Coonstripe Shrimp Management and Research

Management

Management of coonstripe shrimp is under the jurisdiction of the State of Alaska for all waters out to 200 miles offshore. Commercial harvests for pot fisheries are managed using guideline harvest ranges (GHR) or levels (GHL) set within discrete areas or districts. GHRs for fishing districts are generally based on historic and recent harvest levels, and are adjusted annually preseason according to stock assessment information compiled by ADF&G staff. These harvest ranges or levels are expressed in terms of the catch of a target species or combination of species. For example, in areas or districts where the GHR is expressed in terms of spot shrimp, the coonstripe shrimp bycatch levels are largely unregulated. The small beam trawl fishery in Southeast Alaska is regulated by specific trip and seasonal bycatch limits to prevent targeting of spot and coonstripe shrimp. Beam trawling in Prince William Sound targets sidestripe shrimp at greater depths where coonstripe shrimp catches are very low or nonexistent.

Research

Trawl surveys are used to monitor several species of shrimp annually in Kodiak, and are periodically conducted in Lower Cook Inlet to monitor the coonstripe shrimp stock. In both cases these surveys are monitoring for indications of stock rebuilding. Annual shrimp pot surveys are conducted in Southeast Alaska and Prince William Sound to assess the spot shrimp, Pandalus platyceros. Data from these surveys are used to provide information to managers regarding spot shrimp stock trends and to investigate the species' life history, with the ultimate goal of supporting sustainable management of the fishery. Information on coonstripe shrimp is collected during the Southeast Alaska pot surveys, through dockside sampling of catches, and on-the-grounds sampling of commercial harvest. Comprehensive commercial harvest records (fish tickets) provide information on catch per unit effort (CPUE) and harvest distribution.