Bering Sea Habitat Conservation Evaluating the need for possible protection measures for St. Matthew blue king crab

• Main Author: Eastern Bering Sea Snow Crab
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2006
• Subjects: Bering Sea; Gulf of Alaska; blue king crab; Snow crab; Alaska; Aleutian Islands
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.159.5739; http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/current_issues/BSHC/BSHC_crab606.pdf

conserve essential fish habitat (EFH) from potential adverse effects of fishing. EFH is defined as those waters and substrate necessary to fish for spawning, breeding, feeding, or growth to maturity. The EFH EIS concluded that fisheries do have long term effects on habitat; however these impacts were considered minimal and the analysis found no indication of detrimental effects on fish populations. Nevertheless, the Council adopted several new measures to minimize the effects of fishing on EFH in the Aleutian Islands (AI) and Gulf of Alaska (GOA). A full description of the actions taken under Essential Fish Habitat is provided in the EFH EIS. These regulations will be promulgated by August 2006. The EIS also evaluated a suite of alternatives for the eastern Bering Sea (EBS). However, based on that analysis, the Council determined that additional habitat protection measures in the EBS were not needed, and that an expanded analysis of potential mitigations measures for the EBS should be conducted prior to taking action. In December 2005, the Council tasked staff to develop a discussion paper to evaluate the need for possible protection measures for St. Matthew blue king crab and Eastern Bering Sea snow crab. Elements of the paper were to address the distribution of St. Matthew blue king crab and