New Charter Boat Limitation Law for 2011

[Fear Knot]

I was wondering how many charter captains/business owners this new law will affect? If you wat to email me privately that's fine. [email protected]

Thanks
Bob

 

[Vince]

is there some thing to link to this?

 

[ret25yo]

****new law ****

 

[Fear Knot]

http://www.seafa.org/?p=540

http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/frules/75fr554.pdf

The first is a summarry and the second is the big verbage. There was also write ups in the News Miner and The Anchorage Daily News.

 

[Vince]

well i only have to read about the first three sentences to see that charter operators need to team up with Big game guides regarding concessions on both fronts..

sure appears to be nearly the same type of program

 

[Brian M]

Vince - There is a thread on this in the Fisheries Management forum.

 

[Fear Knot]

Vince

Folks definately need to come together charters and private anglers alike. It will limit access to a resource due to the people it will eliminate from the business.

 

[AKCAPT]

I was wondering how many charter captains/business owners this new law will affect? If you wat to email me privately that's fine. [email protected]

Thanks
Bob

This was from the PWS charter organization, just passing it on:

That is a total of 527 of 854 (61.8%) charter businesses will receive an LEP to fish Area 2C or 3A. The businesses that did not qualify did not meet both the activity thresholds during 2004-2005 and the 2008 threshold recency provisions.

 

[kgpcr]

Will the Commercial guys get cut as well? Not trying to stir the pot just wondering.

 

[Fear Knot]

No. They will still get their 85% of the total catch. Over the years they have reduced the total pounds being able to be taken by the commercial fleet but when you put out sets miles long it doesn't take much to reduce populations and then there are the draggers. Here is a video on a dragger boat it AK. Sickening!!!!!

http://tholepin.blogspot.com/2009/10/filthy-video-of-halibut-waste.html

But they say it's the charters fault?????? Charter captains use 6 hooks. Math doesn't add up to me. They should police their own!

 

[kgpcr]

Fear that is a disgrace to say the least. That 6 hook thing has me confused as well. Then pile this on and it really does not make sense. So how many halibut will the one per person limit on charters save? i would really like to hear that number.

 

[Fear Knot]

kgpcr, On most charter boats they only have 6 people on board, which in turn is the 6 hooks at a given time being used example. Long Liners use hundreds of hooks per set. Just making a comparison.
I fish in Valdez (3A) so the one halibut limit hasn't hit there yet. I would like to know how many it would save also. I'm not very educated on the 2C issues, just what I hear. I do know that I don't like the rule and definately not going back to 04/05. Maybe not let any new ones in for a while and the guys that are in are in then when one drops out retires ect then allow someone to take there place but to take something from someone completely isn't right. Just my 2 cents.

 

[kgpcr]

Fear
I got the 6 hook thing i just dont understand how many fish they saved by going to a one fish limit. Look at the bycatch alone and you can see where the fish are going and being wasted at that. How many are wasted with out being reported? Now add the long liners and you really have a dent. At least nothign is wasted by the long liners.

 

[Fear Knot]

You are right long liners don't waste much because they take everything. Just from my experience all halibut that are released are alive and not mortally injured or they don't get released and the charters I know practice the same way. I guess there could be an argument with rock fish bycatch. We can only catch 2 non-pelagics, but we do move when we catch them. I saw a Nat Geo show on long lining in AK and the yellow eye bycatch was astonishing, definately more than a whole fleet of charters. I guess the one a day would save fish, but as to how many I have no idea, I know eliminating dragging would save more.

 

[Halibutgrove]

MWR

MWR

FYI, for those that don't qualify you maybe able to contract with military mwr facilities. There's a little foot noot in the plan that says MWR services are exempt from the LEP but still count against the GHL. As the demand and cost increases I can see MWR services growing.

Also correct me if I'm wrong but aren't the qualifing years stated as 2004 OR 2005 not both 2004 and 2005?

 

[Fear Knot]

Halibutgrove,
You are correct it is 2004 or 2005 and logs for 2008. I'm going to look into the MWR clause.

 

[capt.k]

For those who qualify the application process will start Feb. 4 and run for 60 days, closing April 5. If you don't have your stuff in by then you will be out! Check AKF&G site or NMFS. they will be posting it there and they think they might send the paperwork out to business that do qualify. Those who don't look to a CQE if your community qualifies. max of 6 anglers per permit, but they can be stacked meaning if you fished 18 people on your boat one of the qualifying years and don't work in S.E. you will get 3 permits for your one boat and will have a cap of 18 limits of halibut on your boat.
I reread the rule quite a few times before I got it.

 

[Grampyfishes]

Folks definately need to come together charters and private anglers alike. It will limit access to a resource due to the people it will eliminate from the business.

The regulation has been on the table for years. The process implementing it was open for public input and due process. Your concern was heard and addressed in the new regulations.

The new rules do not limit access to any sportfishermen any more than it did when there were fewer charters. And while it might competitively advantage initial charter permit recipients over those who will have to buy permits, it does not prevent any person from entering the charter industry or becoming an operator of a charter vessel. The objective was to establish a finite number of charter vessels....

"Comment 6

...the limited access system established by this rule does not limit individual anglers from opportunities to access the halibut resource. This rule limits the number of charter vessels in the guided sport fishery for halibut in only two of the 10 IPHC regulatory areas. The Analysis prepared for this action (see ADDRESSES) estimates that charter vessel capacity will be sufficient to meet the demand for the number of anglers who took guided charter vessel trips in 2008 in Areas 2C and 3A (see also response to Comments 21 and 43). Although charter vessels provide an important means of access to the halibut resource, they are not the only way that the public can access the resource. The commercial fishery provides access to halibut to those who prefer to purchase it in grocery stores or restaurants. The subsistence fishery provides access to the halibut resource by those who qualify to conduct subsistence halibut fishing. Non-guided recreational fishing also is a source of public access to the halibut resource. This rule does not constrain or limit any of these other means of public access to the halibut resource."

This rule will not unreasonably restrict guided angler access to the halibut resource. NMFS estimates that 502 charter halibut permits will be issued to charter businesses operating in Area 2C, of which 347 (or 69.1 percent) will be transferable, and 418 charter halibut permits will be issued to charter
businesses operating in Area 3A, of which 319 (or 76.3 percent) will be transferable. In Area 2C, the estimated total (for transferable and nontransferable permits combined) angler endorsements on all charter halibut permits is 3,028 of which 2,152 will be associated with transferable permits. In Area 3A, the estimated total angler endorsement on all charter halibut permits is 3,577 of which 2,834 will be associated with transferable permits.

These figures indicate that the charter halibut industry will be able to meet recent charter vessel angler demand levels with the number of permits expected to be issued under this rule. Hence, no restriction in guided angler access to the halibut resource is expected under this rule."


"Fair and equitable distribution of access privileges:

Although this rule does not prevent most persons from entering the charter halibut fishery, those persons that receive an initial allocation of charter halibut permits will have a competitive advantage over those that will have to pay for transfer of these permits. The rationale for making a distinction between these two groups is to end the opportunities for unlimited growth in charter vessel operations that may fish for halibut by establishing a finite number of charter vessels authorized for guided sport halibut fishing based on the historical and present participation criteria outlined above. This action is intended to support the Council’s approved policy of allocating the halibut resource among all fishing sectors and providing continued participation by those operations most dependent on the halibut resource."

 

[Grampyfishes]

Will the Commercial guys get cut as well? Not trying to stir the pot just wondering.

You are trying to stir the pot. You've already been shown in other threads where the commercial fishery has been slashed 66% in the last 5 years, as they have watched their allocations shift to a charter industry that has grossly exceeded their harvest levels every year (206% of GHL last year alone).

 

[270ti]

Now Grampy...

Now Grampy...

You are trying to stir the pot. You've already been shown in other threads where the commercial fishery has been slashed 66% in the last 5 years, as they have watched their allocations shift to a charter industry that has grossly exceeded their harvest levels every year (206% of GHL last year alone).

Don't use emotional numbers like 206%.. How many #'s over the GHL did 2c go? 700-800k lbs, compared to a 42 million pound commercial harvest in AK? When the charter fleet doesn't have much of a GHL to begin with, you can expect those kind of overages. I really hope that nobody was surprised by it.

So yeah, 2c charters still have enough business to go over the GHL by 800ish thousand pounds. Glad things are still looking up for them.