of the human-controlled factors that cumulatively have contributed to chum salmon declines, with devastating impacts to Kuskokwim food security, economies, ecosystems, and ways of life.

Responding to this advocacy, NMFS issued a notice of intent to begin a National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) process to reevaluate chum salmon bycatch management in July 2023. This process has developed with a series of preliminary analyses and DEIS documents, public written and oral comment opportunities, and Tribal Consultations. KRITFC became a cooperating agency in this process in November 2023, and has since helped with the development and review of parts of the analyses that address impacts to salmon and salmon-dependent communities.

Now, the NPFMC (including its Scientific and Statistical Committee, Advisory Panel, and Council), an advisory body to NMFS, will be discussing the findings in the preliminary DEIS at their February meeting. These findings include environmental, economic, and social analyses of the 5 alternatives developed in April 2024. While this is likely not the final meeting for this action, it may determine important next steps for chum salmon bycatch management.

At this meeting, based on this preliminary DEIS as well as public input, the NPFMC may select a Preliminary Preferred Alternative(s) and move this issue along toward final action. They may also (or instead) revise the current alternatives and ask for an updated analysis. They may instead decide no action is warranted and advise NMFS to stop proceeding with this action.

In summary, the 5 alternatives are:

  1. No Action/Status Quo

  2. A Prohibited Species Catch (PSC) limit (or cap) between 100,000-550,000 chum salmon, to be based on historical bycatch levels and in effect each year

  3. A PSC limit between 100,000-550,000 chum salmon, to be based on in-river chum salmon abundance and in effect only when a river(s) is in a state of low abundance

  4. Adding regulatory provisions to the pollock fleet’s Incentive Plan Agreements (IPAs), making current voluntary chum salmon avoidance practices mandatory

  5. Establishing an in-season corridor for migrating chum salmon, with a cap of 50,000-200,000 chum salmon in a certain zone north of the Alaska Peninsula between June and mid-August

The action Alternatives 2-5 could stand alone or be paired with another alternative(s), except that Alternatives 2 and 3 cannot both be chosen. Alternative 1 cannot be chosen with any other alternative.

WHEN AND WHERE IS THE MEETING?

The NPFMC will be meeting February 3-11, 2025, at the Egan Center in Anchorage, AK:

The public can attend and participate in person or remotely via Zoom teleconference. Meetings can also be streamed or watched later on the NPFMC YouTube channel.

The NPFMC has set up the following room blocks and Alaska Airlines discount codes for anyone wishing to travel to attend the meeting in person:

WHERE CAN I FIND MORE INFORMATION?

All of the documents related to this meeting will be posted on the eAgenda under agenda item C2. Key documents include:

Other information about chum salmon bycatch and impacts of salmon declines on communities, ecosystems, and ways of life in the Kuskokwim can be found in the following:

KRITFC understands internet connectivity can be difficult in most of rural Alaska, and we are committed to helping our Tribes and the public access this information. If you wish to have any of these documents printed and mailed to you, please reach out to Terese Vicente at 907-545-7388 (text/call - please leave a voicemail or send a text if no one picks up) or terese@kritfc.org. KRITFC and partner entities also intend to develop summaries of these documents as well as suggested talking points that can be made available for Tribal citizens and representatives; please contact Terese for more information.

HOW CAN I ENGAGE?

KRITFC highly encourages the public, and especially Kuskokwim Tribal Nations, Tribal citizens, and salmon fishers, to engage in this meeting. While this is likely not the final meeting for this action, it may determine important next steps for chum salmon bycatch management.

The public, including Tribal governments, individuals, organizations, and companies, can submit written comments now until January 31, 2025 at 12:00 PM Alaska.

To submit a written comment:

  1. Head online to the eAgenda. (You can follow this same process for the SSC here).

  2. Scroll down to agenda item C2: Chum Salmon Bycatch – Initial Review.

  3. Click the green “Comment Now” button.

  4. Enter your name, organization (if you are commenting on behalf of one), email address, and comments in the pop-up window. You can remain anonymous. You can type up to 4000 characters of a comment in the box, or you can upload and attach a separate document with your comments.

  5. Confirm you are not a bot, and submit.

  6. The email entered will receive a confirmation if your comment was successfully submitted.

  7. Note: If you do not have an email or access to the internet, you can mail a written comment to the NPFMC office: Attn: Kate Haapala, 1007 West Third Ave., Suite 400, L92 Building, 4th floor. Anchorage, Alaska 99501-2252. Make sure to note that your comment is to be included in public comments for item C2 of the February 2025 NPFMC meeting.

  8. Note: If you need help writing or submitting a written comment (including if you wish to have oral comments transcribed and submitted on your behalf), please reach out to Terese Vicente at 907-545-7388 (text/call) or terese@kritfc.org.

  9. Note: If you have any technical difficulties submitting your comment, email npfmc.admin@noaa.gov.

Our partners at Tanana Chiefs Conference developed a video last year showing how to submit a written comment – watch it here! (The same process applies for the current Meeting.)

The public can also provide oral testimony during the SSC, AP, and Council meetings. Testimony can be provided in-person or remotely. Individuals testifying on their own behalf will receive 5 minutes at the SSC and AP, and 3 minutes at the Council. Individuals testifying on behalf of a Tribe, Tribal organization, non-profit, company, or other organization will receive 5 minutes at the SSC and AP, and 6 minutes at the Council. We encourage people to testify on behalf of an organization or Tribe they serve or help lead to receive more time to testify.

Testimony sign-ups open during the meeting, when the SSC, AP, or Council reaches that agenda item. You must sign up before the final staff presentation on the agenda item and testimony begins.

To sign up to testify at the meeting (in-person or remotely):

  1. Head online to the eAgenda. (You can follow this same process for the SSC here). If you are at the meeting in-person, you can do this on one of the monitors in the room, or ask a staff member for assistance.

  2. Scroll down to agenda item C2: Chum Salmon Bycatch – Initial Review.

  3. Click the green “Comment Now” button.

  4. Click the blue text for the correct body (AP, Council, or SSC) at the top of the pop-up window you wish to testify at.

  5. Enter your name, organization (if you are testifying on behalf of one), and email.

  6. If you do not wish to receive any questions, click the box that says, “No questions during this presentation.” Leaving this box unchecked does not guarantee you will be asked any questions, but you might.

  7. Check whether you will be testifying in-person or remotely.

  8. If you have any attachments (documents, written comments, photos, etc.) that you wish to connect with your testimony, upload and attach them.

  9. Confirm you are not a bot and submit.

  10. The email entered will receive a confirmation if your comment was successfully submitted.

  11. Wait to hear your name called by the chair, and then proceed with your testimony.

  12. Note: If you are not available when your name is called for testimony, you will be added to the end of the list and circled back to. Meeting timing is flexible and changes often. If you'd like to receive real-time text alerts during the meeting on Council timing, text the word "NPFMC" to the number 1-833-237-1598.

  13. Note: If you have any technical difficulties signing up to testify, email npfmc.admin@noaa.gov or, if in Anchorage, talk with a staff member.

Additionally, NMFS has invited Alaska Federally-recognized Tribes, Alaska Native Corporations, and Tribal Organizations that represent Tribal Governments to the following Tribal Engagement sessions leading up to this meeting:

WHO CAN I ASK FOR MORE HELP?

KRITFC is glad to help our Tribes, Tribal citizens, and salmon fishers develop written comments and testimony, submit and sign-up for these comments, learn how to get to and participate in the meeting, or to provide more information about this process and issue. Please reach out to Terese Vicente at 907-545-7388 (text/call - please leave a voicemail or send a text if no one picks up) or terese@kritfc.org for more information or assistance, or for inquiries to support Tribal leadership travel to the meeting.

Additionally, several KRITFC partners are actively engaged in this issue and can provide assistance and information. We will provide their information soon!

For more information on engaging in the NPFMC process, check out the Alaska Marine Conservation Council’s recently-published Guidebook.