SEAFOOD.COM NEWS (Kodiak Daily Mirror) by James Brooks — October 24, 2013 — The Alaska Board of Fish declined to substantially change the allocation of state-waters cod in a meeting that ended Tuesday.
During its five-day meeting in Anchorage, the fish board heard several proposals that would have reallocated cod quota from the federal waters fishery to the state. Other proposals would have diverted quota from the Kodiak area to the Chignik area or altered start dates, gear limits or fishing behavior.
The Board of Fish did approve housekeeping changes to the definition of “estimated total allowable harvest” and allowed Chignik pot fishermen an earlier chance at unused jig quota.
Its most substantial actions, however, came in the Western Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea. The board created a new Bering Sea pacific cod fishery for pot vessels less than 58 feet long, in Area O. The fishery will take 3 percent of the region’s allowable catch.
In the western Gulf, the board voted to give the South Alaska Peninsula 30 percent of the allowable catch established by federal fisheries managers for the western Gulf. That area currently receives 25 percent of the allowable catch.
According to arrangements between the state and federal government, National Marine Fisheries Service scientists set an “acceptable biological catch” each year for regions across Alaska. The state takes a share of that catch for a state-waters fishery in waters nearer than 3 miles offshore. The remaining quota goes to the federal fishery, which operates between 3 miles and 200 miles offshore.
Apportionment issues became even more complicated last year, when the state subdivided its catch quotas among different gear types and vessel sizes.
Proposition 2, brought forward by Kodiak fisherman Alexus Kwatchka, would have increased the state-waters quotas in Kodiak, Chignik and the Cook Inlet to 35.8 percent of the allowable biological catch in the central Gulf of Alaska.
The fish board turned down the proposal 0-7, echoing the arguments of Kodiak fisherman Seamus Hayden, who said in a letter: “the proposal is founded on allocative and special economic interest rather than any scientific data.”
Proposals 3 and 4, brought forward by Aloys Kopun Jr. and Raechel Allen, respectively, would have granted the Chignik area a larger percentage of the central Gulf’s acceptable biological catch.
Currently, Chignik receives 8.75 percent of the ABC; the proposals would have increased that to 17 percent or 17.5 percent.
As with proposal 2, the fish board shot down both proposals.
It did accept proposal 7, which forces fishing boats to deliver their catch before switching between federal and state seasons. Also passed was proposal 13, brought by the city of Chignik, which allows pot fishermen to begin using unused portions of the jig fishing quota after Aug. 15.
The board of fish next meets Dec. 5 in Anchorage as it addresses Chignik finfish issues. Lower Cook Inlet finfish issues are scheduled for consideration starting Dec. 8 in Anchorage, and the fish board comes to Kodiak on Jan. 7 to talk Kodiak finfish.
This story from the Kodiak Daily Mirror appeared on Seafood.com, a subscription site. It has been reprinted with permission.