Cook Inlet and Prince William Sound

Commercial and Noncommercial

Tanner Crab Fisheries

Jan Rumble Groundfish/Shellfish Area Management Biologist

Cook Inlet and Prince William Sound

This oral report can be found in RC 3; Tab 5 1

Presentation Outline

o Terminal Molt in Cook Inlet and Prince William Sound (PWS) Areas

o Cook Inlet Tanner Crab

Fisheries (Area H)

o PWS Tanner Crab

Fisheries (Area E)

Pri"'"wi•i.m Sound M.11"-llgtlffl~I Area

•I

Tanner Crab Terminal Molt in Cook Inlet and PWS

o Terminal molt - when crab reach their maximum size and will not molt again o Male and fem ale Tanner crab o t1ales molt to large clawed condition- ratio of chela height to carapace width

o may not reach legal size

o Trawl survey results show large pulses of pre-recruit crab that do not recruit to legal size

o Large claw information from the sm-veys corroborate terminal molt

o Current legal size and recruit categories ,vere derived from other areas, not specific to Cook Inlet or PWS

o New analysis for Cook Inlet and PWS recommendations:

o smaller legal size o harvest a proportion of smaller males in addition to fast growing large

males; less large males removed from the reproductive pool

new recruit categories 3

Kachemak

Bay,

Cook Inlet

4

Cook Inlet Area Tanner Crab

o Commercial Fisheries • Harvest and effort • Current regulations • Trawl survey results

o Noncommercial Fisheries • Area description • Permit • Proposals • Guideline harvest level (GHL) and harvest for last 3 full seasons • Regulations

o Summary • Survey • Harvest strategy

Cook Inlet Tanner Crab Commercial Harvest by District

9,000,000

8,000,000

7,000,000

6,000,000

~ ...e .. 5,000,000 4,)

i: .! 4,000,000""'

3,000,000

2,000,000

1,000,000

..--.--.--.--....-.--.--..-.-

District closures

• Central

~ Outer/Eastern

• Kamishak/Barren Islands

• Southern

...... ...- .......... .--.....-.. Season

6

1995 to Present - All Districts closed

Current Tanner Crab Harvest Strategy for Cook Inlet Area

• Establishes legal male abundance thresholds for Tanner crab fisheries in Cook Inlet Management Area.

• Legal male abundance estimates are developed from the large mesh trawl surveys in Kachemak and Kamishak bays.

• SouthemDistrict thresholds • Commercial-legal male estimate> 500,000 • Noncommercial - 3 year avg > 100,000 and one year avg > 50,000

• Kamishak and Barren Islands District thresholds • Commercial- legal male estimate> 700,000 • Noncommercial - 3 year avg > 50,000 and one year avg > 40,000

There have been no department surveys in Kachemak Bay since 2013 and therefore no abundance estimates.

Kachemak Bay Trawl Survey Results

Legal Male Abundance Estimates

1,200,000 ~ E ..... ~ 1,000,000

J s C,l

soo,ooo

j :- 600,000 ~ E i 400,000 C,l-~ ~ ~ j

200,000

"' f;;;1 0

I

"

' '

\

\/ \ \ V---~,-... ~ ~

' ' ' ' ' '

Commercial threshold

Noncommercial threshold X=no swvey

' ~· ~ ' ~ ~- - - ·-X l- T I XX X'

' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' '

Year

• •

•• • • • •

• • •

• •• ••

Kachemak Bay Trawl Survey Results

Legal and Total Male Abundance Estimates

5,000,000

4,000,000

3,000,000

2,000,000

1,000,000

0

··•··Total Males

...............................................•.. ....- Legal Males .• •·. .. . ...

If;. •. ••

••. •--·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-··-·-··-·-·-·- ....\ .....................: ...........................................~..........................................................; '! • • •••• ••• ..•

•• •.. • .•

•• ..••

•• .• . • . ••. •• . . • •• ··-··-·: •··-··-··-··-··-··-··-··-··-··-··-= ............~~• ••~ ............................................................: . ·································-··-···-: ··-··-··•.

: • : !I!' ~--··· ••. . . . .. • •

V) V)0 M 'Sf" r-- oc 0 ~ er: 'Sf" r-- 00 0 ~ C"1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ~ "' "' °' "' "' °' "' 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 °' °' °' °' °' °' °' °' °' °'

~ ~ ~ N °' °' °' °' °' °' °' °' °' °' "' "' "' "' "' "' "' "' "' "' "' "' "'

.. .• • . . -..

•

I

~-Year

9 9

Cook Inlet Tanner Crab Noncommercial Management Areas

! N

L ~.J ./:.,::::::::::............. ..... ... .. .. ........... , ....

~). ::'ti:?::::::....... .. .. .. .. " ... . ... . .. .. .. ..... ... .. .. .... ..

./:1;4.\tT ..... ... . .. ........

r ,i.,.... Kenai

Peninsula

ss• 51 10· N. Lat

Crab Area Codes:

1'

A Cook Inlet {North ofAn

------------------ ------

Cook Inlet

Noncommercial

Tanner crab

Permit

11 AJ.MII.ADEPARTMem OF F1SH ANO GAME 5uMMel-log;lf t.!otl0 Female Tanner Ttnl'ltfCrab l anr,erCr.ib CrabR.IK4,ICIA ........ ........ I .=-ooar v,. 1st'!. 0 1l\lOn@

:0 '"""' tlQUJd f"'I\I JI tt-, ' ' roi!ID ,1, • I. .o' ... .. mu tJ te w:>rmi '. t, h

-'11 10 l I••• (l ,1 ""' ._ vfffl! •noulct n,~ ~" Jw

colbfl:.I I.

11 m• • rt•·'·· --rmi ,, n 'lbO 1r• •t ~"I 1h1 1n"

" h ,.., ' nrt tJ I

rND rt.lPS-IHI

Questions? Consult pp. 62-63 of the 2011 Southcentral Alaska Sport Fishing Regu1at'cm. Summary Booklet or call ADF&G Home,at : 907•235-8tClt.

Width me.,~ ot Tonner crobIs the Waight-Uno dla&anco (l(rO$$ lhOcat1t4)8,00. lnch,ldlng,.......

Bll~B~ IJ:!!§ e~BP!! II IQ: ADF&G Homer no later tha.n h nuary 15, 2012 ADF&G, 3298 Douglas Ptace, Homtor AK 99603

11

Cook Inlet Tanner Crab Proposals

Proposal 265 - Amend harvest strategy to allow a noncommercial fishery to be open in the absence of a department trawl survey (submitted by ADF&G)

Proposal 266 - Allow a personal use fishery with reduced bag limit

Committee of the Whole - Group 2

Kachemak Bay Tanner Crab Noncommercial

Fishery Harvest from Permits

2008/09 13,373 16,185 2,760 3,343 (21%) 227 (8%)

6,064 (35%) 344 (13%) 2009/ 10 14,860 17,141 2,747

2,779 (22%) 256 (10%) 2010/ 11 18,284 12,676 2,503

Average 4,062 (26%) 276 (10%) 15,506 15,334 2,670

• Fishery dosed from Jan 1-15

13 e, .,J•

Cook Inlet Noncommercial Tanner Crab

Current and Proposed Regulations

2008-2012 Proposal 265 (ADF&G) Proposal 266

• Size limit = 5.5 inches

• 2 pots per person/ 2 pots per vessel

• Season July 15 - March 15

• 5 crab bag and possession limit

• Pemut required

• Noncommercial

• Size limit = 4.5 inches

• 1 potper person/ 1 potper vessel

• Season October 1 - end Feb

• 3 crab bag and possession limit

• Pemut required

• Noncommercial

• Unspecified size

• 2 pots per person

• Unspecified season

• 2 crab bag and possession limit

• Pemut not specified

• Personal use

2014 BOF meeting - new season date was adopted Sept 15-March 31

In 2016, personal use regulations have been repealed to reduce redundancy

14

Cook Inlet Area Summary

o Terminal molt corroborated by survey data

o New analysis suggests a smaller legal size

o ADF&G proposes to open a sport and subsistence fishery with a reduced season, bag, and pot limit to be conservative

o Monitor the fishery annually with permits

o Futureplans o Trawl survey to assess population o Update harvest strategy

Prince William Sound (PWS)

16 . ~

Prince William Sound Area Tanner Crab

o Commercial fishery • Area description • Harvest and effort by district

o Subsistence fishery • Regulations • Area description • Harvest and effort • Harvest by permit holder residence

o Survey

o Test fishery

o Board of Fisheries proposals

o Proposed harvest strategy

PWS Commercial Shellfish Fisheries Districts

<Prince William Sound

Valde,z

•

N

l

I' Northern eordoya ,_,,1'- ---- --- . Ore• Boy

J

"'' .. • ~ • .. C' .. .... &!..ail \ L .... .!9 • ......

' '),1·', "a ' /4,~

' ' '

_._ ., , ,, ~r.

••.. 00

, ¥

, ,

l s.eat Rodis Cope•

I S..Ckllng

I I , l

Eastern

;;,'~: I

~: I

81[(l' ., 8' :il, :il, 8• • I • I • I~.

. ,

!/?, ;i

·' ,-, PWS State Waters -, Western

I

- - - - - - - - -

-~ ~·~

PWS Commercial Tanner Crab Harvest and Effort

16 ,000,000

14,000,000

12,000,000

10,000,000 :E' e.....

Co> 8,000,000 C: .!- 6,000,000

4,000,000

2,000,000

0 ...;0 N C"l$ c--. c--. c--. c--.

00' ' 0 ' -' N' l,C) $ c--. c--. c--. OI OI OI OI OI....

I ~ ~ ~

111 ••••••II II

'

PWS Noncommercial Tanner Crab

Regulations

Prior to 1999 2008 to Present

• Sport, Personal Use, and Subsistence • Subsistence only

• Open year round • October 1 - March 31

• 5 male crab> 5.5 inches• 20 male crab> 5.5 inches

• 2 pots per person and vessel• 10 pots per vessel

• Permit requirement • No direct monitoring

• Tanner crab nursery areas closed • Area closures by EO \., ' : ; ·1··' ; ~ . ;·

. ' \

PWS Subsistence Tanner Crab Statistical Areas

r I

48S931 47S931

GS933 N

465932 A 0 $ 10

456001

455930

20 Mies

21

PWS Tanner Crab

Subsistence

Permit

16117 ~O(PARTMENT Of F1511 ANOGAM.E 0MsaoNOf C0MMERCIA1.fl$HERIE$

2016/17 PRINCE WIW AM SOUND SUBSISTENCE G OLDEN KING ANO TANNER CRAB PERMIT

::;$$ I~:=-~;= I City __________________State ________ Zip _____

PllOne __________Emau _____________Oriv&r'$ 1.ic:enM No.____

~-~---~-----~~----------- vessel Nam~ N#MIO,CIChO(~mMtbtrlv.hO"*'/lllt'l""1d'IUWPtfl'fl' Matlt"Nont' lfywflll\fl'O'Tl~-·1.....

Permit holdersignature: ______________________Date _______

Ctt~u 16/17

AJJ,,$KA l)(PARTME,"1'OFFISH ANDGMIE 0MsK>NOF COMMERCIAi. FlSHER1£S 92016117 PRINCE WIW AM SOUND SUBSISTENCEG OLDEN KING AND TANNER CRAB PEAMrT ____)______________________ ...,

J'h(sp«mYhfvlllddl.mp m.,PWS~c,at,-.uonwl'lichIsOdoc.r ,, 201! through,.,ch 31, 20,1. 1) TNtJ*'ffllt tnut1 M In y(IUI' ~onwhllt tlklngo,tr~ngg OIMnk1inQ 0tl #IMl'erabfl\#It Pl11'1Ct Wllls.tnSOl.#lallng tti• (lrlbtromvi.w. 5) It mort t"-nOMPffll'lt l'lU did rpot ftfh.

h/llnto,...,, )OCM'(WJ/Mllllld,_,,,.1-•~Mdln#dltlotf»N0War.c("')'OUM1Ybf...,.._,.to,.,_,,.•l*ftll,-,,_~•. .. Recordevery ~y~ fuh;, e,·cn if LJC11ed: bi:re ifl'IQone n:uncdon lhi,pamrl fl.$hcd thb $Cll$011.

. ,,ou dio11'1 c•cban·~..i ..... 01!1y 919 @nd Ponen!on Limit=s

Tanner Crab Catch Log legal male Tanner Cn!lb per hOusehold member fishing Crab Released

°'"' ... ,., AK# Ania ••noga1~,., ..,-~ ......... olV9"81 Cooe •°' Legal MolO - ,..,,... •ot ,,._ .....-. Putlo,g (seemapoo .,,,. Crab 1ecre1 c,.. ~- CrabKept,,· ""~ -) Rolct.lsod R.olNMd ........ IS' _v

n" If iltJolt.. nnU ....h ,. ., 0 ' "' ria'' or 1, 0~ ~" " 11H ·;.11r, ' . p ,n, ... CIB.0 r µ1c.1-.. ~~

GoJ en Kinn era-· atch L= Annual Household Limit=3 1-a1 males Date Puled llafl'OCS ,. -·s.,

""

Tanner crab

\V;dlrl tn611Sl.nl'Nlfllol TtlMOt Um) is tho ~·line distanoo across lhoG1rap,1Ce. lnc:fucling-PINMOOl'llnAoollnCltllllfp,01:!ofpaperJyo,ul!OOd~i'!eSforl:>9Tt11V1«onit!cctiklg. Ritun Iha~noIll« than Aprt 15. 2017 to:

ADF&G PWS Subsistence Crtb Petrnltt • P.O. Box 869 Col'dOV.. AK "574 22

http:Mdln#dltlotf�N0War.c("')'OUM1Ybf...,.._,.tohttp:Wllls.tnhttp:vlllddl.mp

PWS Area Tanner Crab Subsistence Harvest and Effort

1,000

400 2,500

· ·• · · Permits Fished

350

... -- Total Trips 2,000 ;sQ. 300 I,. - Legal Males Haivested

-~ ... 250 = C -.\ \ , .. -~ 200... ~ .. ...... ~

I,. ~

,Q 150 = :! z 100 .. _____ ,"" . ................. 500.............. .... .. ...

- - 1"50 ........... ... ................ oL ~::::::~=:=~~-~--~-~--~--L o

2008/09 2009/ 10 2010/ 11 2011/ 12 2012/ 13 2013/ 14 2014/ 15 2015/ 16 Season

--

PWS Subsistence Tanner Crab Permits Fished

Permit Holder Residence

100 ~-------------------------

• Other 90 ~- -

III PWS Other --Ill 80 -a-- Kenai Peninsula --------ll!lill!llffl~ ------IIIJ

-e,! 70 ~- ~Mat-su "' = :l -a-- • Cordova E

60

•Anchorage ~ 50 ~

'" 40 ii Ill i 30 -

20

-~-,,----=-------------,

.. 0 ~---~---~___.,_.________________~----'-""-------~

2008/09 2009/ 10 2010/ 11 2011/ 12 2012/ 13 2013/ 14 2014/ 15 2015/ 16

Season

10

PWS Tanner Crab Survey History

• Pot survey • 1977 - 1991 • index of abundance • used to adjust GHLs for commercial fishery

• Trawl survey • 1991 - present (next survey 2017) • estimate abundance with area swept calculations

0 10 20

Naullcal Miles

26

--

Tra

wl

Sur

vey/

Com

mer

cial

Har

vest

(th

ousa

nds

ofl

egal

mal

e cr

ab)

--

~

.... 0 0

\ 0

00

0

0 0 0 "'

0 0

0 0

0 0

0 ~

~

I _I

1

1976

-77

~::

:=ii

i:a

llii

&ii

iii=

::a

--~

_

--

1~7

~8

~

~

1978

-79 t:

::--

-iil!!!:

!!!~--

-rJ

1 19

79_8

0 !::

:::__

_ ;

1980

-81

• ~

1981

-82·--·

~ ~

19

82-8

3 •

1 9

84

=

=19

85=

~

1986

"'1

1987

19

88

1989

=~

19

90

~

"'1

1991

)1

11

1-

"'1 ~

1992

<

~

19

93

,...

..

1994

~

rJ1

1995

~=

~

1996

X

el

1997

="

'1 19

98

X

... <

19

99

~~

2000

X

2001

~

=

2002

X

20

03

~ =

~

X

2005

20

06

2004

X

~t

X

I I

',:I

z

..,20

07

~

0 @

=

20

08

X

q ::!

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r

2009

~

< (1) §_

..,.,

=

2010

X

a.

"' < ,\l

a~

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~20

11 ·-·

=

2012

X

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)

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0 0

2016 PWS Tanner Crab Test Fishery RFQ

• Interest from the public in surveying untrawlable areas

• Request for quotations (RFQ) for test fishery - March/Sept 2016 • 2 lots of 300 pots each = 600 total • 400 pot locations from historical ADF &G pot survey,

inside and outside PWS

• 200 captain's choice pot locations (

2016 PWS Tanner Crab Test Fishery

• No applicantsinMarch2016

• 4 applicants in October 2016

• One bidder won both lots

• Survey conducted from mid-Nov thrumid-Dec 2016

• Only 158 outof 400ADF&G pot locations were surveyed

• The pot survey locations on the outside of PWS were not completed

PWS Tanner Crab Test Fishery

Pot Locations

•

I

Pots Set

G Tradition.sl Survey

() Auxiliary Survey

Western + Captain's Choice

30

PWS Tanner Crab Test Fishery Results

District

Hinchinbrook

Northern

Western

TotalADF&G

Pots

49

67

42

158

# Legal males

44

485

37

566

CPL'E legal

0.9

7.2

0.9

3.6

Captain's Choice (CC)

Combined ADF&G + CC 48

206

1,416

1,982

29.5

9.6

Note: all of the captain's choice pots were set in the Northern District area of highest abundance fromADF&G pot locations; this area is 8 square nautical miles.

The area \Vhere the captain's choice pots \Vere placed is in our trawl survey area and \Vill be surveyed in June 2017.

31

-------------

PWS Tanner Crab Test Fishery Results

Traditional Pot Locations

District Pots # Legal males CPL'E legal

Hin chin brook 36 27 0.8

Northern 48 380 7.9

TotalADF&G 84 407 4.8

40 ~----------------- 35 +--'\------

ADF&G Pot Survey CPUE30 -I--\----;,.-"""'---------_:_____

-\------ Commercial fishery closed 15 -J---'V----\-----:.:..........--------t--- 10 -l....------~ --___:~±::~_ ____.J.,____

5 t-------------,~- ~ ~... o +--~~~~-~~~~~~~~~~~~~

25 -t-----A~- ,~ - ~20 +------1--

~ ... .,., ..,. t(l ~ QO QI ~ ... oj< QO QO QO QO QO QO QO QO QI QI "' ~ ~ ~ 00 "' ~ ....QI QI QI QI QI QI QI ~ QI QI QI QI QI QI QI

~-"' 9.... .... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .... ... ~ ('-1 32

PWS Tanner Crab

Propo,sals

• Proposal267 - Create a harvest strategy and reduce size limit

• Proposal268- Create a harvest strategy and establish a sport fishery

• Proposal269 and 270- Open a commercial fishery in the Western and Eastern districts

• Proposal271-Allow ADF&G to issue commissioner 's permits for king and Tanner crab

• Proposal272- Reduce the legal male size limit

• Proposal273-Increase the subsistence bag limit

Committee of the Whole - Group 2

PWS Commercial Tanner Crab Harvest Strategy

Proposal 267

• Developed from:

• Historical commercial fishery harvest

• Noncommercial harvest (SWHS and permit)

• Trawl survey results

• Pot survey results

PWS Commercial Tanner Crab Harvest Strategy

Proposal 267

• Reduce male size limit to 5. 0 inches

• Establish abundance thresholds to open commercial fisheries

• Pot limit determined preseason by number ofregistrants/OHL

• Pot storage requirements

• Logbooks

• Reporting requirements

• Operationof other gear

PWS Commercial Tanner Crab Harvest Strategy

Proposal 267

• Traw 1 survey results will be used to estimate legal male abundance, with new size limit

• Commercial threshold = 200,000 legal males

• If it surpasses 200,000 legal males, harvest rates vary depending on estimate (15 - 30%)

PWS Tanner Crab Summary

• Department is proposing a harvest strategy

• Harvest strategy corroborates historical management actions

• Harvest strategy proposes reduced legal size, takes into account terminal molt information; apply this to subsistence legal size

• Comparing test fishery information to historical survey information shows populations continue to be at low levels, below harvest strategy thresholds

• Trawl survey plannedfor 2017

• Continue to monitor subsistence fishery through permits

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