Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Looking at halibut bycatch

A public workshop is planned for April 24-25 in Seattle to review how, and how well, halibut bycatch is estimated in the trawl and longline groundfish harvests off Alaska.

Deckboss imagines many of you would argue the estimates, especially in the Gulf of Alaska, are not nearly good enough.

Anyway, this three-page workshop overview is definitely worth checking out.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Didn't you guys over at pacific fishing have something to say about GOA trawl bycatch?

Anonymous said...

Just a sucking sound.

Anonymous said...

God forbid they have a meeting in Alaska!

Anonymous said...

They did, just a little more bye catch.

http://www.adn.com/2012/01/12/2260922/wildlife-chief-charged-with-hunt.html

Anonymous said...

The balls do not exist to expose the truth of real destruction in the statewide trawl fisheries. Wes, grow a set and lets have a real discussion of how trawl is destroying small boat fishermens' ability to be profitable.

Anonymous said...

What do you expect Wes to do? These comments are no "real discussion" of anything for the most part. Let Tholepin handle the uninformed opinions and mistruths and just stick to the news,Wes. You are doing a great service as it is.

Royal Hispanic said...

There is no denying that the Power of Money in the fishing industry influences fisheries decisions. It always has since no restrictions were intially put in place, before and during the inception of the 1st 200-mile EEZ zone-Magnuson/Stevens act...The industry power houses will corroborate their God-Complex-like authority since they were the self assessed pioneers of the fisheries. Just because you are able to take the resources,(notice I didn't say Harvest)doesn't mean that you should have a superior right to Damage the COMPLETE ECO-SYSTEM for your profits. Marine science biological assessment studies are on the fast track, since computerizing analysis procedures. Just like the Big Canneries are using reverse accounting, to maximize their company profits, marine science institutions are using reverse engineering in the sciences, to get to the fundamental origin of who is wasting and how it is done. I'm sure, the current administration has you pegged and it's just a matter of time until you will be beached. Nothing is for free in life, not even for you draggers. You do humanity a great disservice with your ignorance for greed! Conservation brotha, always. If you can't control what you are taking, instead of dropping the doors on your usual CRAP shoot, then stay the "F K" out of the ocean. I once heard an azzhole refer to Dragging, as SURE-thing, instead of Fishing. There is no place for arrogance in humanity, especially Commercial Fishing.

Anonymous said...

The only evidence of discards besides observed trips are crewmember accounts.

Anonymous said...

It's this precise attitude from the previous poster that warrants further scrutiny from the NOAA-NMFS Top Brass! Employed crewmembers won't talk,(the three monkeys comes to mind) or risk losing their jobs. Everybody Knows!...The Council is bought and paid for by Special Interest!...There needs to be a cleansing of the current council! Maybe a NEW Emphasis and Importance of their Responsibilities and Ethics to the Resources and the General Public. A lack of doing so, should justify Federal criminal penalties. Just like Congress is privy to Ethics Committee Standards for Transparency, so should these Council members! We are looking at Billions of Dollars here folks! So, who's guarding the Hen House Now? Too much good 'ole boy association with active investors! Conflict of interest everywhere you look! Shame! Not enough evidence of discards and by-catch?...Pfft!...Just look at the number and average sizes of the catches over the years!....Where did all those soakers go? Most likely in a home pack case up, in a bait freezer going south. These guys are notorious for shitting where they Eat!

Anonymous said...

I have a peculiar question. Why does the council put the burden on all other fisheries and gear types, besides trawlers, in Alaska? Why do they provide relaxed regulations for them, and new loopholes, when it's obvious who is scarring other species of fish? Just wondering?

Anonymous said...

I think 24/7 Deck Monitors/Cameras should be in place to accompany all VMS Boxes on vessels. Send in footage on a continual basis, dated and signed by a full-time observer, per trip! Can't Buy one? Sorry...Can't go fishing! Camera won't work? Sorry....Can't drop the net! This should be mandatory. We could do it in the name of Deck Safety! Multiple cameras for larger tonnage vessels. This would also eliminate dumping back small fish and not removing that amount from their boat's annual quota! If they are Responsible and Sustainable S tewards of Alaska fisheries, and Certifiable, like they say they are, then they shouldn't have anything to worry about. Just think you can all get jackets with the famous Label!

Anonymous said...

Aw c'mon! Trawl bycatch is just crabfood. The carbon cycle never wastes, it just reorganizes.

Anonymous said...

When all of decboss' posts are read, the fighting amongst the industry says just one thing, too many people trying to earn living on too small of resource. The outcome will be realized soon, time to get out, or put everyone of your competitors out. Or did Bobby T. foresee this already? Hmm..

Anonymous said...

dont know what canada did, but their bycath dropped to nothin'. in this era of imulating all things foriegn,,mite be time to make the shift.

Anonymous said...

I think Canada went to a catch share program some time ago.

Anonymous said...

Was it the IFQs that brought discards down or was it the 100% observer coverage? Who says you cant have one without the other.