Showing posts with label charter boat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label charter boat. Show all posts
Monday, May 29, 2023
Bad situation at Sitka
One person has been recovered dead and four others are missing from an overdue charter vessel found partially submerged, the U.S. Coast Guard reports.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Spanish mackerel tonight for dinner!
Took a half-day charter this morning along the pristine Ocracoke Island coast aboard this 25-footer, the Hook Up.The captain, Rudy Gray, has put in many a year commercial fishing along the Outer Banks in addition to showing tourists like me and my family a good time during summer.
We landed close to a dozen small Spanish mackerel amid warm, calm seas full of frolicking porpoises.
Thanks for a fine morning and some good fishing, Capt. Rudy!
Spanish mackerel in the box. Wesley Loy photoSunday, June 28, 2009
On Atlantic time
The Deckboss found at least one commercial boat amid the charter yachts in Hatteras Harbor Marina. Annette Loy photoThought I'd let you know I'm spending this week on the opposite coast, specifically the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
Cape Hatteras long has been a summer vacation spot for my family. Sportfishing on charter boats is a big industry here, while commercial fishing seems to carry on largely out of sight of us tourists.
Anyway, I'm aiming to continue updating the blog with news and notes from Alaska's commercial fishing industry. I'll just be doing it from a continent away.
Cape Hatteras long has been a summer vacation spot for my family. Sportfishing on charter boats is a big industry here, while commercial fishing seems to carry on largely out of sight of us tourists.
Anyway, I'm aiming to continue updating the blog with news and notes from Alaska's commercial fishing industry. I'll just be doing it from a continent away.
A deckhand on the Hatteras charter boat Good Times unloads amberjack, blackfin tuna, mahi-mahi and skipjack. Wesley Loy photoThursday, June 25, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Halibut war helps lawyers
Conflict over the federal government's plan to impose a one-fish daily bag limit on charter boat anglers in Southeast Alaska (Area 2C) is sparking an expensive legal battle.
Both sides, the commercial fleet and the charter fleet, have put out open calls for cash to finance their legal efforts.
Charter boat operators on Friday went to federal court for the second year in a row in an attempt to block the one-fish rule. Last year they successfully persuaded a judge to block the rule based on procedural issues.
The government has refined its rule and is trying again to impose it this summer, saying the reduced bag limit is necessary to curtail the growing charter catch in a region where halibut abundance is declining.
Normally, the bag limit is two fish per day, not one. Charter boat operators say denying their clients a second fish could wreck their businesses.
The one-fish rule takes effect beginning June 5, assuming the charter boat plaintiffs fail to block it again.
In a May 9 fundraising appeal on the Charter Halibut Task Force Web site, Earl Comstock, an attorney for the charter boat operators, said pressing the lawsuit would cost $60,000.
Comstock said success this time is far from guaranteed.
"There is no sure thing in litigation, and everyone needs to understand that the courts give great deference to the government in any court challenge," he wrote.
The lawsuit pits a handful of charter operators against federal regulators trying to impose the one-fish rule. It technically doesn't involve the commercial longliners who favor the rule, viewing the charter fleet as a growing competitor for the limited supply of halibut in Southeast.
Today, however, commercial fishermen, processors and others united as the Halibut Coalition filed as an intervener in the case.
One commercial fishing group, the Petersburg Vessel Owners Association (PVOA), sent out its own fundraising plea on Friday, the day the charter operators filed suit against the National Marine Fisheries Service in federal court in Washington, D.C.
"Every dollar counts, and even though times are tight right now we need your support to protect your livelihood!" the PVOA wrote, directing contributions to the Halibut Coalition. "Ask your crewmembers for a donation, talk to your neighbors at the dock and tell them to send in their support."
Here's the Halibut Coalition's press release on its effort to gain intervener status.
All in all, this thing seems to be shaping up as a bruising fight for all concerned. Except perhaps the lawyers.
Both sides, the commercial fleet and the charter fleet, have put out open calls for cash to finance their legal efforts.
Charter boat operators on Friday went to federal court for the second year in a row in an attempt to block the one-fish rule. Last year they successfully persuaded a judge to block the rule based on procedural issues.
The government has refined its rule and is trying again to impose it this summer, saying the reduced bag limit is necessary to curtail the growing charter catch in a region where halibut abundance is declining.
Normally, the bag limit is two fish per day, not one. Charter boat operators say denying their clients a second fish could wreck their businesses.
The one-fish rule takes effect beginning June 5, assuming the charter boat plaintiffs fail to block it again.
In a May 9 fundraising appeal on the Charter Halibut Task Force Web site, Earl Comstock, an attorney for the charter boat operators, said pressing the lawsuit would cost $60,000.
Comstock said success this time is far from guaranteed.
"There is no sure thing in litigation, and everyone needs to understand that the courts give great deference to the government in any court challenge," he wrote.
The lawsuit pits a handful of charter operators against federal regulators trying to impose the one-fish rule. It technically doesn't involve the commercial longliners who favor the rule, viewing the charter fleet as a growing competitor for the limited supply of halibut in Southeast.
Today, however, commercial fishermen, processors and others united as the Halibut Coalition filed as an intervener in the case.
One commercial fishing group, the Petersburg Vessel Owners Association (PVOA), sent out its own fundraising plea on Friday, the day the charter operators filed suit against the National Marine Fisheries Service in federal court in Washington, D.C.
"Every dollar counts, and even though times are tight right now we need your support to protect your livelihood!" the PVOA wrote, directing contributions to the Halibut Coalition. "Ask your crewmembers for a donation, talk to your neighbors at the dock and tell them to send in their support."
Here's the Halibut Coalition's press release on its effort to gain intervener status.
All in all, this thing seems to be shaping up as a bruising fight for all concerned. Except perhaps the lawyers.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Halibut charter operators sue again
Halibut charter boat operators sued the federal government today in an attempt to block a new rule limiting charter anglers to only one keeper per day instead of two in Southeast Alaska (Area 2C).
It's the second year in a row that the charter operators have filed suit. Last year, they succeeded in forcing the government to back off its one-fish rule.
The government has refined the rule and is trying again to impose it this summer. The charter lawsuit was expected.
Government regulators, as well as many commercial fishermen, favor the one-fish rule as a way to curb the growing charter catch in Southeast, where halibut abundance is declining.
Charter operators, however, say such a rule could drive away their clients and ruin the charter business. They note that the commercial fleet catches most of the fish.
Here's the 17-page lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.
It's the second year in a row that the charter operators have filed suit. Last year, they succeeded in forcing the government to back off its one-fish rule.
The government has refined the rule and is trying again to impose it this summer. The charter lawsuit was expected.
Government regulators, as well as many commercial fishermen, favor the one-fish rule as a way to curb the growing charter catch in Southeast, where halibut abundance is declining.
Charter operators, however, say such a rule could drive away their clients and ruin the charter business. They note that the commercial fleet catches most of the fish.
Here's the 17-page lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.
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