A Southeast Alaska sportfishing outfit called The Boat Co. has filed this lawsuit against the federal government seeking to block the expanded fishery observer program taking effect in the new year.
The suit says the revamped observer program isn't adequate to address "massive" bycatch of halibut and Chinook salmon in the Gulf of Alaska.
The Boat Co. describes itself as a nonprofit "cruise fishing operation" that allows clients to sportfish on skiffs deployed from two tour boats, the 145-foot M/V Liseron and the 157-foot M/V Mist Cove.
The suit argues planned observer coverage levels on commercial fishing vessels aren't adequate to collect quality bycatch data and make sound management decisions to "arrest the recent declines in the highly valuable halibut and Chinook populations."
These declines have affected The Boat Co.'s business, the suit says.
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15 comments:
Wow, someone actually suing to save fish. Perhaps they could sue to have an accurate count on sport caught halibut and Chinook.
When are we going to have observers on the out of control charter fleet
catch n release looking for bigger fish ..yea that works .more outa state fueled regulations just what we need. the charter fleet has one mission .please the client..the olny way to save our halibut fishery now is to shut it down for at least a decade..small fish fished 7 monthes a year getting worse every year..is greed and ignorance that rampant..and yes i am a 33 year commercial fisherman thats done it all with the best..does the public know how long it takes for a 100lb halibut to grow? 50 years plus..1525
yes i mean shutting down both commercial and charter fishing..then olny allowing them to fish a couple monthes a year when and if the stocks rebound....
As a commercial fisher, I think it is a great idea to rein in the out of contol bycatch of Chinnook Salmon by Trawlers. I wonder if this out of contol bycatch by the trawl fleet could have anything to do with huge declines in ifq Halibut in recent years. I agree we need a better count of just how many Chinnooks are being caught by trawlers and how many Halibut
Area 2B had the highest commercial catch on record, area 2c iphc survey improved by 19 percent. Why would we close this area? The fact is this is a gulf problem! There are no trawlers in Canada or Southeast. This is a gulf problem and a trawl by-catch issue!
have you been down the ak pennisula lately? 1000 percent decrease in near water stocks..guess where maturing kings spend there ocean time??
The Boat Company is a lobbying group with deep connections in DC. The were instrumental in shutting down logging in the Tongass. Been operating for some time, 30+ years, in SE. Macintosh is their name, out of Florida.
Still, their arguments are sound.
under reporting of halibut and chinook salmon bycatch has been going on for years on the south ak peninsula.....lack of adequate coverage on smaller vessels, yet their fishing effort in square miles is comparable to the larger trawlers. Everybody needs to be held accountable, large or small. Full time coverage for all participants should be the mandate. It's the same as robbing your terrestrial salmon streams and leaving just enough for future years. Pretty soon here is nothing left to take. Get a clue!
As a Non-Profit, why are they so worried about profit?
Plaintiff The Boat Company is a tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) charitable educationfoundation and Alaska non-profit corporation that was established in 1979 and has operated its vessels in southeast Alaska since 1980...
The Boat Company’s business cannot attract its targeted clientele without adequate opportunities for sportfishing?
They are suing based on the skewed gathering of bycatch data which largely ignores the trawl fleet and puts a microscope on small inoffensive fishing operations. They seem to have the deep pockets to be a formidable opponent in court. I think their legal assault on this corrupt statistical regime is clear sighted and in the public interest.
The "data" collected on trawl bycatch is worse than no data at all. It only gives a false picture that obscures what is really happening.
The new observer program results in less coverage for draggers and does nothing to stop the gaming of the system they now practice. Fake, safe tows are made to get the 30% coverage then business as usual occurs when they are unobserved.
The new and old fleet wide bycatch cap management ends up rewarding the dirtiest fishermen. This has gone on for so many years that those talented trawl skippers that can fish cleanly have left the industry and we are left with those who don't give a shit.
Bycatch management in Canada and the west coast have shown trawling can be done with a small fraction of current bycatch levels.
The NPFMC has better things to do, like enriching themselves through privitization of public resources.
Anonymous at 12/29, 9:12 - you should know that "Non-profit" only signifies a business structure that is not operated for the purpose of distributing profits to shareholders. The organization is still interested in profits, it just seeks to use those profits for its program activities. In other words, the profits get ploughed into salaries and budgets, not investor returns.
Should have watched "Martin the Fed" explain how it was all "good" at the Kodiak meeting in December.....Expanding his "empire" and didn't want to talk about the energy in the "new" program all going to small boat.....As a matter of fact Julie Bonney (AK lobbyist for the Trawlers)was asked to explain everything that the "FED" didn't know some of the "details". (thats right...ask the lobbyist for the biggest problem This prick is the exact example why the average American hates Gov'T.... I will go on record that this "inventor" of the "new" observer" program is retired and laughing on the sidelines in a very short time will be lobbying for someone that is paying his bills. Prime Example of why the average American is SO JADED by the Gopv't.
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