Peltola sponsors a bill to limit salmon bycatch. The pollock industry calls it ‘unworkable.’

Rep. Mary Peltola successful her Washington, D.C. office. (Liz Ruskin/Alaska Public Media)

Alaska Congresswoman Mary Peltola introduced 2 bills Wednesday that purpose to present connected 1 of her run themes: Reducing nan number of salmon that nan Bering Sea sportfishing fleet catches by accident.

One of nan bills would curtail nan usage of sportfishing nets that scrape delicate parts of nan oversea floor. It would require location fisheries guidance councils to designate bottommost trawl zones and limit that benignant of sportfishing to those areas. 

It besides attempts to ace down connected sportfishing cogwheel that hits nan oversea level but goes by a different name. Peltola said areas that are closed to bottommost trawling disconnected Alaska’s seashore are excessively often unfastened to pelagic trawling, which successful mentation intends nan nets are successful nan mid-water.

“I deliberation 40 to 80% of nan time, that ‘pelagic’ cogwheel is really connected nan bottom,” she said. “So I deliberation that defining these position and having a much meticulous meaning of what bottommost trawl is, and nan percent of clip that those nets are connected nan bottom, is really important.”

A second measure would summation nan money disposable for a assistance programme that costs investigation and instrumentality to thief sportfishing fleets trim bycatch. That programme would get up to $10 cardinal per year, $7 cardinal much than its existent cap.

Peltola acknowledges that her bills are improbable to go rule this year. But she said they elevate nan nationalist sermon connected fish. And, she said, nan pollock manufacture is starting to get nan connection and is taking voluntary measures to debar salmon. She credits, among different things, her ain predetermination for a caller driblet successful bycatch.

“The truth that Alaskans elected a personnel of nan legislature delegation who ran connected a level of sportfishing and bycatch — that truth unsocial has really caught nan attraction of galore successful nan industry,” she said. “Fifty percent of bycatch has been reduced, particularly erstwhile it comes to chum salmon.”

It shows, she said, that nan manufacture tin make improvements.

The Alaska Pollock Fishery Alliance says nan bottommost trawling measure would enforce “unworkable and burdensome caller national mandates connected location decision-makers.”

Stephanie Madsen is executive head nan At-Sea Processors Association, which is portion of nan pollock alliance. She said nan measure goes against nan science-based attack that nan North Pacific Fisheries Management Council takes.

“The assembly has been looking astatine pelagic cogwheel definitions, nan enforceability, and they proceed to look astatine that,” Madsen said. “And that’s wherever we deliberation nan activity needs to beryllium done.”

Organizations representing smaller-boat fishermen and subsistence users, connected nan different hand, have endorsed Peltola’s bills. Those organizations see nan Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association, SalmonState and nan Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission.

Linda Behnken, executive head of nan Longline Fishermen’s Association, said Alaska sportfishing communities and conservationists person been asking nan North Pacific assembly for years to redefine pelagic trawling successful a measurement that limits sea-floor contact, to nary avail. Even if nan bills don’t go law, Behnken says they help.

“I deliberation they surely nonstop a beardown connection that Rep. Peltola is proceeding concerns from Alaskans and is providing guidance to councils to return action to reside those concerns,” Behnken said.