Sushihunter
Active Member
http://www.alaskadispatch.com/voices/medred/7796-halibut-quota-cut-in-half-for-2011
2011 halibut quota nearly cut in half
Craig Medred | Dec 10, 2010
Fishermen who borrowed money to finance the purchase of "shares" of the allotted halibut harvest are struggling to make payments as the value of those shares goes down along with the harvest.
Everything was rosy in the commercial halibut fisheries off Alaska's shores as long as it was rosy. Now the dark side of what is called "privatization" has begun to emerge.
Commercial fishermen who borrowed money to finance the purchase of "shares" of the allotted halibut harvest find themselves struggling to make payments as the value of those shares goes down along with the harvest.
Shares looked like a good investment in 2005 when the International Pacific Halibut Commission, which sets catch quotas for the water off Alaska and Canada, set a limit of 10.93 million pounds for Area 2C in the Gulf of Alaska off the panhandle. Catch quotes, however, have been going doing down ever since. The commission is recommending a catch of only 2.33 million pounds for next year. The area had a 2010 quota of 4.4 million pounds this year.
Some in the fishery are warning of bankruptcies. Kathy Hansen, executive director of Southeast Alaska Fishermen's Alliance, told the Alaska Journal of Commerce that many of her organization's members were rocked by the cut in quota.
"For all of us, it's a shock," she said. "Unfortunately, we have to catch less fish, but that doesn't mean our loan payments get reduced at the same time."
Southeast is seeing the biggest cuts in recommended quotas for next year, but cuts are coming all along the coast, according to the Homer News.
Scientists say the problem is not so much a shortage of halibut as it is the slow growth of halibut that should be maturing. Many are slow in reaching the 32-inch goal for commercially-caught halibut.
* First Comment: Meanwhile, back at the trawler "bycatch"......
2011 halibut quota nearly cut in half
Craig Medred | Dec 10, 2010
Fishermen who borrowed money to finance the purchase of "shares" of the allotted halibut harvest are struggling to make payments as the value of those shares goes down along with the harvest.
Everything was rosy in the commercial halibut fisheries off Alaska's shores as long as it was rosy. Now the dark side of what is called "privatization" has begun to emerge.
Commercial fishermen who borrowed money to finance the purchase of "shares" of the allotted halibut harvest find themselves struggling to make payments as the value of those shares goes down along with the harvest.
Shares looked like a good investment in 2005 when the International Pacific Halibut Commission, which sets catch quotas for the water off Alaska and Canada, set a limit of 10.93 million pounds for Area 2C in the Gulf of Alaska off the panhandle. Catch quotes, however, have been going doing down ever since. The commission is recommending a catch of only 2.33 million pounds for next year. The area had a 2010 quota of 4.4 million pounds this year.
Some in the fishery are warning of bankruptcies. Kathy Hansen, executive director of Southeast Alaska Fishermen's Alliance, told the Alaska Journal of Commerce that many of her organization's members were rocked by the cut in quota.
"For all of us, it's a shock," she said. "Unfortunately, we have to catch less fish, but that doesn't mean our loan payments get reduced at the same time."
Southeast is seeing the biggest cuts in recommended quotas for next year, but cuts are coming all along the coast, according to the Homer News.
Scientists say the problem is not so much a shortage of halibut as it is the slow growth of halibut that should be maturing. Many are slow in reaching the 32-inch goal for commercially-caught halibut.
* First Comment: Meanwhile, back at the trawler "bycatch"......
