The charter boat operators of Alaska have filed suit against the federal government’s unfounded and unjustified one-fish halibut limit for Southeast Alaska. These operators should not like the allocation without representation now being imposed on the state’s halibut fishery by the federal government and outside business interests.
It is said that the North Pacific Fishery Management Council and the U.S. Department of Commerce are to stick a fork in the Alaska tourism industry, which while it doesn’t provide the state a lot of cash does provide a lot of jobs. Some of these jobs are with the mom-and-pop charter fishing businesses, which provide access to the recreational halibut fishery for the tens of thousands of anglers.
The North Pacific Fishery Council members and the commercial interests cozy with the council can prattle on about how the catch is growing dangerously, even though it’s small. They set on average 6.2 percent of the total catch over the past 10 years. The Pacific Fishery Management Council — which regulates halibut fishing off Washington, Oregon and California — actually has a “catch sharing plan.” Under this plan the harvest is divided between Washington treaty Indians who get 35 percent (they made a good deal long ago; more power to them), and all non-Indian fisheries 65 percent.
It is said that the rule adopted by the secretary (of commerce) makes clear that the rule was issued to address an allocation issue between the charter and commercial halibut sectors and is not a conservation issue. On the contrary the International Pacific Halibut Commission has said that the stocks are healthy but the National Marine Fisheries Service ‘disagrees’ that the rule is necessary for conservation reasons.”
