U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke on Thursday approved a plan to prohibit the expansion of commercial fishing in nearly 200,000 square miles of Arctic waters until more is known about the region's marine environment.
The purpose of the Arctic Fishery Management Plan is to establish sustainable fishing schemes in the region while protecting the fragile marine environment.
"As Arctic sea ice recedes due to climate change, there is increasing interest in commercial fishing in Arctic waters," said Locke. "We are in a position to plan for sustainable fishing that does not damage the overall health of this fragile ecosystem. This plan takes a precautionary approach to any development of commercial fishing in an area where there has been none in the past."
Arctic cod, saffron cod and snow crab as likely target species for fishermen. However, the plan excludes Pacific salmon and Pacific halibut, which are managed by other agencies, and salmon, whitefish and shellfish in Alaska waters along the Arctic coastline.
According to the plan, fishermen participating in any new Arctic fishery would be required to maintain catch records and other necessary information and to carry certified fisheries observers onboard to verify catches, track bycatch and collect biological information.
And the North Pacific Fishery Management Council and National Marine Fisheries Service would establish a fisheries management plan for a species before allowing any new Arctic fishery.
In February, the council voted unanimously to ban commercial fishing in the 196,000 square miles of U.S. waters in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas north of Alaska. Currently, no large-scale fisheries exist in the region, though subsistence fishing and hunting by indigenous people occurs there and would not be affected.
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August 23, 2009
