Comment from J B

As a lifelong Alaskan, I believe conserving our natural resources is of the utmost importance. The proposed amendments to the Fishery Management Plan would continue the ongoing efforts to conserve Alaska’s fisheries so as to provide the next generation with the bountiful resources that we, as Alaskans, enjoy. By ensuring that the Acceptable Biological Catch remains below the overfishing level the Bering Sea crab stocks should be maintained indefinitely. The part of the amendment that I was particularly enthused about was the section that dealt with accountability measures; the 2005 Crab Rationalization Program seems to be successful at combating the potential dangers of over fishing. I was glad to note that this plan does involve the input and actions of the State of Alaska; however I cannot support the burden of implementing accountability measures falling primarily to the states. If the federal government feels that this issue deserves this level of regulation, they should be will to accept some of the responsibility for assisting the State in implementing measures to combat losses in the crab fishery. As for the proposed amendment to the Snow Crab Rebuilding plan, I am not sure why the Administration feels the need to rush the growth of such a sensitive species. To define the species as “rebuilt” after one year where the biomass is above our estimated maximum sustainable yield seems premature; postponing the reclassification until the stocks have proven a two-year trend above the estimated biomass would ensure that the biomass has for certain reached the appropriate level before opening it up to the new challenges it will face under the new classification system.