KDLG News - Full Story
Bristol
Bay Halibut
05/07/09 10:01-am
Mike Mason
On Friday
May 15 the season opens for the small C-D-Q halibut fishery in Northern Bristol
Bay. The 3 C-D-Q groups that participate are the Coastal Villages Region Fund,
The Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation, and the Bristol Bay Economic
Development Corporation. The Halibut stocks in the North Pacific are managed by
the International Pacific Halibut Commission, which is headed by Executive
Director Bruce Leman. He noted that the stock is assessed region wide, which
includes area 4-D in the Bering Sea, area 4-c in the central Bering Sea and
area 4-E which covers northern Bristol Bay and the Eastern Bering Sea.
Spot—-0031—-4e
1——36-seconds——Q: “future”
Just
recently the BBEDC’s regional fisheries committee approved a request for more
gear and fishing time for the area 4-e
CDQ halibut fishermen but as part of that request they added a regulation
prohibiting the extra gear south and west of Togiak. BBEDC reports that in most
of area 4-e boats can fish up to 20-longline skates, which is up from the 15
allowed skates in previous years. The regional fisheries committee also
approved an extension of fishing time up to 120 hours. The trip limits remain
at 10-thousand pounds. One of the most active local halibut fishermen is Carl
Flensburg from Dillingham who captains the F/V Slipstream. He says the local catch
is down to about 30-thousand pounds from the 200-thousand pounds caught 7-years
ago.
Spot—-0032—-4e
2——1:14——Q: “helpful”
Fishing with
trawl gear is closed all year within all of Bristol Bay east of 162-degrees
longitude, which is generally around Cape Newenham. However there is one
exception. The exception is the Yellowfin sole “box” which is open to trawl
fishing from the first of April through June 15th. Much of the
Yellowfin sole fleet belongs to the Groundfish Forum, which represents 6 trawl
companies that fish in the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska. Lori Swanson is
the group’s Executive Director. She says the area open to trawling in Northern
Bristol Bay is very important to the Yellowfin sole fleet but due to the
concerns of the local halibut fishermen they have voluntarily agreed to not
fish in the northwest section of the Yellowfin sole box and to shorten their
season. Swanson says there are some other changes that will be put in place
this year.
Spot——0033—-4e
3——25-seconds——Q: “modification”
The
Groundfish Forum says their vessels have used a halibut avoidance system over
the past couple of years. It relies on an independent contractor who gets the
latest observer data and sends plotted charts back to vessels to identify
incidental catch “hotspots”. One of
the most outspoken local halibut fishermen is Nels Johnson who says the small
C-D-Q halibut fishery in northern Bristol Bay is being devastated by the
Yellowfin sole fleet.
Spot——0034—-4e
4——49-seconds——Q: “prove it”
The catch
limit for area 4e is just 322-thousand pounds which is well below 1.5-million
pound catch limit in area 4-d in the Bering Sea. As of the first of May only
98-thousand pounds of halibut had been landed in all of area 4 on just 8
landing. As of the first of the month no Alaskan community development quota
landings had been made this year. The Bristol Bay Economic Development
Corporation reports that 40-local fishermen have signed up to participate in
the local C-D-Q halibut fishery, which opens on May 15th.
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