My Turn: Proposed halibut limits don't hit mark
It's discouraging to learn that several fishing organizations will not oppose the proposed reductions for Area 2C halibut allocations that cite low catch rates and the need to rebuild halibut stocks.
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Are we following good science?
The pat tag is a cylinder that attaches to the halibut. Inside the cylinder is a micro-computer that collects the movement, depth and location of the halibut. This data is sent via satellite after the cylinder disengages from the halibut over time. There is a shortage of funds for a fully implemented pat tag study.
The International Pacific Halibut Commission needs to hear the working knowledge from seasoned fishermen with significant time on the grounds, running the gear, seeing what's coming up and what's not. One can conjecture that the fishing grounds were empty because five other boats just fished the same area. Vessel survey results show fewer fish and lower catch rates with the ongoing overlap of fishing skewing vessel survey catch rates downward. Ocean entrance corridors experience greater fishing pressure. Logbook data supports these statements.
The abundance of dogfish, once the gear is down, fills up the hooks fast. Fishermen have never seen so many dogfish. Lingcod and sharks shaken off the gear affect the catch per unit effort. These species eat crabs, blackcod, halibut and almost anything they can prey on. In Alaska, there should be a directed fishery for spiny dogfish to promote an underutilized and nonutilized resource.
Fishermen know what's in the bellies of their catches, lots of crabs. Those who have been around awhile know the offshore crab stocks plummeted from overfishing by the crab fleet. Here in Pelican, the dead loss that went overboard while unloading was staggering during the heydays of the 1980s. (Kodiak experienced this same thing in the king crab and shrimp industry.) With little or no crab fishing occurring for the past two decades, these stocks are rebounding. Predator-prey correlations in biological population growth models affect species abundance.
Western Alaska and Bering Sea crab and pollock stocks are diminished. Rebuilding healthy populations will take considerable time. The Americanization of fisheries caused overcapitalization and the fleet hammered the grounds with crab pots and trawl gear, which influences habitat productivity and viability. Crab stocks were overfished and fishing grounds are damaged from the effects of crab pots and trawl gear.
What about the unknown and unreported halibut bycatch from every user group in every area? Halibut productivity is influenced by these unknown variables. A better understanding is needed of factors influencing population dynamics to have a bountiful resource. For more than 80 years the International Pacific Halibut Commission has managed the halibut resource well enough to have a viable fishery, because it listened to commercial halibut fishermen from British Columbia, Alaska, Washington and Oregon.
The unknown percentage of halibut resource intercepted by guided sport harvest in all areas, especially Areas 2B, 2C and 3A is significant. Only estimations are provided. The Canadians don't know their actual sport fish harvest, either. Sport harvest has no hard numbers to quantify actual harvest. Creel census surveys are seasonal. The sport fish season is 300 days, two fish per day; the actual harvest level is incalculable. Every pound caught should be accounted for. For guided sport fishermen, their resource is people. There are more people who want the experience of fishing, but the resource is limited.
All areas must equitably bear reduced halibut allocations. Limited data from pat tag studies reflect an eastward migration of halibut. A greater percentage of halibut must move eastward to shorten the time needed to replenish halibut productivity in Area 2. Canadians need to be persuaded to bear a fair share of reduced allocations. Area 2C has been cut over and above the 60/40 split.
The commission should allocate coastwide harvest rates for 3A, 3B and 4A at 2006 levels to provide eastward migration of halibut until the 2C and 2B constant exploitation yield improves. And decrease the harvest rate analysis for 2C and 2B quota by 10 percent per year, especially since the mid-term outlook is positive, with stronger than average recruitment projected for the 1994-96 year classes with sport fish catch controls in place. This makes sense and places a share of the burden on the entire coast, while implementing the new coastwide model formula.
• James Phillips and Patricia Phillips own a commercial fishing business. They live in Pelican.