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Alaska commercial fishing news and notes
About me
- Deckboss
- I'm a journalist covering Alaska's commercial fishing industry. My real name is Wesley Loy. Reach me at wloy61@gmail.com.
Blog archive
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2013
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March
(32)
- Halfway there in Sitka herring fishery
- Processor refloated
- And they're off!
- Kluberton, Webster to continue on Fish Board
- Dipnet supremacy?
- Legislature passes anti-GE salmon resolution
- 'Large bodies of herring' seen
- Attention salmon trollers
- Here we go again
- Long endorsement
- Let go of that octopus!
- Sitka herring quota edges up
- Is Congressman Young in trouble?
- Commerce Department will need new leader
- Hard aground
- The battle for scallops in Juneau
- Crewman needs medevac after fall overboard
- Governor likes Fields, Long for fish council
- Sitka herring update No. 1
- You're in
- So far, a savvy deal for salmon seiners
- Stedman explains need for sea otter bounty
- Hearing to focus on Magnuson-Stevens Act
- Hearing set on 'dude fishing' license bill
- Boston is the place to be
- Bill would double fee for seven-day crew license
- Crewman with hand injury needs medevac
- Will this help Cook Inlet setnetters?
- Your cost of doing business, rising again
- Maybe we should stop calling them dogs
- Ocean Beauty to be ready at Petersburg
- Will Icicle keep its seat?
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March
(32)
12 comments:
Nay!
There he goes again! Rep Paul "all hat no fish" Seaton dedicating his energy to a minor side issue (he messed around with geoduck legislation and promoting Vitamin D for years) while continuing to avoid the plight of thousands of commercial fishermen in his district who are chronically abused by the BOF.
The data show a large number of these multiple 7-day licenses purchased by Out of state fishermen in Bristol Bay. Carl Moses thought this class of license would foster a 'Dude' Fishery and bolster tourism. He was wrong and this only serves as a loophole to be abused. It is not fair to Alaskan and Outside fishermen who play by the rules.
Now an out of state person can buy multiple 7 day licenses for 3
$30 each instead of one year long license for $200. In state deckhands pay $60 for a year long license.
Further it denies revenue to the Fishermen's Fund as well as revenue to state coffers. It is a good bill. I urge you to get behind it.
I oppose this bill and will call my legislators to voice my thoughts if necessary.
It might solve one problem (abuse by Bristol Bay nonresidents), but it creates others.
Believe it or not, there are legitimate fishing operations that use this option (including mine). I frequently take out family members, friends or others for a short trip, that I would not be able to otherwise. I have taken fisheries economists, teachers and others who would not otherwise be able to experience the fishery on short trips.
As for the 'dude fishing', there actually are people doing commercial fishing tours in SE Alaska, and this would prevent those businesses from ever getting off the ground.
If eliminating 'cheaters' who are cutting their licensing expenses by a hundred bucks is the concern, aren't there easier ways to do this?
I would think that limiting the 7 day licenses to one per year would be the natural solution.
So now your a cheater, if you purchased 7 day license for $4.28 cents a day, against the guy who pays .55 cents a day?
How much does it cost to read in Homer?
The problem with both the existing rule and the proposed legislation is the non-resident fee for a 7 day crewmember license. You could buy 6 (30) for less than a non-resident annual crew member license.
My feeling is that the fee should remain the same for residents and should be $100 for a seven day non resident crewmember license.
EWJ
I was kind of surprised to see this sponsored Jonathon Kreiss-Tompkins out of Sitka.
If anybody in the legislature has a district that could use the 7 day license for legitimate short-term fishing deck hands, I would think it would be the Sitka troll fleet, particularly in the winter.
Don't you guys over there take a non-fishing buddy every now and then?
$60 bucks is a lot to take somebody winter trolling for a day or two in the middle of winter.
What about fishing families that take their kids, is it really fair to charge the kids the full price?
I say stick with $30.
Kreiss-Tompkins still lives with his parents, is it really fair to elect the kids to the legislature?
5 AAC 39.110. Crew member fishing license requirements
(b) Not more than one crew member fishing license may be obtained by a person during any one calendar year.
You could leave the fee alone and make it a one time 7 day license. If you need more than 7 days then you have to pay for the yearly cost. This would prevent abuse of people buying multiple licenses. I think some states do that for sport fishing/hunting licenses. Its a box you check before you sign that you had not purchased another 7 day license during that year.
$100 for a 7 day license?
What a typical, short-sighted, bellowing-residential ass.
How much fish tax revenue does that "cheating" Bristol Bay deckhand create for your lazy handout begging residents?
I'm so sick of the "new" alaskan attitude!!! It's emabarrassing to call myself an Alaskan nowadays.
Gotta get my hand in somebodies pocket fast.
$100 for a seven day non-resident license would save that non-resident crew member #100 if he had to pay for a full year.
Thanks for the clarification on the section (b).
So, I remain supportive of the status quo for residents, and upping the fee for non-residents to $100.
In part because we have a large hand troll/sport charter fleet in SE. At present the non-resident sport fish fee is $55.00 for 7 days and the King Salmon Stamp is $30.
A $15.00 premium for going "hand trolling" as a crew-member with rods with no limits seems like a bargain to me.
EWJ
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