Monday, September 26, 2011

56 hours in Dutch Harbor

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council is meeting this week way out in Dutch Harbor.

As usual, the agenda is packed, with a total of 56 hours of meeting time scheduled.

Deckboss is hard-pressed to find much excitement in this meeting, as the council isn't expected to take final action on any major issues.

One item likely to stir some interesting conversation, however, concerns the council's intent to reduce the allowable bycatch of halibut in the Gulf of Alaska.

The council in April put some options on the table for cutting the halibut bycatch limit by 5 to 15 percent for Gulf trawl and fixed-gear fleets.

Council members are expected to chew on the numbers further in Dutch Harbor, then select a "final preferred alternative" at their December meeting in Anchorage.

When all is said and done, regulators could implement tighter halibut bycatch limits early next year.

Bycatch, of course, is a hot topic these days due to recent declines in Gulf halibut biomass and rising tensions between two competing fleets — charter boats and commercial longliners — dependent on the fish.

Here's the council's draft analysis on the halibut bycatch issue. The first page has a nice summary. Thorough types are welcome to continue through the remaining 464 pages.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

please get it right.the charter fleet is not dependent on the halibut for there livelyhood there resource is called a tourist,they are what pays there bills so even at hook and release they still have the oportunity to make a living,where as the commercial fishermans loss of halibut resource totally denies there right to make a living.

Anonymous said...

464 pages of lies. every page.

Anonymous said...

can anyone find the "live meeting" internet link on npfmc site?

http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/npfmc/

Anonymous said...

The live meeting link becomes active when the council is in session, i.e. Wednesday.

james said...

"Deckboss is hard-pressed to find much excitement in this meeting"

The excitement will be in the bars.

Anonymous said...

"The excitement will be in the bars." so right on the money, just like in Nome in June. "....in the bars.." is just like 'back door' access these days.