Tuesday, November 27, 2012

State predicts down year for Bristol Bay sockeye

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is forecasting a 2013 sockeye salmon catch of 16.6 million fish.

That would be well below this year's so-so catch of 20.6 million.

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, that's great! The big biologist in the sky beamed down a prediction. Probably the same guy that predicted big things for the ESSN fishers last summer. Same guy that is now setting new escapement goals for so many rivers in BB. makes you feel all warm and comfortable brimming with confidence, doesn't it? The Dept. has about the same chance of making an accurate pre-season prediction as Iran's Ahmadinejad has of getting invited into the Simon Wiesenthal museum of tolerance and sensitivity.

Anonymous said...

Ummmm that is the dumbest analogy i think i have ever heard, sorry.

Anonymous said...

I'm glad that I did'nt build a
$600,000 boat.

Anonymous said...

A low forcast with a good run is the best possible scenario, as the price will be good.
If it was a huge forcast the processors would plan to stel them for less than 70 cents. with a small run we can concentrate on handling every fish with care and getting big money for them like they do on the Copper River

Anonymous said...

To the last guy: Nope that sounds all well and good in theory but nobody will be putting more money into the operation (like raw) so its us same fools trying to improve quality. The processors will come out and tell us it will be a low price because there won't be enough fish to cover costs and their costs are fixed with less fish for profit.... Yay for us. No matter what the run they will find a way to screw us in the end.

Anonymous said...

Hello CFEC optimum number study? 800 - 1200 permits, ????

Anonymous said...

The future in Bristol Bay looks bright, smaller run= bigger price, boats will be allowed to 36'= better quality, 1 owner will hold 2 permits fishes 4 shackles, canneries will run out of excuses to lower prices paid to fishermen, excellent oppurtunity to invest in Bristol Bay salmon fishery now!

Anonymous said...

Just how do you know that the boats will be longer and one owner will be able to fish two permits? Aren't those issues before the BOF next week in BB? I am assuming that you are making a hopeful prediction and that you do not have inside information.

Anonymous said...

If they build bigger BB boats they will just pack more fish. If you want quality you can do it with the current boats.

Yeas quality means a sacrifice in volume but bigger boats don't change that. It's a BS argument.

Anonymous said...

What do you mean "if they build bigger boats". They've been buikding bigger for decades now. Put a Rawson next to a 16' wide metal monster, length is not the only size limiter. It's time to lift the length limit and allow for efficient 3:1 length to width hull ratios. Old corruptions die hard. Cannery regulation influence must end now.

Anonymous said...

quality from bristol bay haahah good joke man!

Anonymous said...

YOU try stopping half a million fish on a tide, it can get out of control really fast. Terminal, rivermouth fisheries on the big river class don't help quality.

Anonymous said...

newer vessels that float fish will receive in excess of .25/lb. to do this requires engineering and a larger platform of 36 to up to 40 achieve that. this is a game changer

Anonymous said...

So where the money going to come from to build new boats
The new ones in the fishery now are barely making it, not to mention what happens to current boats in the fishery that become worthless. I can't wait to see a 40 footer on Johnson hill line I will take great joy in corking one and ramming the shit out of them they won't be able to keep up.

Anonymous said...

To the post at 7:10PM: You do not help the image of Bristol Bay and are part of the problem with your moronic comments. There are numerous existing 32-40 foot boats around the NW that could adapt to the fishery if need be, and why are you worried about where the money is coming from? Also, not everyone has to fish the line to catch fish. Some of us can do it without acting like a clown.

Anonymous said...

7:10 sounds like an everett guy....most of them are the clowns

Anonymous said...

No not from Everett I'm a resident of ak and have fished a long time and own boats in many different fisheries just think the idea of larger boats is bad it will make the boats currently in fishery worth a lot less permit prices are falling
And won't get any better for a while with the predictions
And changes in escapement personally I would love to have a nice big 40 footer and deliver an even better product
That the canneries won't pay a fair price for!

Anonymous said...

Please stop yapping. First you want to "ram the shit" out of a 40 footer, then you would love to fish one. YOU are the problem in The Bay.

Longer boats will provide the opportunity for better quality handling practices. The shorter boats were instituted by the early packers to keep the "independent" guys down. Repeal this corruption driven law!

ADFG has a primary directive to optimize the value of the fishery. It's time to act.

Anonymous said...

Adf&g has nothing to so with it. The BOF decides whether to lift the ban on longer boats. And Jensen will miss the meeting and Webster can't vote on the issue. What are your chances?

Anonymous said...

ADFG has nothing to do with it? Really? That must be why they're all present at the meetings giving reports and recomendations.

The BOF operates under directives from ADFG mangement principles, don't you know that Robin?

Anonymous said...

Perfect, lets worry about the value of the boat, but never the fish?

Can we discuss the value of my timing light and dwell meter, for my 64 Chevy, in the bottom of a toolbox, pretty much worthless like a 32 foot limit from 1954.

Biologists run todays fishery, the limit was for the days the Fed;s ran it on a calander for escapement purposes.

16 million, about a million short of the 100 year average catch.

Don't tell anyone that fact, the blind having been leading the blind in this fishery since 1959.

Anonymous said...

"...the blind having been leading the blind.." all over the state.

It's the entrenched State System. Smoochers with seniority moving into jobs they are not qualified for. No wonder the system is crashing. Think little, little is done. If little is not enough, throw in some BS because Agency Men have authority!

Anonymous said...

Board of Fish has authority to lift the 32' limit (but will not). ADF&G has nothing to do with it, as the above poster correctly stated.

Anonymous said...

Oh? ADFG has nothing to do with quality and value? Then I guess the 2013 herring season opens on January 1st.