Here’s a press release making it quite clear the charter fleet isn’t happy with the halibut sharing plan the North Pacific Fishery Management Council passed Saturday.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Halibut Catch Sharing Plan Proposes Strict Limits on Guided Anglers

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Oct. 6, 2008 – Members of the Charter Halibut Task Force testified before the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) here last week as the NPFMC met to decide on a specific allocation for guided recreational anglers. On Saturday, Oct. 4, the NPFMC voted 10 to 1 to adopt a catch sharing plan (CSP) to allocate halibut between commercial fishermen and guided recreational anglers in Southeast and Southcentral Alaska. The CSP was based on a motion offered by Gerry Merrigan, a commercial fisherman from Petersburg, Alaska. The CSP is expected to take effect in 2011 if approved by the Secretary of Commerce.

Based on halibut biomass projections provided by the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC), the CSP will allow guided anglers to harvest one halibut per day with the opportunity to lease from a commercial fisherman the right to catch a second halibut. In Southcentral Alaska, anglers can still catch two halibut per day. The NPFMC will send its recommended CSP to the Secretary of Commerce, who will make the final decision.

Charter operators feel the options before the NPFMC do not reflect the Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 1982, which requires allocation of halibut fishing privileges be fair and equitable amongst all user groups regardless of state residence. Since 1995, commercial fishermen have caught an average of 89% of all halibut taken off the coast of Alaska (including bycatch). In contrast, guided recreational anglers have accounted for less than 7% of the catch on average over the same period.

"We are very disappointed that State and Federal representatives on the Council were more interested in protecting the value of commercial IFQs than in protecting the public's access to the halibut resource. An 85-15 split is not fair and equitable. Now guided anglers have to rent the resource from commercial fishermen,” said Larry McQuarrie, co-founder of the Charter Halibut Task Force.

Charter operators proposed a limit of two halibut per day except during a conservation crisis, when limits drop to one halibut per day, leaving the second halibut in the ocean to increase the biomass. In the NPFMC adopted catch sharing plan, the halibut saved by anglers going to a one fish limit will be reallocated and caught by commercial fishermen.

After 15 years of following the council process in an effort to find a fair and equitable solution to sharing the halibut harvest in Southeast Alaska, some charter fishermen have lost faith in the council system. Of the 11 members of the Council, 4 members represent state or federal management agencies, one represents recreational fishermen, and six have ties to commercial fishing. The National Marine Fisheries Service estimated the reduced catch limit will decrease the number of anglers coming to Southeast Alaska by up to 30%, which would mean more than 27,000 fewer anglers fishing in Southeast Alaska alone, resulting in an $8 million annual loss to coastal communities.

Members of the Charter Halibut Task Force visited Governor Sarah Palin's office last week, delivering over 1,300 comments and letters from sport fishermen who fished in Alaska in 2008. The letters stated the fishermen will not be coming back to Alaska if the guided recreational daily catch limit is cut from two halibut per day to one. Governor Palin recently stated "sportfishing is a significant element of Alaska's economy, creating more than 12,000 jobs and with a total annual economic impact of more than $1 billion." However, attempts by Alaskan charter operators to meet with Governor Palin to discuss the economic impacts of a one-halibut daily limit were unsuccessful.

About Charter Halibut Task Force

The Charter Halibut Task Force (CHTF) represents charter fishing operators whose clients catch halibut off Alaska. The CHTF is devoted to uniting charter operators and business owners committed to stable, long-term management of the halibut resource as a vital part of Alaska's tourism industry, and educating decision-makers on the potential socioeconomic impacts charter halibut issues may have on Alaska coastal communities.