Steller rules, Gulf bycatch, harvest limits and more

We've got the North Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting all week here in Anchorage, and the agenda is packed.

Here's a rundown of the major items:

• The council likely will learn the federal government's final stance on fishery restrictions in the western Aleutians to conserve prey for endangered Steller sea lions.

• The council will hear a report on crab rationalization, five years after implementation.

• The council will discuss the recent high Chinook salmon bycatch in the Gulf of Alaska groundfish harvest. Halibut bycatch is on the agenda, too.

• Finally, the council will take care of one of its main yearly chores: setting catch limits for pollock, cod and other groundfish in the Bering Sea and the Gulf.