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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 106 / Friday, June 4, 2021 / Proposed Rules
current EEZ salmon fishing effort to State waters under existing State regulations, their overall harvests may be reduced due to less productive fishing areas, increased travel costs, increased fishery congestion, and potentially less overall productive fishing time available in State waters.
Conversely, catch rates in State waters may improve without commercial fishery catch in the EEZ. In addition, State management measures could be adjusted to allow more harvest in state waters to account for the Cook Inlet EEZ
closure.
It is not possible to estimate the magnitude of potential harvest reductions to the UCI drift gillnet fleet because of the complexities of Cook Inlet mixed-stock salmon fisheries and intertwined State management plans. If the UCI drift gillnet fleet cannot offset reductions in harvest within State waters due to the closure of the Cook Inlet EEZ Subarea, it is likely that the UCI drift gillnet fleets revenues and participation in the fishery would decrease. Reductions in harvest by the affected drift gillnet vessels are expected to provide additional harvest opportunity for other commercial and non-commercial salmon users in Cook Inlet. This is expected to offset forgone salmon harvest in the event the drift gillnet fleet is unable to make up its historical EEZ harvest amounts in State waters Section 4.7.1.4 of the Analysis.
This action would not prohibit or otherwise modify management of salmon fishing in State waters. The UCI
drift gillnet fleet is expected to continue to operate in State waters under Amendment 14. It is important to note that State salmon management plans for Cook Inlet have been predicated on the Cook Inlet EEZ Subarea being open to commercial salmon fishing by the drift gillnet fleet. The State would be able to modify management of all Cook Inlet salmon fisheries within State waters to account for the Cook Inlet EEZ Subarea closure.
This action is not expected to have significant impacts to salmon stocks or other affected parts of the environment.
The State would continue to manage Cook Inlet salmon stocks within State waters consistent with current practices, and as described above, the State has consistently achieved conservation objectives. As described in Section 3.1.4
of the Analysis, harvest of Cook Inlet salmon stocks is expected to remain near or marginally below existing levels resulting in salmon escapements near or marginally above existing levels.
While no significant impacts to Cook Inlet salmon stocks are expected, a closure of the Cook Inlet EEZ Subarea
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would have conservation and management benefits resulting from decreased management uncertainty.
Importantly, commercial catch of Cook Inlet salmon stocks in the Cook Inlet EEZ Subarea would be prohibited as a result of this action. This could improve management precision and better avoid overfishing as these stocks would be harvested nearer to natal streams where improved escapement data and better information about realized run strength is more likely to be available. This is particularly important given the life history of salmon that only allows for harvest in a single season for terminal fisheries. In the event of lower than expected salmon returns, the State has additional escapement data and can more rapidly take action to avoid a conservation concern using their Emergency Order authority when compared to the Federal rulemaking process because of the challenges described in Sections 2.5.3 and 2.5.10.
Similarly, if realized run strength is better than expected, the State can better maximize utilization of surplus production by issuing an Emergency Order to allow for additional harvest opportunities, avoiding uncertainties from unpredictable EEZ closure timing identified in Section 4.7.1.3 of the Analysis.
Additionally, increased passage of salmon stocks into Northern Cook Inlet may have other benefits. Prohibiting commercial catch in the Cook Inlet EEZ
Subarea could improve the density of salmon prey available to endangered Cook Inlet belugas present in northern Cook Inlet during the summer months as noted in Section 3.3.1.1 of the Analysis. If there is insufficient harvest capacity operating only in State waters, the escapement of some Cook Inlet salmon stocks could increase. While increased escapement may not be desirable for all stocks in all years, a closure of the Cook Inlet EEZ Subarea to commercial harvest minimizes the possibility of overfishing and would be expected to allow utilization to be maximized over the long term as State management measures are refined to account for a predictable closure of the Cook Inlet EEZ Subarea Section 4.7.1.4
of the Analysis.
This action would not directly regulate salmon processors, but may affect them. To the extent that this action would decrease catches by the drift gillnet fleet in Cook Inlet that are not offset by increased catch in State waters by the drift gillnet fleet or by other commercial salmon fishing sectors, deliveries of Cook Inlet salmon and associated revenues to processors would be reduced. The impacts to
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individual processors would be influenced by the dependency on Cook Inlet salmon harvested in the EEZ as described in Section 4.5.4 of the Analysis. The later entry of salmon stocks into the State waters of Cook Inlet may also lead to a later and shorter period of Cook Inlet salmon processing activity. Depending on the business models of individual processors, this could reduce processing efficiency.
The previously mentioned impacts to Cook Inlet salmon harvesters and processors would also have impacts to associated communities in Cook Inlet and elsewhere as described in Section 4.7.1.4 of the Analysis. Decreases in the harvest levels of the UCI drift gillnet fleet under this action would have the potential to differentially affect communities, including communities associated with the UCI drift gillnet fleet and other salmon user groups. For communities engaged in or dependent on harvests by the UCI drift gillnet fleet, the potential adverse impacts to businesses connected to the harvest, processing, or support service sectors could result in greater or lesser localized impacts, depending on the specific nature and magnitude of community engagement in or dependency on the fishery in combination with the varying demographic and socioeconomic attributes of the relevant communities.
However, reductions in salmon harvest by the UCI drift gillnet fleet are expected to be offset over the long term by increases to other salmon fishery sectors in these communities.
Communities associated with these other salmon fishery sectors e.g., the commercial set net, sport, and personal use salmon fisheries, may experience localized benefits based on the specific nature and magnitude of community engagement in or dependency on those other sectors but, as previously noted, it is not possible to estimate the magnitude of potential harvest benefits to these communities. Community level distributive impacts under this action are not anticipated to substantially affect net benefits to the nation Section 4.10 of the Analysis.
As this action would prohibit commercial salmon fishing in the Cook Inlet EEZ Subarea consistent with existing management in adjacent West Area waters, no additional Federal fishery management measures are required. The West Area prohibition on commercial salmon fishing would continue to be enforced by State and Federal authorities under the revised boundaries resulting from this proposed action.

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