Federal & State Boards!
Alaska Sportfish Regulations! (ADF&G)
(ADF&G) Emergency Orders!
NPFMC SALMON BYCATCH
NMFS Halibut Charter Regulations
NOAA Fisheries Office of Sustainable Fisheries
January 31, 2011
The NPFMC has struggled for several years with allocation issues between the growing charter boat sector and the existing commercial IFQ sector. An amendment package to incorporate this fishery into the commercial IFQ program was submitted in 2003 and was subsequently withdrawn. Most recently the Council adopted a catch-sharing plan with specific allocation percentages. Further consideration of incorporation into the IFQ program may be taken up by the Council in the next few years, following review of the catch-sharing plan (pending Secretarial approval).
The spring 2009 NPFMC meeting addresses King Salmon bycatch in the the high-seas pollock fishing industry!
After approving the killing of 68000 kings, North Pacific Fisheries management Council chairman Eric Olson (representing KWIKPAK fisheries corp.)
"I fully recognize that this reduction is not a silver bullet,"
The peoples take on King Salmon Bycatch!
"I don't understand how you can call this a reduction," Ricci said. She noted that the upper limit of the cap (68000) is higher than the average bycatch over the past decade! The proposed rule deals with a pure allocation issue and does not present any resource conservation solutions.
September 29th 2011
NOAA urges delay in implementation of halibut catch-sharing plan!
A controversial new rule on halibut catch sharing in Southeast and Southcentral Alaska has effectively been put on hold by NOAA Fisheries after a review of thousands of public comments.
Read more: http://www.adn.com/2011/09/29/2095092/noaa-delays-implementation-of.html#ixzz1ZxlLXpq0
6/20/11 Gulf chinook cap set at 25,000NOME — A major deficiency in the Gulf of Alaska was addressed by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, as members adopted the first hard cap on chinook salmon bycatch by the pollock trawl fleet. Read more!
6/20/2011. Reds in Russian River; kings in major streams
Read more: http://www.adn.com/2011/06/15/1918991/reds-in-russian-river-kings-in.html#ixzz1PrqCyD00Little Su to close to king fishing Friday Read more. 6/20/11
April 23, 2011. Noaa prohibited species report!
An up to the week accounting of wastage in the GOA from National Marine Fisheries Service
Alaska Region, Sustainable Fisheries
Catch Accounting.April 5, 2011, NOAA issues interpretive rule to clarify charter halibut limited access program, Clarification
Juneau, AK — Charter halibut guides operating in Southeast Alaska (Area 2C) and the Central Gulf of Alaska (Area 3A) will not be required to have a charter halibut permit on board during a recreational halibut fishing trip if the guide is not being compensated to provide sport fishing assistance to the anglers on board.
April 2, 2011 NPFMC Constrains Trawler PSC of King Salmon!
The NPFMC set a PSC hard cap of 22,500 king salmon for the Gulf of Alaska pollock fleet today as their preferred alternative for analysis in a stunning move toward enlightened and responsible resource management. There is plenty of credit to pass around, to all the groups and individuals who pushed for this new day in the management of the Gulf of Alaska. Final action is scheduled in June, so do not take off the gloves yet.
March 3, 2011 Cook Inlet drift fleet nets more restrictions: Fish board makes changes based on coho salmon concerns. The Alaska Board of Fisheries began working its way through the hundreds of proposed regulation changes for Upper Cook Inlet finfish at the Egan Center in Anchorage Tuesday. Read more @ Alaska fisheries.
March 2, 2011 The North Pacific Fisheries Management Council catch sharing plan will end halibut sport fishing.
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Halibut Political Front: Reducing the fleet and the bag limit
This year the Halibut Charter fleet was reduced by 30 - 40% through a federal permitting process. Now, even with this reduced number of charter boats, the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council is trying to reduce the bag limit as well.What is the Catch Sharing Plan (CSP)?:
The Catch Sharing Plan has been passed by the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council and is headed to the Secretary of Commerce to be signed. If signed, it will reduce the allocation to guided sports fisherman by 30%. Our allowable harvest (Guideline Harvest Level-GHL) in 3A (Cook Inlet and Gulf of Alaska) right now is 3.65 million pounds. This will be cut by 900,000 lbs. Here’s a draft of the plan:Catch Sharing
What that means to you, the Guided Sport fisherman:
Right now, you are allowed 2 fish per person per day of any size. If passed, right now, the limit would drop to 1 fish per person per day and could ultimately drop to 1 fish under 37 inches per person per day. The other option would be to lease the fish from commercial boats at around $3 or $4 per pound, a cost that would be passed on to you. Under the CSP, the commercial fishermen get to sit on the beach while you catch their fish and pay them for the privilege.
Why? Good question. It’s not a conservation issue because the halibut not caught by you will be reallocated to increase the numbers caught by the commercial halibut fleet.
Who’s Next?
The private (non-guided, non-commercial) sportsman will be the next to be restricted. They will be receiving tags for fish caught to track numbers of fish. This is the first step towards their allocation.
What About the Bycatch (the non-targeted fish caught commercially and dump over the side of their boats)? What a Waste!
The Ground fish Trawl fleet drag a great big weighted net on the ocean floor or mid-water and scrape up everything, then pick out the one species of fish they want and throw the rest over the side. The total halibut bycatch for 2010 was 11,433,055 million pounds of dead fish (mostly by the trawl fisheries). The average fish caught is 5-7 lbs. so that means almost 2 million fish were wasted. They are not only dumping your halibut over the side but hundreds of other species of sea life including 44,355 king salmon just in the Gulf of Alaska alone. The real problem is that observer coverage of the by-catch is very limited. Most of the boats that take the largest share of the catch in the Gulf of Alaska have 0% or 30% observer coverage. This means we have no idea how much is thrown over the side. So these numbers are far from accurate. If you’d like to see a 4 minute video of Halibut bycatch check out:http://www.tholepin.blogspot.com/2009/10/filthy-video-of-halibut-waste.html
What Can You Do?- Go to www.homerfishing/politics.com for info and sample letters
Contact these people: ask questions, make comments, and fax or email letters
President of the United States, Barrack Obama-http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact
Secretary of Commerce, Gary Locke-http://www.commerce.gov/contact-us
Dr. Jane Lubchenco, NOAA Chief Administrator- jane.lubchenco@noaa.gov, Fax (202) 408-9674
Eric Schwaab, Assistant Administrator of Fisheries- eric.schwaab@noaa.gov, (301) 713-2239 x 195
Governor Sean Parnell, Senator Lisa Murkowski, Senator Mark Begich, Rep. Don Young
The contact information for these four can be found onhttp://www.electedlist.com/Alaska.htmlFebruary 6, 2011 Anchorage Senator Proposes Sport Fishing Board to Oversee Guides
Senate Bill 24 would create a board tasked with issuing sport fishing licenses and disciplining guides that break the law.
January 31, 2011
Halibut Commission Completes 2011 Annual Meeting
The Commission is recommending to the governments of Canada and the United States catch limits for 2011 totaling 41,070,000 pounds, an 18.9% decrease from the 2010 catch limit of 50,670,000 pounds. Area 2C, The Commission recommends continuation of a one-fish daily bag limit with an additional restriction that the retained fish must be no larger than 37 inches (total length) and a requirement to retain the frame until landing, if halibut are legally filleted at sea.
Halibut Bycatch Project Team!!
The Commission and its advisory boards discussed halibut bycatch management and received a report from its Halibut Bycatch Work Group. The Commission remains concerned about the yield lost to the halibut fishery as a result of bycatch mortality in other fisheries. Accordingly, the Commission established a Halibut Bycatch Project Team, led by a Commissioner from each country, to gain better understanding of the amounts and potential impacts of halibut bycatch mortality in other fisheries. Further, this Team will explore whether options for reducing this bycatch mortality can be implemented and whether mitigating the impacts of bycatch mortality in one area on the available harvest in other areas is possible.January 24 2011,
Gov. Sean Parnell yesterday offered some interesting legislation for state lawmakers in Juneau to consider. An Act establishing the commercial charter fisheries revolving loan fund
SB 67: The mariculture revolving loan fund, and the Alaska microloan revolving loan fund and relating to those funds and loans from those funds; and providing for an effective date."
January 6, 2011 NMFS. Small Entity Compliance Guide.
This Small Entity Compliance Guide satisfies the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 that requires a plain language guide to assist small entities. Charter Halibut Limited Access Program.
November 22, 2010New rules cut halibut charters number.
Federal rules taking effect in February are expected to keep a third of the halibut sport charters working out of Homer, Seward and Valdez stuck in harbor this year.
Read more: http://www.adn.com/2010/11/21/1566329/new-rule-curtails-the-number-of.html#ixzz16bsQm02DNovember 11, 2010 Bycatch kings upset sport fishermen!
Some sport fishermen are seething after a report last month showed more than 59,000 king salmon in the Gulf of Alaska were taken by pollock boats and other commercial fishermen this year.
Read more: http://www.adn.com/2010/11/08/1544028/bycatch-kings-upset-sport-fishermen.html#ixzz14tWfFV5jAugust 25, 2010 Regs limit halibut charters! New requirements for halibut charter operations will cut the fleet by more than a third in Southcentral Alaska next year.
Click here for Peninsula Clarion story!
June 9, 2010 Its all happening now!! What bycatch? Bering Sea + Gulf of Alaska = at least 65000 wasted kings!
Fish count! kenai River count
June 5,2010 Kenai River closed to king salmon fishing for rest of month. Facing a disastrous return, state biologists will close king salmon fishing on the Kenai River, the state's most important sport fishing stream, while imposing restrictions on nearby waterways. Read More
April, 12 2009 NMFS gave a brief status on the charter halibut permit application process. NMFS reported that they received 794 applications by the deadline this past Monday. Further they had estimated that 527 businesses had qualified and they received applications from 514
March, 23 2010
NOAA Fisheries Service seeks comment on Chinook salmon bycatch management plan Public Comment until May, 7thThe number of Chinook salmon accidentally caught in the Bering Sea pollock fishery varies from year to year, from sector to sector, and even from vessel to vessel, but the overall percentage of salmon bycatch in pollock nets is very low. The average bycatch from 1992 through 2001 was 32,482 Chinook salmon and increased to 74,067 Chinook between 2002 and 2007. A historic high of approximately 122,000 Chinook salmon were taken in the pollock fishery in 2007. Bycatch declined to 20,493 Chinook salmon in 2008 and 12,410 in 2009. Even in years of historically high Chinook salmon bycatch, the fleet averaged just 52 Chinook salmon per 1,000 tons of pollock harvested.
February 4, 2010 Upper Cook Inlet Sockeye salmon Forecast! Click here for details. Runs could be 40% less than twenty year average.
January 11, 2010 Click here! NOAA sets application period for sport charter halibut fishing permits
January 4, 2010 NOAA announces limited access program for sport charter halibut fishing in Alaska ..
NOAA Fisheries has announced a new fishery management program passed by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council that limits the number of charter boats in the guided sport halibut fishery in Southeast Alaska and the central Gulf of Alaska.
Dec.29, 2009 Upper Cook Inlet Sockeye Salmon forecast for 2010. Its not good! Click here!!
Dec. 22, 2009 RECREATIONAL FISH STOCKING PLAN. The Division of Sport Fish is now accepting public comment on its statewide fish stocking plan.
The Division, with assistance from private non-profit hatchery operators, plans to release more than 7 million fish into the waters of Alaska every year for the next five years, to benefit recreational anglers.Dec. 10, 2009 NOAA Proposes Draft Catch Share Policy On December 10, 2009, NOAA released a draft policy on the use of catch share programs in fishery management plans.
Dec. 5 2009 Fisheries board: Bay protection warranted The Alaska Board of Fisheries decided Saturday to send a letter to state legislators asking them to consider more regulatory protection for salmon in the Bristol Bay river drainages downstream of the proposed Pebble mine.
December 3, 2009 The number of halibut reported in Area 3A logbooks for trips made through July 31 2009 was down 21% relative to 2008. The number of halibut reported in Area 2C logbooks for trips made through July 31, 2009 was 52%below the 2008 harvest for the same period.
Dec. 1, 2009 NOAA Proposes Critical Habitat for Cook Inlet Beluga Whales. How will this effect sportfishing for halibut and salmon?
October 21, 2009. Alaska State Rep. Stolze to ASMI Board: All Commercial Fishing Bills Dead in 2010.. click here. “I don’t have many tools,” he said. One tool state representative Stoltze chose not to use was the special legislative committee created last year to address the Cook Inlet salmon wars. Stoltze was a member of the Cook Inlet Salmon Task Force.
October 20, 2009 Outraged fishermen lashed out at state fishery managers Oct. 12, telling them at a House Resources Committee meeting in Bethel that they mismanaged struggling salmon stocks on the Yukon River at the expense of rural Alaskans. Click here!
OCTOBER 17, 2009 GUIDE AND BUSINESS LICENSING declines slowly. CLICK HERE!
In 2006, 1,677 sport fishing businesses and 3,454 guides were licensed with ADF&G. In 2007, 1,695 businesses and 3,531 guides were licensed, and in 2008, 1,659 sport fishing businesses and 3,522 sport fishing guides were licensed with ADF&G to provide sport fishing services in Alaska.The number of vessels registered to provide saltwater sport fishing charter services was 1,671 in 2006, 1,666 in 2007, and 1,604 in 2008.
October 8th, 2009 Published in the TUNDRA DRUMS. Fishery protesters get fined .On June 26, two men joined more than a dozen others and traveled about 10 miles upriver to fish illegally in the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge. Soon after, several admitted the act to journalists. Through the media, they told the world they did it to send a message to fishery managers and to feed villagers who had no king salmon in their freezers. The protestors lashed out at the high-seas pollock fishing industry. In its quest to catch pollock for use in food such as fish sticks, trawlers snag and toss aside thousands of kings yearly. A record 120,000 were unintentionally caught in 2007.
2009 Yukon salmon fishery: The numbers
King salmon harvested in 2009: 316
Annual average of kings harvested in the 10 years before 2009: 35,027
Summer chum salmon harvested in 2009: 170,272
Annual average of chums harvested in the 10 years before 2009: 63,341
September 29, 2009 05:45 am
Catch share strife grows Click HERE Recreational fishing interests have registered their intense opposition to "catch shares"
8/20/2009 Enviro group steps up 'catch share' push Source: Gloucester (Mass.) Daily Times, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2009
The Environmental Defense Fund and a California congressman have undertaken a lobbying campaign on behalf of "catch shares," the policy advanced by national oceans administrator Jane Lubchenco that would privatize the fisheries, converting a commonly held resource into a commodity! Click here!
8/3/2009 Yukon Fish Swimming Up the Mainstream. Click here! The lack of salmon last season triggered a crisis of huge proportion in rural Western Alaska.
7/15/2009 Fisheries councils push catch shares only. The latest version of the 'asset commoditization' of USA fisheries is well underway! Click here!
Summary of new rules for Area 2C Halibut charter anglers
- Anglers fishing from a charter vessel are limited to one halibut per calendar day.
- A charter vessel angler may use only one fishing line. No more than six lines are allowed on a charter vessel fishing for halibut.
- Charter operators, guides and crew may not catch and retain halibut during a charter fishing trip.
- Anglers’ names and fishing license numbers are recorded in the trip log book.
- Anglers retaining halibut must sign the log at the end of the charter vessel fishing trip.
- A halibut on a charter vessel may be cut into no more than two ventral (bottom side) pieces, two dorsal (top side) pieces and two cheeks, all with the skin on.
There are several programs in place in North Pacific fisheries that fit the description of ‘limited access privilege programs’, or LAPPs, Halibut Charter Boat – potential inclusion in IFQ program.
Views and Blogs!
Halibut Issues Blog!
Southeast Alaska Guides Organization
THE DECK BOSS BLOG
Commercial Fishermans News!
Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA)
HALIBUT COALITIOIN
Contact your legislator!
American Sportfishing Association!
Halibut Association of North America
Farmed Halibut?
-The North Pacific Fishery Management Council has established a limited entry program for the halibut sport charter industry operating in southeast and southcentral Alaska. This program is anticipated to go into effect in 2010. Qualification for operating licenses under the program is based on participation during the 2004 or 2005 fishing seasons. Businesses not granted licenses will not be eligible to fish for halibut once this program goes into effect. Further information regarding this limited entry program can be obtained by calling the National Marine Fisheries Service at (907) 586-7228.
