George Hutchins, working for more than 53 years in Alaska fishery, has owned salmon seiners, longliners, king and Tanner crab boats, and some trawl vessels. His experience said that fishing with a trawl has to be the most indiscriminate fishery of all. He says having one or two sea lion in each is very common sight while working in Shelikof Straits during pollock season.
According to him all fisheries should have 100 percent observer coverage on their trawl. Minimum observer means wastage of ocean’s resources and fishing without any observer on board is certainly not clean and hygiene. He suggests that fishing with pots is much clean and discriminate in comparison to fishing with longlines. The catching of halibut would be very easy with just 30 percent observer coverage.
Hutchins also said that ocean’s resources are not infinite and the waste of any species is unconscionable. Therefore all fishermen should vote for clean fishing and should be ready to provide proof that they are taking good care of Mother Ocean’s resources. And in this regard the fishermen should give total coverage for the longline and trawl fisheries to start with.
