Unalaska, AK – The North Pacific Fishery Management Council is meeting this week in Anchorage to discuss the draft Steller Sea Lion biological opinion released by the National Marine Fisheries Service. The special meeting starts today at the Hotel Captain Cook, and consideration of the BiOp is the only thing on the agenda.

The biop proposed closing the Atka mackerel and Pacific cod fisheries out in the western Aleutians, much to the chagrin of companies working out in the region.

Mike Syzmanski handles government affairs for the Fishing Company of Alaska, and says that the company will be greatly affected by any closures.

"Our worst nightmare came true when they issued the biological opinion covering both jeopardy and adverse modification," says Syzmanski. "And as a result, we've now lost about half the quota."

Syzmanski isn't the only member of the fishing industry who is concerned about what the BiOp might mean. The Council received written comments through last Wednesday, and many fishermen, engineers, and even their relatives wrote to say they worried about their livelihood. The Aleut Corporation and the Adak Community Development Corporation also expressed concern about the economic impact of the closure. Oceana and the World Wildlife Fund separately wrote to the council to stress the vulnerability of the Sea Lion population.

While the Atka mackerel and Pacific cod fisheries aren't as large as the pollock fishery -- which came out mostly unaffected -- Syzmanski says that the fishing industry will likely be united in opposition to the BiOp.

"They dodged a bullet in this case, but they know as we know that their turn could be coming around the corner," he says. "So the pollock industry is going to be very sensitive to the action taken by National Marine Fisheries Service, because if there's a continued decline in the future, nothing says they can't go after them next."

The meeting is expected to wrap up on August 20th.