Two regional government of Kodiak are having opposite views on a set of proposed groundfish closures in waters near Kodiak. Both the governments are ready to write letters to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC), which is scheduled to decide next week at its meeting in Anchorage whether, or how much, to limit trawl and pot fishing.
The main reason behind the closure is to protect tanner crab populations by reducing crab bycatch. The Kodiak Island Borough letter, dated Monday, takes the stronger stance, opposing any “seasonal or annual closure areas.” The Kodiak City Council voted to draft a less decisive letter at a special meeting Wednesday night.
Both the city council and the borough assembly letters express support for putting more observers on boats in the Gulf of Alaska, but ask for federal funding so boat owners do not have to pay for the observes. When the NPFMC considers the closures, it will consider an array of options including closing parts of the selected areas, mandating gear modifications and requiring observers 100 percent of the time.
