Jumbo argument coming on shrimp?

The Alaska Board of Fisheries will consider dozens of shellfish proposals during its meeting Tuesday through Saturday at the Hilton Anchorage.

Deckboss has reviewed the list and is particularly intrigued with four proposals on the commercial shrimp pot fishery in Prince William Sound.

The makers of proposals 358, 359, 360 and 361 all want to see the fishery shut down.

They contend commercial shrimpers actually lose money on the fishery, and that continuing the harvest will crash the stock to the detriment of sport and subsistence shrimpers.

All involved target spot shrimp, or prawns, a very large and tasty variety.

The commercial fishery was closed for 18 years due to low abundance.

It reopened in 2010, and again in 2011, producing catches of 45,349 pounds and 52,694 pounds respectively.

State figures show 75 vessels participated in the fishery in 2010, and 45 vessels in 2011.

As for noncommercial harvest, well in excess of 3,000 permits were issued in both 2010 and 2011, with an estimated take of 87,699 pounds and 59,182 pounds respectively.

The commercial harvest worries the proposal authors. They want the board to put a stop to it.

"Prince William has been a great place for friends and families to go do some shrimping and that is going to go away," writes Mike Crawford, in proposal 361. "The value of the resource is much higher for the noncommercial use than the $200,000 that the commercial fishery is worth."

Unless the commercial fishery is halted, adds Jeff Benkert, in proposal 359, the Sound will "become the desert" it was before.

The Department of Fish and Game, in a February management report, said "survey results for 2011 suggest that spot shrimp abundance remains high relative to recent years."

This year's commercial shrimp pot season is set to open April 15 with a 51,240-pound quota.

Fish and Game says it's neutral on what it terms the "allocative proposals."

More territory for snow crabbers

Ice has covered much of the Bering Sea crabbing grounds, bedeviling the snow crab fleet.

Now the state Department of Fish and Game is providing some relief by opening an additional area to fishing, starting tomorrow.

Here's the official announcement.

Thus far, individual fishing quota holders have taken 46.9 million pounds of snow crab, or about 59 percent of the total allowable catch.

The season is scheduled to close at the end of May.

Off we go on another long season

Speaking of halibut, the commercial fishery opens at noon tomorrow and runs until Nov. 7.

The overall Pacific halibut quota is 33.54 million pounds.

Alaska accounts for about three-quarters of the quota, with the rest allocated to British Columbia and the U.S. West Coast.

Good fishing, everybody, and be safe.

Southeast charter anglers get 'trophy' opportunity

The National Marine Fisheries Service today announced the rules for charter halibut anglers this season.

In Area 2C (Southeast Alaska), the one-fish daily bag limit stays in effect. Retained halibut can't exceed 45 inches in length. An exception, however, allows anglers to keep "trophy" fish greater than 68 inches.

In Area 3A (Southcentral Alaska), the rules are the same as last year: Charter anglers may keep two fish of any size per day.

Parnell likes Dersham, Hull for new council terms

Here's the press release from Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell's office:

March 15, 2012

Gov. Parnell makes nominations to fishery council

JUNEAU — Gov. Sean Parnell nominated Robert "Ed" Dersham and Howard "Dan" Hull for consideration by the U.S. commerce secretary for continued service on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.

The governor also named Timothy Evers and Julianne Curry as alternate nominees.

"The fisheries resources in the North Pacific are of vital importance to Alaska, and each of these nominees possesses excellent management and conservation skills," Parnell said. "Mr. Dersham and Mr. Hull have served effectively on the council, and Alaska's interests will continue to be well-served by these nominees."

Dersham, of Anchorage, is completing his first full term on the NPFMC, having served a partial term immediately prior. An active charter boat operator and lodge owner in Lower Cook Inlet for more than 25 years, Dersham retired from a career as a special agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. He also served for nine years on the Alaska Board of Fisheries, worked as a consultant for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and served as a coordinating liaison between the Board of Fisheries and the NPFMC. Dersham earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Oregon.

Hull, of Anchorage, is completing his first term on the NPFMC. He is the owner of Hull Fisheries LLC, fishing for halibut and salmon out of Cordova. He is currently a member of the Alaska Sea Grant Advisory Committee and a former member of the Cordova District Fishermen United board of directors, the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council Public Advisory Group, the Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corp. board of directors, the Prince William Sound Fisheries Ecosystem Research Planning Group, and the United Fishermen of Alaska board of directors. In addition to his 30-year career in commercial fishing, Hull also worked as a research associate for the Institute of Social and Economic Research. He earned a master's degree in marine affairs from the University of Washington and a bachelor's degree in anthropology from Dartmouth College.

Evers, of Ninilchik, is currently a member of the Advisory Panel to the NPFMC. A longtime charter operator, Evers owned Deep Creek Sport Shop, Big Valley Lodge and Cabin Rentals, and Fishward Bound Adventures. Evers is the founder and former president of the Deep Creek Charterboat Association, and served on the Central Peninsula Fish and Game Advisory Committee. In addition, he served five terms on the National Association of Charterboat Operators.

Curry, of Petersburg, is the executive director of the Petersburg Vessel Owners Association and a member of the Advisory Panel to the NPFMC. Curry participates in commercial fisheries for halibut, sablefish, salmon, herring and crab. She is a member of the board of directors and executive committee of United Fishermen of Alaska, and is the chair of the Petersburg Commercial Fishing Committee. A member of the Petersburg Marine Mammal Center board of directors, Curry earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Northern Arizona University.

With jurisdiction over the 1 million square mile Exclusive Economic Zone off the coast of Alaska, the NPFMC has primary responsibility for groundfish management in the Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands, including cod, pollock, flatfish, mackerel, sablefish and rockfish species harvested mainly by trawlers, longliners and pot fishermen.

Established by the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976, the NPFMC is one of eight regional councils dedicated to the oversight of the nation's fisheries.

The commerce secretary is empowered under the law to choose the final council appointees from applicants nominated by governors of coastal states.

Lori Swanson, trawl fleet rep, tabbed for council

Lori Swanson, executive director of Groundfish Forum, is Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire's top choice for a seat on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.

Gregoire's alternate nominees are Craig Cross and former council member John Bundy.

Assuming the U.S. commerce secretary accepts the governor's preferred pick, Swanson will take over the seat now held by Dave Benson, who terms out in August.

The Anchorage-based council has 11 voting members from Alaska, Washington and Oregon. It helps regulate federal fisheries off Alaska. Members serve three-year terms.

Swanson has served on the council's Advisory Panel since 2006. Her employer, Groundfish Forum, is a Seattle-based trade association of flatfish trawlers.

Here is Gregoire's nomination letter.

Could this help?

Down in Juneau, state legislators are thinking about creating a special endowment to fund Chinook research.

Supporters say runs of Chinook, or king, salmon have declined around Alaska, and something must be done to restore the iconic fish.

Especially concerned are Western Alaska legislators representing constituencies dismayed over depressed Chinook runs to the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers and Norton Sound.

Sen. Donny Olson, D-Nome, is the prime sponsor of Senate Bill 205, with Rep. Bob Herron, D-Bethel, carrying companion legislation in House Bill 332.

The bills would create an endowment fund, which would be invested. A seven-member board comprised of Alaska's fish and game commissioner and six "public members" from around the state would use the profits to award Chinook research grants.

Assuming legislators support the idea, they'll have to decide how much money to put into the endowment. The bills don't call for a specific amount, although they do make a reference to $50 million.

Certainly, the money is available, as the state is flush with billions of dollars in surplus oil revenue.

But whether a research endowment really has statewide appeal is questionable, as the health of Chinook stocks is varied. Certainly, the Yukon and Kuskokwim runs have struggled, as have other runs such as Kodiak's Karluk River stock. Farther east, in Southeast Alaska, the situation looks better.

The Senate Resources Committee is scheduled to take up SB 205 at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Here is Olson's sponsor statement.

And here's a packet of letters in support of the endowment.