Friday, February 7, 2014

A 'stunning' cut

Coastal Villages Region Fund is most unhappy about the new halibut catch limits. Read about it here.

34 comments:

Anonymous said...

While St. Paul board members drive in Humvees and Ford trucks, residents in other CDQ communities are hurting. It is absurd that people are making upwards of $600,000 on one boat in St. Paul while others are fishing for scraps. Despicable. Way to go Phillip Lestenkoff for your years of service screwing others while you pocketed money.

Anonymous said...

What’s really despicable is the hatred you and the other CVRF shills who comment on this blog have and the way you lie and distort to mislead folks who may not know otherwise. No one on St. Paul makes $600,000 a year fishing halibut. A boat may make that amount, but that is the gross – take off the top all the expenses, including payments to the crew, and there’s maybe $70,000 to $120,000 left for the skipper/owner.

Why not tell the truth?

And Phillip Lestenkof is a pretty good guy. He works hard, he believes in his island, he tells the truth. These are attributes that should be admired. And you just dismiss them in your quest to spread hate.

It’s incredible how ironic it is that Morgen made $900,000 in 2012 and you consistently and conveniently ignore that while knowingly falsely accusing Phillip of making $600,000. And you lie and distort like that over and over again, whenever you get the chance. That is the definition of despicable.

Anonymous said...

If you choose to live In a place with no economy don't be suprised you can't make a living. Don't depend on a resource giveaway that from the beginning was designed to make a few connected people rich.

Anonymous said...

Interesting that you want to tell the truth. There is no deception when it comes to how messed up the current allocations are. You crap and whine about salary but you ignore how much these CDQ groups's partners in Seattle make to run a fleet of boats operating in the Bering Sea. Why don't you ask APICDA how much the top guy at Trident makes and how much Ocean Beauty pays their top guy. There is the real transparency. Morgen's job is most likely harder than those in Seattle because he has a duty to benefit thousands while the guys in Seattle benefit themselves with their own private jets and outrageous salary payments. If and when the ownership is on Alaska's hand, these salary jobs will be in Alaska vs just mostly in Seattle.

Phillip is afraid to let his fellow residents know how much he makes. He isn't the nicest person. He and Heather had a hand with the IPHC (Heather through her marriage to Jim Balsiger). How much Does Philip get paid as a Board member on top of his staff duties? How do they s/elect their board members? how is it fair that Phillip and Jeff Kauffman get to fish all the way through September while others fish for days?

Anonymous said...

Hey, the St. Paul guys built a boat called the St. Paul to fish for halibut that they cannot catch themselves. How ironic. And they say they want to keep things as they are.

Anonymous said...

lol. Priceless. The CDQ welfare queens squawking and squabbling over their free money. Who'd a thunk it?

Anonymous said...

The hubris from the PAID cvrf hacks is amazing. At least a fisherman is being paid for fishing.

Anonymous said...

I like the CBSFA guys. They are pretty self contained. They do have the luxury of a good port and lots of outside shoreside development but I think they are the better managed of the CDQ's and have done the best job(whether intended or not)of fulfilling the ideal of the CDQ program. This from a guy that used to work for APICDA.

In my opinion, the Coastal Village guys are in danger of killing the goose that laid the golden egg with their idiotic, all to apparent, greed.

Anonymous said...

I have a good question... is it LEGAL for CBSFA board/staff members to receive loans from their own non-profit? Isn't it a state and federal law that non-profits can give loans to their own staff/board members? I see loans in CBSFA's annual reports but they are being shady about the amount.

Anonymous said...

How shocking! CVRF is unhappy about something. Is there anything those guys are ever happy about other than Morgan's salary. What a complete joke that they attack Philip L who works his butt off for St. Paul and compare his gross fishing revenue to the $900,000 salary paid to Morgan C. You've already lost the argument if you have to distort the truth that badly to try to make a point.

Anonymous said...

I can't get no

Satisfaction ....

Anonymous said...

I agree with 12:02!! Phillip and his board unlike you cvrf snivellers/idiots have been commercial fishing LONG before you! Those guys have proven fishing capacity in their community, they don't need the F/V-St. Paul to fish their CDQ halibut, as a matter of fact they could use a few more pounds!
You cvrf folks are going to kill the program, everyone in alaska talks and laughs about your greed. Why is it only you fools asking for more trying to kill coastal communities by a selfish allocation grab? Do you really think the program was created for people like you who have never seen a pollock your whole life? Get real man! Your greed WILL kill the program!
I don't know why I even bothered to comment to you shameful greedy people!
Morgan's board is hand picked! You don't like something he will find someone who does! You folks ought to shut up and be happy with what u got or go bum the government for a different pot of money that doesn't kill coastal communities that have REAL fisherman with pre CDQ proven capacity!!!

Anonymous said...

You darn greedy cvrf people are going to be the demise of this wonderful program! Your negative cut throat campaign against individuals from other groups is disgusting. Do you people have any conscience? Any religion? Any REAL fisherman? I think not! For time immemorial the people of the Aleutians and Pribilofs have fished for ground fish and crab for sustenance and commercially since the late 70's early 80's! How dare you try to compare yourselves to these true people of the sea! They do not live 50 miles from the coast like a majority of your members! The Pribilovians live at the Sea's edge in the heart and middle of the resource! They not only deserve what they have, but deserve the unfair amount that was taken from them and given to you back in the Frank Murkowski days! You people are so so so mislead by Morgan, Henry, and others warped sense of reality that allows them to rob you blind and keep on ripping you off! An honorable leader would not rip his own people off like you! Your misinformation spreading on the true amount Mr. Lestenkof makes is so sad! It is printed for all to see in the CBSFA annual report given out prior to honest to god elections, something you wouldn't know anything about since your board is hand picked to keep giving your greedy leader and cronies raises! On another note the folks of St. Paul are professional halibut Fisherman and harvested their CDQ allocation! CBSFA's board of directors were all commercial fisherman before the CDQ program began, because that is what they do to survive! What goes around comes around, karma is karma! Here's to hoping they kick your butts and only your butts out of the program?

Anonymous said...

I recall Bob Alverson mentioning that CDQs were buying up IFQ shares. I didnt think that was realy happening, but i did look at 2013 IFQ quota shares list and I was shocked to see CDQs, and CDQ managers/directors have substantial quota share in other regulatory areas, even in the GOA. CVRF is not one of those companies, but perhaps, they should go to the store and buy up IFQ like the other groups.

Anonymous said...

IFQ quota shares held by CDQs and CDQ staff.
http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/ram/ifq/13ifqunitf.csv

Why does the St Paul guy on the AP have a Wasilla address?
http://www.npfmc.org/ap/

Does this person with a Wasilla address also harvest St Paul 4CDE CDQ Halibut quota?

Anonymous said...

Looks to me like the St. Paul guys have been fishing halibut for a long time, even before CDQs:

http://www.savingseafood.org/management-regulation/the-history-of-the-halibut-fishery-on-st.-paul-island-from-traditional-fishing-to-todays-cdq-3.html

Many were even initially issued IFQs: "Several local halibut fishermen were also initial recipients of halibut IFQ when the program began. Other Saint Paul fishermen have purchased halibut IFQ shares through the years, and harvest this halibut along with the CDQ halibut allocated to the community."

Anonymous said...

Numbers don't lie. People make up the program. The allocations are so out of whack it needs a second look at. People who need the program the most are getting treated as second class citizens.

Nothing holds water to population.

18,000 people who deserve to be treated as equals are not being taken seriously.

Anonymous said...

How is it greed when you are getting a lot less than you deserve? The real warped sense is in thinking that these groups are equals.

Anonymous said...

Well Feds always making sure Alaskans fight amongest themselves!
While they do something to hurt us under the table. We should be working together! We should all be working for our fellow natives, for the future of our children! Stop bickering an work together!!

Anonymous said...

"Can we all get along?"

Anonymous said...

I wish I could have empathy for CVRF, but the optics are way out of whack. When Norman Crow is shamelessly taking such a huge salary & bonus, and his lieutenants like Trevor McCabe are also "bellied up to the bar," with such a dubious background, it's difficult to generate much sympathy for the fact that they are disenfranchised.

At the same time, Robin Samuelson has taken a modest 100K salary, a 20K bonus (by & large), and has perpetuated the growth of his organization in lock-step to CVRF. I struggle with the disparity in compensation between the two leaders and am left to praise the leadership of Robin and ponder the leadership of Morgan.

Anonymous said...

CBSFA is a model of the system, no greed no plunder just a well oiled machine working like its supposed to under the system it's no wonder it ticks off those who haven't worked as hard. There is something looming on the horizon that all groups need to be aware of however, ecosystem collapse. Decades of destructive bottom trawling has been taking a toll on all marine life in the region and it is glaringly obvious and many know it. Over the years funding for research has come from the folks tied to fisheries, sorry but you cant have research and industry in the same bed it really is biased. There is something called ecosystem based management where all players are involved, but unfortunately not at the current table. We all know that deep water trawling can be banned and enforcement certainly is feasible, whoever said it isn't is an industry shill, trawling can be regulated and does not have to be eliminated, imagine that! Fishing is sustainable, but not here, not now, only after the petty bickering is done and the blinders are removed but too much money is at stake, billions, and everyone wants a slice of it, the fight continues. Collapse is imminent.

Anonymous said...

Bottom line-If nothing is done to reduce halibut bycatch in trawl and P- cod longline fisheries in the Bering Sea Halibut fishing will soon be History!

Ron Haugan said...

Until you Alaskans learn to control your wastage in your drag fleet and your auto line cod boats the quota will keep going down.put in an observer program also.

Anonymous said...

Wow, 10:07, "How is it greed when you are getting a lot less than you deserve?" DESERVE?

What do you deserve?

More incredible f'ing hubris from the paid CVRF hacks.

But please, tell me what you deserve.

I'll tell you what I deserve -- I deserve $800,000/year like your boss.

Gimme that -- and then I'll think about what you deserve?

Anonymous said...

Ron Haugan: There is 100% observer coverage in the Bering sea.
Our quotas are going up, not down. Cod biomass is strong, so is the Pollock, and the halibut stocks are on the rise in the Bering sea. Trust me, I'm out here, been fishing the Bering for a long time. Try to know what you're talking about, before expressing an opinion.

Anonymous said...

Lots of Halibut in the Bering Sea? Not on the IPHC Survey. Maybe your thinking of the Halibut in your trawl?

Anonymous said...

Interesting that robin doesn't disclose his fishing earnings because he makes it a point to deliver to a competitor. He also put 60 million in the stock market to sit his behind on. Ooooooh.... Not much development because Bristol bay isn't doing anything with their CDQ and yet Rubin Samuelson gets paid to collect money. As for St. Paul Phillip is a model for greed and he uses power to influence the iphc.

Anonymous said...

@February 15, 2014 at 3:50 AM:

You are right on about many things you say. I agree that CBSFA is by far the model of what CDQ's were intended to be about. They really take care of their elders, are very involved with early education, and participate in the actual harvest of their halibut CDQ more than any other group. They don't have a CEO and don't squeal when their quota is cut because they realize it is for the health of their future - how charming! They have term limits for board members which, in my opinion, having worked for a CDQ that didn't, can only be positive.

Anonymous said...

CVRF, you guys are beating this dead horse like it's a zombie apocalypse. You're claims of others making out like bandits will hold no water as long as Crow is making $800k/year. Nobody else in the program makes that. Fishing revenue is not the same as regular salary income, you are making the fallacy of equivocation. I'm guessing your management aren't real commercial fishermen if you don't get this. But surely someone among you has at least some business sense to understand that Revenue - Expenses = Profit.

The CVRF agenda is pure and simple rent-seeking. Google it, nobody wins! In reading the SavingSeafood article, the St. Paul fishery is something that has been developed from the ground up and seems to be a successful part of the overall CDQ program. Why would you want to take that away from them and kill their community? Who's next, the NSEDC king crab fishery? Sheesh.

Ron haugan said...

Reply to 1:10 pm pretty hard to trust someone who does not have the balls to use his real name.

Anonymous said...

Go Coastal! You rock! At least you aren't hiding anything!

Anonymous said...

Larry Cotter reeks of greed. The whole industry knows this.

Anonymous said...

Each May, CBSFA at St. Paul Island organizes the Annual Fishermen’s Meeting, at which the local fishermen themselves agree on a fishery management plan for the upcoming season. This annual fishery management plan sets a vessel limit which results in no individual fisherman, including CBSFA Board members, being permitted to harvest more than a certain percentage of the CDQ halibut allocation. Every local fisherman is given equal opportunity to fish for CDQ halibut.
CBSFA in 2003 established the CBSFA Halibut Cooperative to work towards gaining the highest possible ex-vessel prices paid to the fishermen. The local fleet delivers all of their CDQ halibut and most of their IFQ halibut to the Coop. Each fisherman is given an up-front price for fish, plus a share of the profit after the fish are sold. The Coop halibut is custom processed on the island, some of it made into vacuum-sealed portions of fresh fish, and marketed under a Saint Paul brand as a premium value-added product. This vertical integration of the Saint Paul halibut fishery is the culmination of almost two decades of development of this local fishery – the economic driver and the pride of the island.