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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 36 / Thursday, February 25, 2021 / Rules and Regulations
Under 679.21f2, NMFS annually allocates portions of either 33,318, 45,000, 47,591, or 60,000 Chinook salmon PSC limits among the AFA
sectors, depending on past bycatch performance, on whether Chinook salmon bycatch incentive plan agreements IPAs are formed, and on whether NMFS determines it is a low Chinook salmon abundance year. NMFS
will determine that it is a low Chinook salmon abundance year when abundance of Chinook salmon in western Alaska is less than or equal to 250,000 Chinook salmon. The State of Alaska provides to NMFS an estimate of Chinook salmon abundance using the 3System Index for western Alaska based on the Kuskokwim, Unalakleet, and Upper Yukon aggregate stock grouping.
If an AFA sector participates in an approved IPA and has not exceeded its performance standard under 679.21f6, and if it is not a low Chinook salmon abundance year, then NMFS will allocate a portion of the 60,000 Chinook salmon PSC limit to that sector as specified in 679.21f3iiiA. If no IPA is approved, or if the sector has exceeded its performance standard under 679.21f6, and if it is not a low abundance year, then NMFS will allocate a portion of the 47,591 Chinook salmon PSC limit to that sector as specified in 679.21f3iiiC. If an AFA sector participates in an approved IPA and has not exceeded its performance standard under 679.21f6, in a low abundance year, then NMFS will allocate a portion of the 45,000 Chinook salmon PSC limit to that sector as specified in 679.21f3iiiB. If no IPA is approved, or if the sector has exceeded its performance standard under 679.21f6, and if in a low abundance year, then NMFS will allocate a portion of the 33,318 Chinook salmon PSC limit to that sector as specified in 679.21f3iiiD.
NMFS has determined that 2020 was a low Chinook salmon abundance year, based on the States estimate that Chinook salmon abundance in western Alaska is less than 250,000 Chinook salmon. Therefore, in 2021, the Chinook salmon PSC limit is 45,000 Chinook salmon, allocated to each sector as specified in 679.21f3iiiB. The AFA sector Chinook salmon PSC limits are also seasonally apportioned with 70
percent for the A season pollock fishery, and 30 percent for the B season pollock fishery 679.21f3i and 679.23e2. In 2021, the Chinook salmon bycatch performance standard under 679.21f6 is 33,318 Chinook
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salmon, allocated to each sector as specified in 679.21f3iiiD.
NMFS publishes the approved IPAs, allocations, and reports at https
alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/
sustainablefisheries/bycatch/
default.htm.
Section 679.21g2i specifies 700
fish as the 2021 and 2022 Chinook salmon PSC limit for the AI pollock fishery. Section 679.21g2ii allocates 7.5 percent, or 53 Chinook salmon, as the AI PSQ reserve for the CDQ
program, and allocates the remaining 647 Chinook salmon to the non-CDQ
fisheries.
Section 679.21f14i specifies 42,000 fish as the 2021 and 2022 nonChinook salmon PSC limit for vessels using trawl gear from August 15 through October 14 in the Catcher Vessel Operational Area CVOA. Section 679.21f14ii allocates 10.7 percent, or 4,494 non-Chinook salmon, in the CVOA as the PSQ reserve for the CDQ
program, and allocates the remaining 37,506 non-Chinook salmon in the CVOA to the non-CDQ fisheries.
PSC limits for crab and herring are specified annually based on abundance and spawning biomass. Section 679.21e3iA1 allocates 10.7
percent from each trawl gear PSC limit specified for crab as a PSQ reserve for use by the groundfish CDQ program.
Based on the most recent 2019
survey data, the red king crab mature female abundance is estimated at 9.6668
million red king crabs, and the effective spawning biomass is estimated at 25.120
million lbs 11,394 mt. Based on the criteria set out at 679.21e1i, the 2021 and 2022 PSC limit of red king crab in Zone 1 for trawl gear is 97,000
animals. This limit derives from the mature female abundance estimate of more than 8.4 million mature red king crab and the effective spawning biomass estimate of more than 14.5 million lbs 6,577 mt but less than 55 million lbs 24,948 mt.
Section 679.21e3iiB2
establishes criteria under which NMFS
must specify an annual red king crab bycatch limit for the Red King Crab Savings Subarea RKCSS if the State has established a GHL fishery for red king crab in the Bristol Bay area in the previous year. The regulations limit the RKCSS red king crab bycatch limit to 25
percent of the red king crab PSC limit, based on the need to optimize the groundfish harvest relative to red king crab bycatch. In December 2020, the Council recommended and NMFS
concurs that the RKCSS red king crab bycatch limit for 2021 and 2022 be equal to 25 percent of the red king crab PSC limit Table 15.

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Based on the most recent 2019
survey data, Tanner crab Chionoecetes bairdi abundance is estimated at 541
million animals. Pursuant to criteria set out at 679.21e1ii, the calculated 2021 and 2022 C. bairdi crab PSC limit for trawl gear is 980,000 animals in Zone 1, and 2,970,000 animals in Zone 2. The limit in Zone 1 is based on the abundance of C. bairdi estimated at 541
million animals, which is greater than 400 million animals. The limit in Zone 2 is based on the abundance of C. bairdi estimated at 541 million animals, which is greater than 400 million animals.
Pursuant to 679.21e1iii, the PSC
limit for trawl gear for snow crab Chionoecetes opilio is based on total abundance as indicated by the NMFS
annual bottom trawl survey. The C.
opilio crab PSC limit in the C. opilio bycatch limitation zone COBLZ is set at 0.1133 percent of the BS abundance index minus 150,000 crabs, unless the minimum or maximum PSC limit applies. Based on the most recent 2019
survey estimate of 6.48 billion animals, the calculated C. opilio crab PSC limit is 7,191,840 animals.
Pursuant to 679.21e1v, the PSC
limit of Pacific herring caught while conducting any trawl operation for BSAI
groundfish is 1 percent of the annual eastern BS herring biomass. The best estimate of 2021 and 2022 herring biomass is 272,281 mt. This amount was developed by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game based on biomass for spawning aggregations. Therefore, the herring PSC limit for 2021 and 2022 is 2,723 mt for all trawl gear as listed in Tables 14 and 15.
Section 679.21e3iA requires that PSQ reserves be subtracted from the total trawl gear crab PSC limits. The crab and halibut PSC limits apportioned to the Amendment 80 and BSAI trawl limited access sectors are listed in Table 35 to 50 CFR part 679. The resulting 2021 and 2022 allocations of PSC limit to CDQ PSQ reserves, the Amendment 80 sector, and the BSAI trawl limited access sector are listed in Table 14.
Pursuant to 679.21b1i, 679.21e3vi, and 679.91d through f, crab and halibut trawl PSC limits assigned to the Amendment 80 sector are then further allocated to Amendment 80 cooperatives as cooperative quota. Crab and halibut PSC
cooperative quota assigned to Amendment 80 cooperatives is not allocated to specific fishery categories.
In 2021, there are no vessels in the Amendment 80 limited access sector and one Amendment 80 cooperative.
The 2022 PSC allocations between Amendment 80 cooperatives and the Amendment 80 limited access sector
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