Can fishermen cooperate to harvest small sideboard limits?
Yes, each year, NMFS will publish the sideboard limits in the annual harvest specifications (See http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/sustainablefisheries/catchstats.htm for the specific harvest specifications). Once these numbers are announced, NMFS will review the number of vessels that are subject to the sideboard and compare that to the sideboard limit. If the sideboard limit is small for a fishery and the potential harvest rate of the sideboard vessels is high, NMFS may choose not to allow a directed sideboard fishery. If fishermen who are subject to the sideboard limit can coordinate among each other to ensure NMFS that the sideboard limit isnt exceeded, a small sideboard fishery may be opened. The ability to open a specific sideboard fishery will be decided on a case-by-case basis.
