The International Pacific Halibut Commission has posted proposals for this year's catch limits.
Of particular note is a proposal from a group of fishing associations and processors who say, in part: "Reductions in Area 2C catch limits are not justified by current data or trends."
Area 2C encompasses Southeast Alaska.
Read the full proposal here.
The commission will consider the proposals and set the year's catch limits at its annual meeting Jan. 23-27 in Victoria, British Columbia.
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7 comments:
Headline should not be "spare 2C". It should be "dump the blue line model"! 2C has been the model recovery area for AK halibut. It took the biggest quota cuts and now has the best recovery. Just ask any 2C halibut fisherman how easy it has been to catch their quota in the last few years. Nice fish too! IPHC needs to quit looking at the computer screen and start using fishermen's logbooks and landing reports. Get away from the cushy office desk and start hitting the fishing grounds and docks. Set the politics aside. 2C can not be denied a 2017 quota increase! For the record, I have been a 2C longliner for 37 years!
Ha! That's the problem. They did hit the fishing grounds. The IPHC survey was below the previous year. They Actually need to use the logbooks and quit their silly survey.
It's nice to see the major 2c groups come together before the meeting
Previous commenter is incorrect. In the latest RARA, the 2016 survey in 2C is 255 lbs/skate (up 11% from 2015). The survey WPUE in 2C has been increasing (+88%) since 2009. The 2016 survey WPUE in 2C is the highest of all areas (the next highest is 3A at 160 lbs/skate). 2C has had the highest survey WPUE for all areas for the last six years. The 2016 fishery WPUE in 2C is also up +7% from 2015. And the blueline calls for a -12% cut in 2C. Go figure.
Here are a few more Facts to consider when analyzing the 2017 IPHC quota recommendations.
All quotes from IPHC Technical Report # 59 (2014)
(Page 7) "Research shows that halibut form a single genetic stock across their entire range..."
(Page 8) "Its historical archive of research data and commercial fisheries logbooks and catches is one of the most extensive in the world."
(Page 42) "The annual stock assessment integrates observed data from the commercial fishery and the set line survey, along with the current understanding of the biological process..."
(Page 43) "The halibut stock assessment has the important benefits of an extensive historical record of removals...and a rigorous port-sampling program enhanced by a high level of cooperation by fishers in filling out and reporting of fishery logbooks."
Page 44) " Despite this history, Pacific Halibut population dynamics are complex..."
Dammit, not again!
They also probably need to learn how to catch fish. They used to be fishermen.
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