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Halibut Quota Debate Continues Over Southcentral, Southeast Alaska CatchFishermen from Alaska’s commercial and charter industry are heading back to the drawing board to figure out potential management solutions to the halibut decline in southeast and southcentral Alaska.Related Content
Fishermen from Alaska’s commercial and charter industry are heading back to the drawing board to figure out potential management solutions to the halibut decline in southeast and southcentral Alaska.
Last month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Fisheries Service suspended a catch-sharing plan that would have limited sport charters in southcentral Alaska to catch one halibut per day instead of two. "If it continues on a current path right now, the charter halibut industry as we know it today in southeast Alaska will not be anything like we see it today," said Larry McQuarrie, a sportfishing lodge owner in southeast. Back in 2008, NOAA created a similar catch-sharing plan in southeast Alaska, known as Area 2C, and anglers say it's taken a toll on local businesses. "A few years ago when [the] catch-sharing plan was originally formulated, no one foresaw this kind of drop in abundance. [We] didn't anticipate this kind of a crisis coming on us," said McQuarrie. Charter businesses met with a committee and one member of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council Wednesday to discuss potential solutions. Suggestions included shortening charter trips and changing regulations on the current size of halibut catch per day. The council plans to meet in again December before its sends recommendations to NOAA for review. |
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steve said on Friday, Oct 28 at 5:17 AM
Limit the take on barndoor size. I go halibut fishing on charters 3-4 times a year and see all the boats that target 100 pounders every day. these fish are all females and account for a large portion of fry. The big ones are not even good to eat. There can still be a small take of big ones for trophy's, something like one per year per person or so many per charter vessel. With the money spent on all this there could even be a payoff for people letting go a barndoor. There are so many other ways to protect the stocks than the one the fisheries wanted to levey on the charter fleet. Tight lines steve
75991173Justin said on Friday, Oct 28 at 1:20 AM
Has anyone thought to consider just how big an impact the forgien trawlers, that operate year-round in the gulf, have on not only the halibut, but all the fisheries in alaska? I know I've seen them out there, and returned to several good fishing grounds, only to find nothing left.
75985068native said on Thursday, Oct 27 at 5:10 PM
cut the commercial catch first dumasses
75974527Bert said on Thursday, Oct 27 at 12:47 PM
The most important thing that can be done to protect halibut is not overharvest the quota’s set by the IPHC. When NOAA can up with a plan to keep the charter fleet within their allocation (one 37 inch fish) their fleet didn’t like it. In 2C the sport/subsistence fleet is harvesting about 50% of the available halibut quota. There can be no plan to save the halibut without everyone making sacrifices. The halibut stocks will rebuild if the quota is left at current levels for a period of time. But that does not mean the charter halibut restrictions will go away anytime soon.
75963233Corey said on Thursday, Oct 27 at 12:36 PM
I'm from southeast and have friends who own charter and loges there. That being said you cannot keep the current trend of quotas if the population keeps on the decline. They think it's bad now. Do nothing and see how that turns out in 5-10 years. What this tells me is there are to many people in the charter and commercial business to sustain the population of halibut.
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