FAO-Based Responsible Fisheries Management AK Flatfish 1st Surveillance Report FAO-BASED RESPONSIBLE FISHERY MANAGEMENT CERTIFICATION SURVEILLANCE REPORT For The Alaska Flatfish Commercial Fisheries (200 mile EEZ) Facilitated By the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) Assessors: Vito Ciccia Romito; Lead Assessor Jeff Fargo; Assessor Geraldine Criquet, PhD; Assessor Report Code: AK/FLAT/001.1/2014 Published in March 2015 SAI Global/Global Trust Certification Ltd. Head Office, 3rd Floor, Block 3, Quayside Business Park, Mill Street, Dundalk, Co. Louth. T: +353 42 9320912 F: +353 42 9386864 web: www.GTCert.com Form 11b Issue 1 Dec 2011 Page 1 of 155 FAO-Based Responsible Fisheries Management AK Flatfish 1st Surveillance Report Contents I. Summary and Recommendations ................................................................................................ 3 II. Assessment Team Details ............................................................................................................. 4 III. Acronyms ...................................................................................................................................... 5 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 7 1.1. Recommendation of the Assessment Team ................................................................................. 8 2. Fishery Applicant Details .............................................................................................................. 9 3. Unit of Certification .................................................................................................................... 10 4. Surveillance Meetings ................................................................................................................. 11 5. Assessment Outcome Summary ................................................................................................. 12 6. Conformity Statement ................................................................................................................ 16 7. FAO-Based Conformance Criteria Fundamental Clauses for Surveillance Reporting ................. 17 A. The Fisheries Management System .......................................................................................... 17 B. Science and Stock Assessment Activities .................................................................................. 26 C. The Precautionary Approach .................................................................................................... 63 D. Management Measures ............................................................................................................ 89 E. Implementation, Monitoring and Control .............................................................................. 100 F. Serious Impacts of the Fishery on the Ecosystem .................................................................. 108 8. Performance specific to agreed corrective action plans .......................................................... 145 9. Unclosed, new non-conformances and new corrective action plans....................................... 145 10. Future Surveillance Actions ...................................................................................................... 145 11. Client signed acceptance of the action plan ............................................................................. 145 12. Recommendation and Determination ...................................................................................... 145 13. References ................................................................................................................................ 146 Appendix 1 .......................................................................................................................................... 155 Form 11b Issue 1 Dec 2011 Page 2 of 155 FAO-Based Responsible Fisheries Management AK Flatfish 1st Surveillance Report I. Summary and Recommendations The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) requested an assessment of the Alaska Flatfish commercial fisheries according to the FAO Based Responsible Fisheries Management (RFM) Certification Program. The application was originally made in September 2012. After Validation Assessment was completed in July 2013, a full Assessment Team was formed to undertake the assessment and final certification determination was awarded on the 05th December 2013. This report is the 1st Surveillance Report (ref: AK/FLAT/001.1/2014) for the Alaska Flatfish commercial fisheries. The objective of the Surveillance Report is to monitor for any changes/updates (after 12 months) in the management regime, regulations and their implementation, stock assessment and status, and wider ecosystem considerations since the previous assessment and to determine whether these changes and performance and current practices remain consistent with the overall confidence rating scorings of the fishery allocated during initial certification. In addition, any areas reported as “items for surveillance” or corrective action plans (following identified non- conformance) in the previous assessment are reassessed and a new conclusion on consistency of these items with the Conformance Criteria is given accordingly. The Unit of Certification is the Alaska flatfish complex distributed in the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands (BSAI) and the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) and specifically includes: BSAI Alaska plaice (Pleuronectes quadrituberculatus), BSAI/GOA arrowtooth flounder (Atheresthes stomias), BSAI/GOA flathead sole (Hippoglossoides elassodon), BSAI Greenland turbot (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides), BSAI Kamchatcka flounder (Atheresthes evermanni), BSAI/GOA northern rock sole (Lepidopsetta polyxystra), GOA rex sole (Glyptocephalus zachirus), GOA southern rock sole (Lepidopsetta bilineata) and BSAI yellowfin sole (Limanda aspera). The Alaska flatfish complex commercial fisheries employ Alaska flatfish trawl gear and longline gear (Greenland Turbot only) within Alaska’s jurisdiction (200 nautical miles EEZ). These fisheries are principally managed by two federal agencies, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC). The 1995 FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF) and 2009 FAO Ecolabelling Guidelines for Marine Capture Fisheries were presented to an ISO 65/EN45011 accredited Certification Body, Global Trust Certification, to be used as the Standard for the assessment of Alaska Fisheries. The conformance reference points from the published FAO CCRF and Ecolabelling Guidelines (now referred to as Standard) were converted into the audit checklist criteria [FAO-Based RFM Conformance Criteria (Version 1.2, Sept 2011)] by the ISO 65/EN45011 Certification Body to ensure audit ability and feasibility for accreditation. The surveillance assessment was conducted according to the Global Trust Certification procedures for FAO – Based Responsible Fisheries Management Certification using the FAO – Based RFM Conformance Criteria V1.2 fundamental clauses as the assessment framework. The assessment was conducted by a team of Global Trust appointed Assessors comprising of one externally contracted fishery expert and Global Trust internal staff. Details of the assessment team are provided in Appendix 1. The main Key outcomes have been summarized in Section 5 “Assessment Outcome Summary” Form 11b Issue 1 Dec 2011 Page 3 of 155 FAO-Based Responsible Fisheries Management AK Flatfish 1st Surveillance Report II. Assessment Team Details Vito Ciccia Romito, Lead Assessor SAI Global/Global Trust Certification Ltd. Quayside Business Centre, Dundalk, Co. Louth, Ireland. T: +353 (0)42 9320912 F: +353 (0)42 9386864 Dr. Géraldine Criquet, Assessor SAI Global/Global Trust Certification Ltd. Quayside Business Centre, Dundalk, Co. Louth, Ireland. T: +353 (0)42 9320912 F: +353 (0)42 9386864 Jeff Fargo, Assessor Independent Fisheries Expert/Consultant Nanaimo, British Columbia Canada Form 11b Issue 1 Dec 2011 Page 4 of 155 FAO-Based Responsible Fisheries Management AK Flatfish 1st Surveillance Report III. Acronyms ABC Allowable Biological Catch ACL Annual Catch Limits ADFG Alaska Department of Fish and Game AFA American Fisheries Act AFSC Alaska Fisheries Science Center ANILCA Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act ASMI Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute AWT Alaska Wildlife Troopers BOEM Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement BOF Board of Fisheries BSAI Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands CCRF Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries CDQ Community Development Quota CP Catcher Processor (vessel) CPUE Catch per Unit Effort CV Catcher Vessel DEC Department of Environmental Conservation DNR Department of Natural Resources EIS Environmental Impact Statement EEZ Exclusive Economic Zone EFH Essential Fish Habitat ESA Endangered Species Act FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FMP Fishery Management Plan GOA Gulf of Alaska GHL Guideline Harvest Level IFQ Individual Fishing Quota IPHC International Pacific Halibut Commission LLP License Limitation Program MFMT Maximum Fishing Mortality Threshold MSA Magnuson-Stevens Act MSST Minimum stock size threshold mt Metric tons MSY Maximum Sustainable Yield NEPA National Environmental Policy Act nm Nautical miles NMFS National Marine Fisheries Service NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NPFMC North Pacific Fishery Management Council