| Summary: | Most fishing gear is not completely selective, resulting in the incidental catch (bycatch) of species other than those specifically targeted upon. If uncontrolled bycatch of a species is deemed undesirable managers must either limit the incidental harvest of these species through indirect measures (e.g., minimum mesh size, time/area closures) or direct controls (allocation of bycatch limits to competing fisheries). The North Pacific Fishery Management Council uses both time/area closures and direct allocation to limit the incidental harvest of crab and halibut by groundfish fisheries in the Bering Sea. Area closures are triggered by attainment of a prohibited species catch (PSC) limit. Following closure the affected fleet relocates and continues fishing until an overall allocation is reached. A stochastic simulation which models movement of the groundfish trawl fleet has been constructed to provide guidance to the Council in establishing PSC limits and associated area closures. Impacts estimated include the time and area of predicted closure, the magnitude of the relocation , the potential foregone revenue and profits in the groundfish fishery and the bycatch value saved and therefore available to directed fisheries for crab and halibut. Yes
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