13 



ALASKA LMR'S 



cific Fishery Management Council's an- 

 nual cap on groundfish harvests at 2 mil- 

 lion t and bycatch restrictions for nontarget 

 species. The cap provides a margin of 

 safety for eastern Bering Sea groundfish to 

 allow for uncertainty in biological assess- 

 ments. 



Alaska salmon stocks have rebounded 

 to record high levels. Catches since 1980 



have steadily increased to an all-time re- 

 cord of 155 million salmon landed in 1989. 

 Pacific halibut stocks are in good condi- 

 tion, with CPY and RAY at 1 68% and 1 99%, 

 respectively, of the species' long-term 

 yield. Both king and tanner crab have ex- 

 perienced wide recruitment swings and, 

 having suffered severe population declines 

 during the early 1 980's, are slowly rebuilding. 



U.S. NEARSHORE LMR'S 



It is difficult to assess the status of all 

 nearshore species (Unit 21) around the 

 entire U.S. coast because they come under 

 varied management and data collection 

 regimes. Mo realistic estimates exist for 

 LTPY or CPY because of the diverse nature 

 of these coastal and estuarine species and 

 their fisheries. Management authority is 

 usually a regional, state, and/or local re- 

 sponsibility, because most fisheries occur 

 within the 3-mile interior boundary to the 

 Federally controlled EEZ. But, generally, 

 Atlantic oysters, hard and softshell clams, 



bay scallops, and abalones are over- 

 utilized, at least in part of their ranges. Fully 

 utilized resources include Pacific shrimp 

 and clams, Dungeness crab, blue crab, 

 and calico scallop. The status of 20 of the 

 34 species included in this unit cannot be 

 determined from the existing data. The 

 latest RAY is conservatively set at 231 ,225 

 t. The commercial value of all nearshore 

 resources is about $376 million, which 

 does not include the substantial recrea- 

 tional component. 



A commercial digger on the 

 Maine coast harvests 

 soft-shelled clams and marine 

 worms, the latter for bait 



