This might be of interest
This came off of another forum
recieved this news from one of my Seafood Vendors. Read on!
Concern over Alaska halibut stock
Alaska Journal of Commerce
Published - December 28. 2009
Commissioners of the International Pacific Halibut Commission will consider in late January cutting the 2010 quota for the commercial setline halibut fleet 26 percent, an overall 65 percent reduction since 2006, because of a decline in the fishery's biomass.
That was the recommendation put forward Dec. 7 by the IPHC staff, in advance of the commission's Jan. 26-29 meeting in Seattle.
That recommendation for a lower harvest comes on the heels of a U.S. District Court decision issued in late November, limiting the daily catch of clients on guided halibut boats in southeast Alaska to one fish a day. The previous limit was two fish daily.
Charter operators said the court's decision would cut deeply into demand for their services.
The commission staff recommended that for the coming year, the commercial setline quota be cut from five million pounds to 3.7 million pounds, a 26 percent cut, and an overall cut of 6.9 million pounds since 2006.
The Halibut Coalition, of Juneau, which represents the setline fleet, said the IPHC stock assessment shows a significant decline in the biomass for area 2C.
'This is of concern to all users of the halibut resource, including subsistence, commercial and recreational,' the coalition said. 'Management of the resource has been hindered by the guided sport sector exceeding their guideline harvest level every year since 2004, by a cumulative 3.2 million pounds.'
Linda Behnken, president of the Halibut Coalition and executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen's Association, urged the National Marine Fisheries Service's Alaska region to use its emergency authority to curb any potential excess harvest by the charter sector in 2010.
Behnken said the federal district court 'makes it abundantly clear that NMFS has both the authority and the responsibility to manage the guided sport sector to their allocation. Even with the one-fish rule, the guided sport sector exceeded their allocation of 788,000 pounds by 64 percent.'
Jay Shelton, a Juneau-based fisherman represented by the Halibut Coalition, expressed concern for the long-term health of the resource.
'The stocks in southeast have been reduced to such a low level that it will take years to rebuild. Everyone will have to comply with management measures to help rebuild the stock, even if it means near-term economic pain,' he said in the Halibut Coalition's statement. 'I am especially concerned about young families that have individual fishing quotas, boat and home payments to make.'
Southeast Alaska charter operators are not happy, either.
Earl Comstock, an attorney for the Charter Halibut Task Force, said the court's decision is still under review. Typically an appeal must be made within 90 days, he said.
Comstock warned of dire economic fallout from the one fish limit for the guided sport.
'The state will take a huge hit at the recreational level, but not see a significant increase to commercial fishermen,' he said. 'To benefit a small number of commercial fishermen to whom it doesn't make a huge difference, you are basically asking a bunch of people in southeast Alaska who depend on recreational fisheries to make a huge cut in their livelihood.'
Behnken hailed the court's decision as a real benefit to protecting the halibut resource from excess harvest.
Behnken said the allowable harvest of halibut by the setline fleet has been cut 53 percent over the last three years to keep the resource sustainable. At the same time, 'the charter fleet exceeded its guideline harvest level by over 100 percent in 2008 and the charter harvest has continued to grow,' she said.
'This decision establishes that all sectors need to share in conserving the resource, to ensure sustainable harvests for everyone in the future,' she said.
While serving on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council for several years, Behnken frequently addressed the need for the charter fleet to share responsibility for keeping the fishery sustainable.
Behnken said she was not surprised by the court's decision. The court found the initial allocation decision was adequately considered, despite charter operators' allegations that the U.S. Secretary of Commerce had failed to explain how the change from a two-halibut a day limit to one had been made, and whether it was fair and legal.
Behnken said tourism in southeast Alaska is down because of the economy, not the one-fish bag limit.
'If you don't take care of the resource, everybody is in trouble in the future. We don't manage with a shortsighted vision,' she said. 'If you wipe out the resource, it will put you out of business, and everyone else at the same time. The halibut fishery has been fished sustainably for over 100 years without bankrupting the resource. No resource owes people a job.'
Speaking at Pacific Marine
This came off of another forum
recieved this news from one of my Seafood Vendors. Read on!
Concern over Alaska halibut stock
Alaska Journal of Commerce
Published - December 28. 2009
Commissioners of the International Pacific Halibut Commission will consider in late January cutting the 2010 quota for the commercial setline halibut fleet 26 percent, an overall 65 percent reduction since 2006, because of a decline in the fishery's biomass.
That was the recommendation put forward Dec. 7 by the IPHC staff, in advance of the commission's Jan. 26-29 meeting in Seattle.
That recommendation for a lower harvest comes on the heels of a U.S. District Court decision issued in late November, limiting the daily catch of clients on guided halibut boats in southeast Alaska to one fish a day. The previous limit was two fish daily.
Charter operators said the court's decision would cut deeply into demand for their services.
The commission staff recommended that for the coming year, the commercial setline quota be cut from five million pounds to 3.7 million pounds, a 26 percent cut, and an overall cut of 6.9 million pounds since 2006.
The Halibut Coalition, of Juneau, which represents the setline fleet, said the IPHC stock assessment shows a significant decline in the biomass for area 2C.
'This is of concern to all users of the halibut resource, including subsistence, commercial and recreational,' the coalition said. 'Management of the resource has been hindered by the guided sport sector exceeding their guideline harvest level every year since 2004, by a cumulative 3.2 million pounds.'
Linda Behnken, president of the Halibut Coalition and executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen's Association, urged the National Marine Fisheries Service's Alaska region to use its emergency authority to curb any potential excess harvest by the charter sector in 2010.
Behnken said the federal district court 'makes it abundantly clear that NMFS has both the authority and the responsibility to manage the guided sport sector to their allocation. Even with the one-fish rule, the guided sport sector exceeded their allocation of 788,000 pounds by 64 percent.'
Jay Shelton, a Juneau-based fisherman represented by the Halibut Coalition, expressed concern for the long-term health of the resource.
'The stocks in southeast have been reduced to such a low level that it will take years to rebuild. Everyone will have to comply with management measures to help rebuild the stock, even if it means near-term economic pain,' he said in the Halibut Coalition's statement. 'I am especially concerned about young families that have individual fishing quotas, boat and home payments to make.'
Southeast Alaska charter operators are not happy, either.
Earl Comstock, an attorney for the Charter Halibut Task Force, said the court's decision is still under review. Typically an appeal must be made within 90 days, he said.
Comstock warned of dire economic fallout from the one fish limit for the guided sport.
'The state will take a huge hit at the recreational level, but not see a significant increase to commercial fishermen,' he said. 'To benefit a small number of commercial fishermen to whom it doesn't make a huge difference, you are basically asking a bunch of people in southeast Alaska who depend on recreational fisheries to make a huge cut in their livelihood.'
Behnken hailed the court's decision as a real benefit to protecting the halibut resource from excess harvest.
Behnken said the allowable harvest of halibut by the setline fleet has been cut 53 percent over the last three years to keep the resource sustainable. At the same time, 'the charter fleet exceeded its guideline harvest level by over 100 percent in 2008 and the charter harvest has continued to grow,' she said.
'This decision establishes that all sectors need to share in conserving the resource, to ensure sustainable harvests for everyone in the future,' she said.
While serving on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council for several years, Behnken frequently addressed the need for the charter fleet to share responsibility for keeping the fishery sustainable.
Behnken said she was not surprised by the court's decision. The court found the initial allocation decision was adequately considered, despite charter operators' allegations that the U.S. Secretary of Commerce had failed to explain how the change from a two-halibut a day limit to one had been made, and whether it was fair and legal.
Behnken said tourism in southeast Alaska is down because of the economy, not the one-fish bag limit.
'If you don't take care of the resource, everybody is in trouble in the future. We don't manage with a shortsighted vision,' she said. 'If you wipe out the resource, it will put you out of business, and everyone else at the same time. The halibut fishery has been fished sustainably for over 100 years without bankrupting the resource. No resource owes people a job.'
Speaking at Pacific Marine
