In a typical "fox guarding the henhouse" scenario, the commercially-dominated North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) has voted to rewrite the rules for guided anglers in southeast Alaska, which could portend doom for the region's thriving charter industry.
Under action taken by the NPFMC at their October meeting, both Alaskan resident and non-resident guided anglers will be limited to one halibut per day. The new proposal would allow a guided angler to catch a second fish by leasing that right from a commercial fisherman. The proposal would allow non-guided anglers in the same area the traditional limit of two halibut.
Looking at it from a big-picture perspective, this system validates commercial ownership of the public's fish. What's more, if successful, the council could attempt to follow this up with similar action in southcentral Alaska, where for now the limit for all anglers remains at two halibut per day.
This decision sets dangerous precedent in two areas:
- Separating recreational anglers into two categories.
- Establishes an "entitlement" to commercial fishermen as owners of the resource.
All recreational anglers should be treated equally. Whether on a charter or a private boat, residents and non-residents have both purchased a fishing license and deserve equal treatment and two halibut per day.
The halibut resource belongs to the people and should be managed with the people as the priority. Alaska's resident recreational anglers live and work here and deserve this. Non-residents dream of coming to Alaska for an opportunity to fish. The state spends millions of dollars promoting tourism. Now the message is, when you get here and choose to go on a charter you are only half as important as the people who own their own boat. The message is if you come here and can't afford to own your own boat or are unable to operate a rental boat, you don't deserve as many fish. The message is commercial fishermen are more important than the average American.
Consider this scenario: A resident from the interior of Alaska goes to Juneau to see his State Representative. As it is rare he makes it near the ocean he decides to fish for halibut. He doesn't know anyone with a boat and needs special help due to a physical disability. He hires a charter to take him out. After catching his first fish he is notified by the captain that to take his second he must pay (likely around $100) to lease it from a commercial fishermen. Meanwhile fishing right next to them is a private boat owned by a non-resident who visits for the whole summer. That non-resident flies all his family, friends and business associates up to partake in the fishery. They are all allowed to keep two halibut per day.
While just a scenario this is very realistic. It is easy to come up with hundreds more similar stories that will occur if this new rule is approved and implemented by the Secretary of Commerce. Any rational thinker can easily see the disparity the council and this new proposal creates.
The South East Charter Industry is direly concerned for their future. Anglers may choose not to return to Southeast to fish. Immense economic fall out will result. Lodges, bed and breakfasts, gift shops, fly out services, and any business relying on tourism will suffer and could even have to close shop. Cities and boroughs will lose tax revenues. People will lose jobs. Families could lose a way of life.
In addition to devastating economic impact on the Southeast charters the new proposal creates an environment where people are more likely to set out fishing without the aid of a professional. The rental and private boat fleet will grow. People unfamiliar with dangerous Alaskan waters will be prone to taking risks to get their two fish. When the council developed Individual Fishing Quotas (IFQs) for commercial fishermen one of the reasons for the decision was safety. Now the council is singing a different tune, creating regulation encouraging inexperienced anglers to venture onto Alaskan waters.
Commercial fishermen are very adept at working within the NPFMC process. Their advocate organization, The Halibut Coalition, works full time on their behalf. The commercial fishing community shows up in large numbers to testify and build the public record. At the October meeting they repeatedly blamed charter boats and recreational anglers for lack of concern for conservation. This is a battle over allocation not conservation. Commercials declared sport fishermen were the reason for near-shore depletion issues. They say sport fishermen have destroyed the resource so subsistence fishermen can't catch fish. This logic ignores two facts:
- Allocation of fish taken from sport fishermen will be reallocated to commercials
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- Since the time of implementation of the IFQ program, the commercial setline fleet has concentrated effort closer to operating ports.
In the pre-IFQ era, commercial openings were brief, measured in hours, and forced the commercial fleet out to areas where they could catch the most fish in the short time allowed. Commercial fishermen now enjoy 8 straight months of access allowing a leisurely season in which they can fish closer to home. This is exacerbated as they now seek to mitigate the increasing cost of fuel.
Additionally, commercial fishing represents 89% (including by-catch) of the overall take of halibut in the State of Alaska. How can the group taking 89% point the conservation finger at the group taking less than 10%?
Recreational anglers have spent 16 years trying to work within the NPFMC process. At the October 2009 meeting charter representatives and 1,300 public comments stood firm in support of the public's rights, but to no avail. Obviously, this situation calls for an even greater public outcry. People should be angry.
Until this matter is taken out of the jaws of the fox, recreational anglers and the businesses dependent upon them will suffer. This whole situation needs immediate reform. Be loud and stand strong for recreational angling rights. Take action now.
For more information:
Since 1993 Rod Van Saun has owned and operated Van Saun Charters in Ninilchik, Alaska where he resides. He is the President of the Deep Creek Charterboat Association and an International Representative for the International Game Fish Association. Rod is the 2009 chairman for the Tournament Anglers Association 2009 Ixtapa Sailfish Tournament in Mexico. He is a strong advocate for sportfishing rights and has a lifelong love for sportfishing which has taken him to many parts of the world to enjoy the sport.
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