Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Big improvement overall for Gulf catch limits

A reader asks what the North Pacific Fishery Management Council did over the weekend in setting the 2010 total allowable catch (TAC) for Gulf of Alaska groundfish.

Here's a rundown of TACs for some of the main species, as well as the percent change from the current year.

Remember, the U.S. commerce secretary can adjust these figures, as the council merely makes recommendations.

Walleye pollock — 84,745 tons, up 69.8 percent
Pacific cod — 59,563 tons, up 42.5 percent
Arrowtooth flounder — 43,000 tons, no change
Pacific Ocean perch — 17,584 tons, up 16.4 percent
Sablefish — 10,370 tons, down 7.1 percent
Northern rockfish — 5,098 tons, up 16.9 percent

2 comments:

Unknown said...

it does not say how many halibut are going to be slaughtered to catch those groundfish.
Randy Katzenmeyer, Haines, AK

ANGRYCRABBER said...

I read the by-catch level is 1.5% with TAC set at 813,000 ton, DRAGGERS WILL KILL & WASTE 12,195 ton, or 24,390,000 MILLION Lbs. of BY-CATCH!!! Big Buisness as usual when you have a council comprised of owners of DRAGGER corporations, and their lawbeast previously running the show! Lowest TAC in 30 yrs. by the "best?" managed fisheries! Also a younger/smaller age class, increasing the head count per Lb. of dead fish. And drasticly reducing the spawning stock #'s. Disturbing natural spawning migrations. Ruining the bottom, killing crab, coral, halibut, anything in their way. Reducing catches for all clean fishers. Harvesting eggs that weigh a fraction of an ounce, but could grow to hundreds of 3Lb. fish! Charges should be brought aganst the self-serving council members, past and present! Voting to line their pockets, voting to "GIFT" American and Alaskan fish to their corp.s forever? Call it "HISTORY"? History like the Gulf King Crab? History like the Gulf Shrimp? History like West Coast Salmon? History like the East Coast Fisheries? Like the missing Halibut? Like the Yukon Kings? History like our MISSING CRAB and Longline JOBS??!! I hope not!! 50% of OUR FISH OWNED by Japan and Norway?! What the ...? LOCK EM UP!! Meanwhile, MERRY CRISTMAS!! Hope for a better NEW YEAR!!