The Alaska congressional delegation is asking federal regulators to partially delay the 2013 implementation of the expanded fishery observer program.
The request is entirely predictable and expected.
For many years, large trawlers and other fishing vessels operating off Alaska have carried observers — typically, young biologists — to record what is caught where.
The data they gather is critical for proper management of the fisheries.
Come the new year, the program is expanding. It means hundreds of smaller boats, such as longliners targeting halibut and sablefish, will have to carry an observer on at least some of their fishing trips.
Now that implementation is upon us, we're getting an outcry — and politicians jumping in as they often do when new federal regulations come down.
Organizations such as the Sitka-based Alaska Longline Fishermen's Association have raised a litany of reasons why the expanded observer program will unnecessarily burden the operators of smaller vessels.
A press release on U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski's website lays out some of the gripes.
The bottom line seems to be that some fishermen simply don't want an extra body aboard.
Would you?
It will be interesting to see if the National Marine Fisheries Service gives in to the congressional pressure and delays the program.
Deckboss really doesn't care either way.
But if observers are deployed as scheduled, he'll sure be interested to see an honest accounting of what really comes up on all those hooks.
Once upon a time there was an Observer, on a boat in the North Pacific...
ReplyDeleteOnce upon a time, the National Marine Fisheries Service also needed an observer...
Senator Lisa Murkowski?
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, who's short 1 Observer most of all!
National Public Radio...
“The next time I called, they told me that their supervisors, the people in charge of Juneau Enforcement Office, they said their boss told them that the case was over, they had done a complete and thorough investigation, they could find no wrong doing, and that the case was closed,” Pryse said.
But Pryse – and three other long time crew members say back in 2007 and 2008 authorities never questioned them as part of an investigation.
Whether the feds dug into Pryse’s claims is unknown. APRN has requested records but the recent Acting Director of NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement, Alan Risenhoover, would not be interviewed and said in writing that it “does not comment on whether it is or has been conducting investigations” and that it “takes all complaints seriously and acts on them as needed.”
So Fuglvog stayed at his job at Senator Murkowski’s office. And Dan Pryse grew increasingly upset.
Then in April, 2009, Fuglvog had been so successful in Washington that he was one of two candidates being considered to run the National Marine Fisheries Service. Pryse found out almost by accident.
“One of the phone calls that I made, I was just calling to say hello to one of the crew, and his wife said oh you heard about Arne? I said what. Oh he’s going to be the head of the National Marine Fisheries Service. I said my ass, and they said yeah. And I said I gotta go. I sat right down, and stayed up all night, typing up as much as I could writing a letter trying to expose everything I could,” Pryse said.
Deckboss simply spins out his little bits of information without any skin in the game, oblivious to the realities of being on board. Simplistic, disingenuous, and out of touch with the realities of fishing. Sad case
ReplyDeleteDeckboss somehow thinks that observers will present an honest accounting of what realy comes up on all those hooks. Assumption being that we, as small businessmen with IFQ's and skin in the game, are not honest?
ReplyDeleteWhat honest accounting?
ReplyDelete"...A federal judge has sentenced Maggie Ahmaogak, the former executive director of the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission to 41 months in prison for misapplication of funds and money laundering."
Like a Nantucket Sleigh Ride, there she blows!
And I took an observer out on my 26 ft. bowpicker a couple decades ago, 1 bunk, 0 potty, and quite the tiny cabin.
ReplyDeleteThe extra body was great, and the science proved, the Copper River Gillnet Fleet had nothing whatsoever to do with that Stellar Sea Lion decline.
I always thought George Steller, was an observer sailing with Vitus Bering, like the FBI sailing with Lisa Murkowski?
Evidence, it's hard to get observer coverage, with the blind leading the blind.
Ocean Gold...where observer coverage, on the bowpicker fleet came from?
ReplyDelete30 years later, they still can't figure it out, the Stellar Decline.
http://www.alaskareport.com/alaska10069.htm
I can"t say Im surprised to read about NOAA Law Enforcement trying to sweep the Fuglvog incident under the rug, Hell, even Lisa Murkowski had to throw him to the wolves when the heat got turned up. Gives you that worm fuzzy feeling dosen't it !!!
ReplyDeleteAh yes, those wondrous days of yore, having cute young college girls on my one bunk bowpicker out of Cordova...observe THIS!
ReplyDeleteThat poor little endangered horny toad, he put up a good fight, but eventually the marine mammal harrasser beat him to a pulp, and he lay down spent and withdrawing, looking for a respite, to hopefully come back another day, for another valiant tussle.
there are just way to many un answered questions for the fishermen.
ReplyDeleteits pretty obvious whoever wrote the rules did so without any input from the fishing fleets that will have to take observers.
for the 58 foot fleet, a big problem is the logistics of reporting in at least 72 hours before every trip. and then checking out of every trip. the call center is closed from midnight to 6 am our email is totally unreliable, what are we to do?sometimes we dont even know,due to weather and such when we are going fishing. and they want us to give them 72 hours notice???
the total cost of the program is put on the fishermen, and that doesnt even take into account the fact that you will have to miss fishing days to run back to town to pick an observer up.
again, there are just too many questions with no answers and i think it should be thought out a little more with some input from those affected.
Ahhh, Wesley. You been having coffee with Medred?
ReplyDeleteHow about seeing what "really" comes up in all those trawls? Now we'll likely know less than we do now, and we'll get to pay twice as much for it. But, at least we'll know how many p. cod those guys with little bits of halibut IFQ come up with, and how many starfish they get. Catch a clue, Wesley.
Maybe a Carlson refund check will show up on one of those hooks. Oh wait it slipped off and back into the deep.
ReplyDeleteI still can't figure out why anybody wouldn't want a biology major aboard, to study up on those Laws of Nature, the smaller the boat the better.
ReplyDeleteNow they got those big fat wide body models, and then name em after their,favorite species.
intresting what these puss gutted, pencil necked, limp wristed, bean pushing bureaucrats will do to keep there jobs. expand into every corner of an industry weather it'll work or not. or even be feasible or not. there are very few small boat skippers who would be able to make a 72 hour window keep. what if the weather comes up and you have to call off the trip. its kind of like when you come in over on rockfish and the processor writes you a check for the overage, and then the feds send you a ticket for the same amount later in the year. wouldn't it be easier to just have the processor write the feds a check? oh wait then the feds would have to lay off 50 ticket writers and not be able to spend all of there obamabucks for the year. it makes me sick we are going to have to chip in and pay for this debacle.
ReplyDeletemy advice to other skippers is hire a local kid to be a bunk warmer so you don't have a free bunk one that one of these puss guts will take if its available. because i really doubt they will make us fire a crew member to take some idiot hard leg so they can watch us brush arrow tooth flounder.
All you complaining fisherman; if you bought into rationalization you bought into more regulation, STFU. Ain't gonna stop, ain't gonna go away.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is all the information we provide them does not support their science. So now they need more sciences and information that will not be used. Typical government agencies create more jobs to regulate things they have no idea what's going on.
ReplyDeletei think what the problem is we have become too successful for our own good. we are making too much money and the parasitic beast known as the obama administration has latched on and won't let go until the host is dead.
ReplyDeletebend over everybody here comes the change.
Wesley, you moderate some of these, yet you allow some serious filth. Where the fuck is your ethics?
ReplyDeleteI've had observers on my boat since 1989, ain't sayin' I like it, but one thing to remember to all you newbees to havin' obs. on board is, don't hate the person, hate the laws. If you piss off the obs. they could make your day turn out very bad. Don't cower to them, don't take shit from them, but don't cause no shit for them either. Better watch out, do your drills!!! do your paper work!!! or you will pay for it!!!!! no joke
ReplyDeletei get a kick out of all the posts from people who like to bitch yet never put their real name,chicken shit people!i call them.not only do we need observers on theese crusifying un observed vessels,we also need vms and camersa for all fisherman who fish in federal waters.i get a hair across my butt when one user group is more then happy to push for theese same regs on everyone else,yet when it comes to them they start crying and throwing tantrums like a two year old.when the science comes out on theese high gradeing fools it may be to late!
ReplyDeleteThe "high gradeing fools" have made it "to late" now. Salmon returns crashing all over the state. A comforting fact is that we know all who are involved in the crash. Their names are on paper and they will be part of history. Finks, every one of them.
ReplyDeletePolitical adventurers otherwise known as carpetbaggers, think they have an Ace In The Hole until they are called on the carpet. When the fingers start pointing, somebody will pay off the fall guy. That's how crooked this whole Alaska Fisheries issue is. Corrupt Bastards Club is still going strong. They just had to lay low for awhile.
ReplyDelete