Saving Seafood

ALASKA: NOAA proposes compensated reallocation program between halibut commercial and charter sectors

October 3, 2017 — NOAA Fisheries is proposing to authorize formation of a recreational quota entity (RQE), which could purchase and hold commercial halibut quota shares for use by charter anglers in International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) regulatory Areas 2C (Southeast Alaska) and 3A (Southcentral Alaska).

The proposed regulatory amendment would allow one non-profit RQE to obtain a limited amount of commercial halibut quota shares under a willing buyer-willing seller model. The harvest pounds associated with the quota shares would become recreational fishing quota (RFQ) that could be used to augment the amount of halibut available for harvest in the charter halibut fishery annually under the halibut catch sharing plan.

In recent years, restrictions on charter anglers have become more stringent as halibut abundance has dropped and catch limits have been reduced. Typical restrictions include daily and annual limits on the number of fish retained, fish size limits, and closures on specific days of the week.

If the RQE obtains enough quota share, restrictions on halibut size and bag limits could be relaxed for charter anglers in years of low abundance, up to a point where charter anglers could potentially retain up to the daily limit for unguided anglers-currently two fish of any size per day.

Read the full story at Alaska Native News

ALASKA: As salmon defenders gather, more signs of a 2018 fish fight

June 8, 2017 — There are more signs that the hook has been set for Alaska’s biggest fisheries fight in a decade.

As members of the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council and the International Pacific Halibut Commission gather in Juneau this week, salmon-supporting groups have been holding meetings about a double-barreled proposal to significantly strengthen legal protections for rivers that contain salmon.

That proposal has major implications for the state’s construction and mining industries.

Speaking Wednesday in downtown Juneau, Emily Anderson of the Wild Salmon Center said the proposal — now in the Legislature and simultaneously being considered for a 2018 ballot measure — is intended to fix a law created at statehood.

“It’s a very old law. It’s actually a holdover from the territorial government. It was changed just a little bit, but it’s very, very simple,” she said.

The law is Alaska Statute 16.05.871, which says in clause (d) that the commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game should approve a project that disrupts a salmon stream “unless the commissioner finds the plans and specifications insufficient for the proper protection of fish and game.”

“The only standard there is the proper protection of fish and game. So what does that mean?” Anderson asked. “There’s nothing in statute, there’s nothing in regulation that actually defines what the proper protection of fish and game is. That’s a problem.”

Read the full story at the Juneau Empire

Alaska Longline fleet awaits word on fishing season start

February 27, 2017 — Commercial longline fishing fleets in Alaska are awaiting word about whether the season for halibut and black cod will actually start on March 11th. That’s the date voted on for halibut fishing by the International Pacific Halibut Commission in January. Typically the National Marine Fisheries Service also opens long-line fishing for black cod on the same day. This year that’s all up in the air.

The reason for the uncertainty is an executive order from President Trump in January requiring for every one new regulation issued, at least two prior regulations be identified for elimination. Trump also issued a 60-day freeze on new and pending regulations until they had been reviewed by the head of an agency appointed by the president.

The start dates for the fishing seasons require the publishing of regulations in the Federal Register. As of late February those regulations had not yet been published. During a recent stop in Ketchikan, Republican U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski said she’s trying to get to the bottom of what the president’s executive order means for Alaska fisheries.

“While I like the idea of eliminating some of the regulatory underbrush I think we recognize that in certain areas and this is exactly one of those we count on our agencies to be prompt and diligent in laying down these regs so that people can engage in their business and their livelihood,” Murkowski said. “We need to make that happen.” Murkowski said she didn’t yet know about whether the season would be able to start on March 11.

Read the full story at KFSK Community Radio

Halibut season in jeopardy even as catch limit rises

January 31, 2017 — Despite a 5 percent hike in the total halibut catch limits, the start of the 2017 season will likely be delayed because of a 60-day freeze on federal regulations in the United States.

On 27 February, the International Pacific Halibut Commission increased the total allowable catch (TAC) to 31.4 million pounds. It marks the first time in around 10 years that there were no cuts in any region’s quotas.

While the IPHC approved the halibut season to start on 11 March, that date is expected to be pushed back because of President Donald Trump’s freeze on new and pending regulations – which would include regulations on the federally-managed fishery. The freeze went into effect on 20 January, so the earliest starting date for the Pacific halibut fishery would likely be 27 March, according to Alaska Dispatch News.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

Alaska commercial halibut fishermen get big boost in catch limit

January 29, 2017 — More Pacific halibut will be going to market this year due to an overall boost in harvests for the West Coast, British Columbia and Alaska. The coast-wide limit of 31.4 million pounds reflects a 5.1 percent increase and, for the first time in decades, not a single fishing region faces a decline its allowable catch.

The heartening news was released Friday by the International Pacific Halibut Commission, overseer of the stocks since 1923.

Halibut catch limits are determined by summer surveys at more than 1,200 stations from Oregon to the Aleutians. In 2016, the results showed the stock had remained stable over a span of three years, although the fish remained small for their ages.

Read the full story at the Alaska Dispatch News

Strong halibut catches in Alaska leading to higher quotas

July 1, 2016 — After years of slashed quotas, the Alaskan halibut fishery is enjoying a second year of growth in 2016.

The 2016 quota share commercial halibut fisheries opened on 19 March with a fleet-wide quota of 18.16 million pounds. The quota is up from 17.93 million pounds in 2015 and 16.75 million pounds in 2014.

Quota improvements have also been seen in British Columbia, Canada. The 2016 B.C. quota is 6.20 million pounds up from 5.91 million pounds in 2015 and 5.79 million pounds in 2014.

“We’ve been on a bit of decrease since the peak of the halibut stock abundance in the late 1990s, but last year [2015] saw the first year of an increase in quite a number of years,” said Bruce Leaman, the executive director of the International Pacific Halibut Commission, the public international organization responsible for managing the fisheries.

IPHC released its latest landing report on 21 June, 2016, and to that date, catch rates have been similar to last year. Alaskan fishermen have landed 8.8 million pounds of halibut, or 48 percent of the 2016 commercial fishery catch limit. At this same date last year 8.8 million pounds had been harvested, representing 49 percent of the 2015 catch limit.

“[The fishing is] about on par with what we’ve seen other years in terms of how quickly the quota is being caught,” Leaman said.

He went on to predict a lull in halibut landings during the summer as many vessels leave off halibut fishing to pursue salmon and other species caught during shorter management periods.

Read the full story at Seafood Source