By Margaret Bauman
Alaska Journal of Commerce

A proposed rule published March 7 by NOAA Fisheries would prohibit bottom trawling in certain waters in the Bering Sea in an effort to protect the sea floor habitat.

The proposal would close certain locations that have not been previously fished with bottom trawl gear, as well as nearshore bottom habitat areas that support subsistence marine resources and a research area for further study of the potential impacts of bottom trawling on sea floor habitat.

Included would be waters around St. Matthew Island, to protect habitat for blue king crab, a species that is still depleted in spite of fishing closures in place since 1999.

Closures of waters around St. Lawrence and Nunivak islands and within Etolin Strait and Kuskokwim Bay would support subsistence species that inhabit or feed from the sea floor, such as halibut and walrus.

NOAA spokesman Jon Kurland in Juneau said the idea was to develop closures in a way that would not affect current fishing, and would be done in cooperation with industry and environmental groups, he said.

The action was approved by the North Pacific Management Council at its June 2007 meeting.

“The North Pacific Fishery Management Council was thinking ahead when it proposed these changes,” said Doug Mecum, acting administrator for the Alaska Region of NOAA Fisheries. “The proposed rule would protect large areas of undisturbed sea bottom for the future, with minimal impact to today's fisheries.”

In 2006, NOAA Fisheries implemented essential fish habitat protection measures for federally managed fisheries in the Aleutian Islands and Gulf of Alaska. The 2006 measures did not include the Bering Sea sub-area because the federal council decided to undertake additional analysis to identify bottom habitat concerns and to develop potential conservation measures. The currently proposed closures are the product of further analysis and debate, and are in addition to the 2006 essential fish habitat protection measures.

The 2006 closures protected almost 290,000 square nautical miles of habitat in the North Pacific. The proposed rule would add approximately 130,000 square nautical miles of area closed to bottom trawling.

Public comment on the proposed rule is being accepted through April 21. Comments should be addressed to Sue Salveson, assistant regional administrator, Sustainable Fisheries Division, Alaska Region, NMFS.

Details of the proposed rule and maps of the proposed areas to be closed to bottom trawling and the proposed research area are available from the Alaska Region Web site at www.alaskafisheries.noaa.gov.

Margaret Bauman can be reached at margie.bauman@alaskajournal.com.