North Council Approves Halibut Harvest Measures, Tables Rental Boats

From Southeast Alaska Guides Organization:

During this week’s meeting in Anchorage, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council adopted Charter Halibut Management Committee recommendations for Area 2C harvest measures, but couldn’t select 3A measures because analysis of measures didn’t anticipate what could be a 40% drop in fish available to the 3A fleet. SEAGO testified before the Council that 2C operators are pressed against the wall in having anything marketable to offer their customers.

We won’t know actual limits until the International Pacific Halibut Commission determines area allocations in early February. For now, harvest measures are in a “if this, then this” format, were the top recommendation reflects the highest likely allocation, descending to the lowest likely allocation.

Area 2C Harvest Measures:

A reverse slot with an upper limit fixed at O80 (80” or greater), and a minimum lower maximum size limit of U40 (40” or less), with the lower limit raised until the allocation is reached;

If the allocation is insufficient to maintain at least a U40 on the lower limit, close Wednesdays beginning on September 9th and work consecutively toward the beginning of the season until a lower limit of U40 is reached;

If a lower limit of U40 can’t be reached after closing all Wednesdays, add a 4-fish annual limit in addition to closing all Wednesdays, and use any unused allocation to increase the lower limit above U40 until the allocation is reached;

If a lower limit of U40 can’t be reached by closing all Wednesdays and adding a 4-fish annual limit, reduce the annual limit to 3 fish in addition to closing all Wednesdays, and use any unused allocation to increase the lower limit above U40 until the allocation is reached;

If a lower limit of U40 can’t be reached by closing all Wednesdays and adding a 3-fish annual limit, let the lower limit fall until the allocation is reached.

Unguided Halibut Boat Rental

The Council continued discussion on whether unguided halibut anglers renting boats should be subject to more restrictive limits, or if rental boats should at least be registered to see if there may be a growth in the business model.

After extensive presentations from their staff, and public testimony from SEAGO, Alaska Charter Association, three rental boat businesses from southern Southeast Alaska, and one longline representative, the Council pulled back from pursuing registration or bag limit alignment for now, and tasked the Alaska Fisheries Science Center to come up with non-regulatory ways to assess the amount of rental boat activity in the unguided fishery.

SEAGO testified before the Council that all recreational fishermen deserve equal treatment, and that the scope of the rental boat action was too limited, should consider all unguided anglers, and ultimately the place and value of sport fishing in Alaska.

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