| GOAC3
MAJOR INITIATIVES UPDATE |
UPDATED: AUGUST
2003 |
| The Gulf
of Alaska Coastal Communities Coalition (GOAC3) specifically seeks to retain the
maximum sustainable amount of fishing effort - harvesting, processing, tourism,
subsistence, etc., within our coastal communities. We believe that rebuilding
our fishing communities will also help us re-build markets and increase economic
opportunities now and for future generations. |
The
GOAC3 is involved in many issues but there are key initiatives that we have helped
to develop and that we promote as part of our mission. These include (but are
not limited to)
Community Purchase of Halibut
and Sablefish
This initiative was approved
by the North Pacific Council in April of 2002. It has since been reviewed by the
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in Juneau for regulatory language. It
should be heading to Washington, DC, soon for further regulatory and legal review.
It will then be published in the Federal Register as "proposed rule."
It will have a 30-day commentary period and then it will go back through the review
process to be approved by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce and to be published as
"final rule." What does this mean to potential application of this program
for 2004. "Cautiously possible."
What
should we be doing in the meantime?
- look
for funding sources
- start the development
of community-based non-profits for the administration of the community purchase
program
- develop recommendations for uniform
protocols
Halibut Charter IFQs community
set-aside
In April of 2001, the NPFMC approved
a "community set-aside" within the proposed halibut charter IFQ system.
The IFQ proposal is currently being reviewed by the National Marine Fisheries
Service before being considered for publication in the Federal Register
as "proposed rule." Please see NPFMC web site, "Halibut Issues"
for details.
One of the reasons the program
may be in jeopardy is the use of data from log books required by the Alaska Department
of Fish and Game during the qualifying years. A report requested by the North
Pacific Fishery Management Council regarding this issue is available on the ADF&G
web site.
LAMPs (Local Area Management Plans)
The GOAC3 has actively pursued Local Area
Management Plan (LAMP) options for our Gulf communities. We have initiated the
Kodiak Island LAMP, which is before the Alaska Board of Fisheries. We have also
encouraged residents of Prince of Wales Island to develop a template for a LAMP,
especially regarding dive and mariculture issues.
LAMPs
have many potential benefits, not the least of which is to help keep decision
making local and to encourage cooperation among user groups when it comes to gear-conflicts,
habitat protection and other near-shore issues.
The
Sitka Sound Local Area Management Plan is the only active LAMP , developed because
of near-shore depletion of halibut stocks - and results seem to be favorable.
User groups including commercial, sports and subsistence users worked hard on
the plan. The Sitka Sound plan may be reviewed through the NPFMC web site.
GOA
proposed groundfish IFQ community options
Currently
before the North Pacific Council are options for analysis for a proposed groundfish
IFQ program in the North Gulf. GOAC3 has taken a very strong position in support
of analyzing a wide variety of community options so that our communities are not
artificially restricted from harvesting and processing opportunities. Check out
the items for analysis at the NPFMC website.
Research
The GOAC3 is working actively with research
groups to provide as much applied science (science applicable to the needs
of our fishing communities and industry) as possible to help all of us make the
best decisions we can about fisheries and habitat management. In addition, the
GOAC3 feels strongly about research on socio-economic impacts of regulatory
decisions.
Organizational memberships
- GOAC3 Technical Team members or Board of Directors are
active members of the following organizations as part of our initiatives development:
- North Pacific Fishery Management Council
Advisory Panel
- North Pacific Research Board
Advisory Panel
- Alaska Legislative Salmon
Task Force
- Prince William Sound Science Center
Board of Directors
- United Fishermen of Alaska,
Executive Board
- Alaska Board of Fisheries
Marine Protected Area Committee (GOAC3's involvement is to help the state define
criteria on whether or not we need MPAs and to provide community protections)
- International Pacific Halibut Commission
Conference Committee
A future issue of
The Gulf Channel Marker will discuss the GOAC3 initiatives for a community-based
marine observation system.
Find further information
at our website - www.goac3.org
- or the North Pacific Fishery Management Council http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/
JOIN
US: SOMETHING YOU CAN DO NOW
As
you can see, the marine-related issues facing our coastal communities are multiple
and complex. The Gulf of Alaska Coastal Communities Coalition (GOAC3) is a 501(c)6
non-profit, working hard to protect Gulf of Alaska communities' sustainable
access to adjacent marine resources in perpetuity. We can't do this without
the help of our members and many other organizations. We are one piece of the
puzzle, but an important piece.
If you
are a resident of a coastal community in the Gulf of Alaska and you are not currently
a member, please join us in this effort. Contact us directly or through our web
site at www.goac3.org. Eligible
VOTING members of the GOAC3 include Gulf of Alaska boroughs, cities, ANCSA regional
and village corporations and tribal councils. NON-VOTING membership is open to
everyone for an annual fee of $100.00.
LAMPS
LAMPs
(Local Area Management Plans) are area-specific resource management plans that
address local concerns about conservation and allocation between user groups.
LAMPs can be initiated by the local ADF&G advisory committees and are developed
using a consensus decision-making process inclusive of representatives of all
users of the resources included in the lamp.
Proposals
| Community
Purchase of Halibut and Sablefish
Individual Fishing Quota
Shares Discussion Paper
(html
format) (pdf format)
|
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