Tuesday, February 26, 2013

We want in

Deckboss reported in December how The Boat Co., a Southeast Alaska sportfishing outfit, had filed suit challenging the federal government's expanded fishery observer program.

The suit argues program regulations don't ensure adequate observer coverage to estimate bycatch of halibut and Chinook salmon in Gulf of Alaska trawl fisheries.

Now a group called the Fixed Gear Alliance is looking to intervene in the case, also to challenge the expanded observer program.

This memorandum in support of the motion to intervene explains the group's many complaints, including "excessive and unnecessary costs" and other burdens associated with the program.

The memo says the Fixed Gear Alliance is "an Alaska nonprofit corporation whose membership represents commercial fishing vessel owners, commercial fishing vessel operators, commercial fishing crewmembers, halibut and sablefish Quota Share holders, and commercial fishing associations who operate, or who have members that operate, fixed longline or pot fishing gear in the Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea, or Aleutian Island management areas."

Juneau attorney Bruce Weyhrauch is representing the Fixed Gear Alliance.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Fixed gear vs. FIXED POLITICS!

Anonymous said...

I wonder if the Boat Company would support observer coverage on the fleet they represent. The sport charter fleet which is catching a large amount of the halibut harvested in southeast now?

Anonymous said...

Most likely not, but they will want access to the data gathered & paid for by the commercial fleet; to use as ammunition against us.
I still dont understand why the charter fleet does not pay any raw fish tax, they just take from the resource and pay nothing to manage it.
What happens if the feds collect more money than they need for the program? New enforcement boats, bloated budget, some dude in DC gets a 300K bathroom?? I would like to know as I am sure you would to

Anonymous said...

At the very least the Charter industry should be paying a tax similar to the IFQ tax. After all they are not small players anymore.