The newsletter is posted at http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/newsletters/NEWS1007.pdf

There is a lot of information in this newsletter regarding salmon bycatch, crab rationalization, call for nominations and appointments, socioeconomic data collection, polock trip limits, arrowtooth MRA’s, COA Pacfic Cod sector splits and much more.

They had the following to say about the halibut issues:

     The Board of Fish worksession was in Anchorage on October 9 & 10th.  At the meeting, Mel Morris was elected Chair and John Jensen was elected Vice-Chair.  Vince Webster was selected as the board representive on the NPFMC workgroup on Bering Sea Salmon Bycatch.  A board committee was established with Larry Edfelt and John Jensen to work with staff and the public to develop recommendaitons on eco-tourism fishing.  They set limits on accepting written comments at 100 printed pages per individual or group relating to proposals at any one meeting prior to the two week comment deadline before meetings and 10 printed pages per individual or group after the two-wwek written comment deadline.

The Sitka Charter Boat Operators Assoc proposal #11 to review the demersal shelf rockfish management to avoid unintended closures in the sport fishery was denied.

The Southeast meetings for the winter of 2008-2009 were set as follows:

Southeast and Yakutat crab, shrimp and misc shellfish (including Dungeness, King and Tanner) January 18-27, 2009 in Petersburg

Southeast and Yakutat finfish (including salmon, herring and groundfish) February 17-26, 2009 in Sitka

Proposal deadline is April 10, 2008 at 5:00 pm and Agenda change request deadline is August 22, 2008 at 5:00 pm

Some rivers in Chile and Argentina have been colonized by king salmon from  an ocean ranching program in 1978 to 1989.  There were two hatcheries located in Southern Chile.  They raised and released hundreds of thousands of chinook smolt which came from the Columbia River.  They believe that farmed salmon are another possible source of the naturalized runs.  The article in SEAFOOD.COM stated that these runs might become large enough to support a commercial fishery. 

     The Council finished taking action on halibut charter agenda items Friday afternoon staying on schedule.  The Advisory Panel accepted most of SEAFA’s changes as recommendations to forward to the Council.  Following the AP meeting a working group of commerical and charter members met together and discussed the AP’s recommendation.  The charter industry finally recognized that the motion as written was a long term action item because almost everything being looked at took outside federal or state legislation.  The working group pared down the AP recommendation to an interim step for analysis of an initial allocation decision that must be managed for (not the current GHL which is “may” manage for) and the ability for charter operators to LEASE commerical IFQ’s to allow the charter operator to offer additional halibut above the managment restrictions up to the current limit allowed for non-guided halibut fishermen.  For example, the 4 fish annual limit for charter clients, a charter operator if they leased commercial IFQ’s could allow a client to retain more than the 4 fish annual limit as the non-guided fishermen have no annual limit.  With a one fish daily bag limit the charter operator with IFQ’s could offer the second fish.  The leasing of commerical IFQ’s would be limited to 10{011364765f66369e3b18bfb4bff139a9c8654494d05ca41b290c33562211a86b} and can be done through the Council and federal regulatory process.   A draft of the motion is included below.  Consider this a draft until the Council publishes the motion as I tried to capture all the amendments but may have missed something.

The Council will be releasing the 3A GHL management measures analysis out for public review with some changes as recommended by the SSC and AP panels.

The Council made another motion that will pass the compensated reallocation aspects of the motion that were stripped out back to the stakeholder committee to roll back into the long term solutions.  The stakeholder committee will be meeting at the end of October to finalize a package of long term solutions to the Council in December.

The Council was asked to review their decision on the 4 fish annual limit.  this was discussed but no formal motion was made.  The issue might come back up in December.

A final decision on allocation will no longer occur at the December meeting,  It will likely come up at the April meeting, with an initial review in February. 

State Council motion with amendments 10.07

SEAFA sent a nine page comment letter to the council regarding the upcoming issues of allocation, compensated reallocation, 3A management measures and on the discussion paper for a comprehensive socioeconomic data collection.

For every 1{011364765f66369e3b18bfb4bff139a9c8654494d05ca41b290c33562211a86b} of allocation in 2C that is transferred to the charter fishery from the commerical fishery equates into the loss of approximately 100,000 lbs.   

We have attached our comments below. 

 Allocation and compensated reallocation

Data Collection

NOAA Fisheries Service has published a proposed rule that would revise the seabird avoidance measures for the Alaska hook and line groundfish and halibut fisheries.  This rule would strengthen gear standards for small vessels and eliminate certain seabird avoidance requirements that are not needed (written plan).  Based on recent research, seabird avoidance measures would be eliminated in all of Prince William sound, all state waters of Cook Inlet and in most waters of the Eastern Gulf of Alaska Regulatory Area Southeast Inside District.  Pelagic seabirds, particularly the ESA listed short-tailed albatross and other seabird species of concern are rarely observed in these waters.  At the same time specific deployment procedures for certain small vessels in the EEZ would be required. 

Comments on the proposed rule may be sent to 

0648-AV38-SeabirdPR@noaa.gov by October 19, 2007. 

Proposed Rule http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/pdf/E7-18489.pdf 

The gillnet task force meeting has been set for December 3, 2007 in Haines, Alaska.  If you have any agenda items please contact the SEAFA office or ADFG.

The Purse Seine Task Force will be November 27th, 2007 9:00 am to 5:00 pm in Sitka at the Harrigan Centennial Hall.  The date for the gillnet task force meeting has not been set yet.  Topics can be added to the agenda by contacting Bill Davidson (ADFG) or any of the area management biologists, Bob Thorstenson at Southeast Alaska Seiners Assoc. or the SEAFA office (596-6652) can pass on the request.

The House and Senate is working on legislation for the Coast Guard Reauthorization Act of 2007.  In the house version (H.R. 2830) there are several sections that will affect commerical fishermen in Alaska.  Section 307 affects the Fishing Vessel Safety Act.  Changes in this section include:

Deleting references to the “boundary line” and replacing it with 3 nautical miles from the baseline from which the territorial seas is measured.

Safety standards that will require mandatory dockside vessel examinations two out of every five years.  During this dockside examination the language includes a clause that allows enforcement for any other applicable federal laws and regulations.

Requirement mandatory training.  The training program shall be based on professional knowledge and skill obtained through sea service and hands on training, including training in seamanship, stability, collision prevention, navigation, fire fighting and prevention, damage control, personal survival, emergency medical care and weather along with require an individual to demonstrate ability to communicate in an emergency situation and understand information found in navigation publications.

Reference to lifeboats, liferafts and buoyant apparatus are deleted and instead requires survival craft that ensures that no part of an individual is immersed in water sufficient to accomodate all individuals on board.

The exemption from survival craft regulation for vessels under 36 ft in length in inside boundary waters is deleted and these vessel (even the 14ft skiffs) would have to have survival craft onboard as described above.

And the most ALARMING section is where they will require all vessels to be classed by American Bureau of Shipping or another similarily qualified organization (Det Norske Veritas Classification (Americas) Inc.).  Classification is a complicated and expensive process that is usually reserved for vessels over 79 feet in length.  Generally a boat is classified originally as it is being built and the example given to me is 5{011364765f66369e3b18bfb4bff139a9c8654494d05ca41b290c33562211a86b} of the building cost of the vessel but smaller boat would likely be a higher percentage of the building cost.  The classification must be reviewed every year and this runs in the thousands of dollars.  Vessels built after January 1, 2008 or undergoes a major conversion and is 50 feet in length must be classified immediately.  After January 1, 2018 this applies to all fishing vessels and fish tender vessels that were built before January 1, 2008 and is 25 years or older.  I was told by the one company that it is extremely difficult to classify an older vessel and it is possible that in 2018 most of the commercial fishing vessel will likely be unable to be classified and therefore unable to participate in the fisheries if this section passes.   

Any vessel built after January 1st, 2008 or undergone a major conversion will have to have a load line certificate.

The legislation also has a section regarding ballast water.  It is very possible that our fish holds may be considered ballast tanks and will fall under this regulation.  For example the seine boats that tank down for stability reasons would meet the definition.

The senate version has none of the above section contained in it.  The senate version does have a couple of sections that affect commercial fishermen in Alaska that we approve of.  Maintains the Loran system, provides a small vessel exemption to allow salmon filleting onboard and a section that prohibits maritime liens against fishing permits.

SEAFA’s comments on this draft legislation that was just sent to Conressional delegation staff members and the transportation staff member. 

 SEAFA Comments cg-reauthorization-act-comments-91907.doc

Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Assoc. comments ALFA comments

 

The Board of Fish will be considering three Agenda Change Requests (ACR) that will affect Southeast Alaska at their October 9-11 worksession in Anchorage.  They are:

ACR 1:  Add restrictions to the Sitka Sound Herring Fishery to protect Salisbury Sound (section 13A) stocks

ACR 11:  Review of the demersal shelf rockfish management to avoid unattended closures in sport fishery submitted by Sitka Charter Boat Operators Assoc.

ACR 24:  Have state halibut regulations mirror federal regulations for consistencey with the North Pacific Halibut Act and international treaty.

Proposals can be viewed at http://www.boards.adfg.state.ak.us/fishgame/ACRoct07.pdf

Comments can be sent to Board of Fish through September 21st.

SEAFA’s Comments:  BoF ACR Comments 9.07