Trawl Bycatch Halibut
Dear Editor: Our North Pacific Fisheries Management Council just met in Sitka, Alaska. Trawl bycatch (non-targeted species) of juvenile halibut in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands was on the agenda. Around 130 people gave public comment on this topic in addition to three inches of paper letters in a spiral binder compiling written public comments. The overwhelming majority urged the council for a 50 percent reduction in halibut waste. A reduction of roughly 20 percent allowable trawl bycatch of halibut was approved. The trawlers have been about 20 percent or more below their bycatch cap so this is basically a non-action on the part of the council. Here is some info for the public after sitting through six days of meetings, scientific and statistical reports, International Pacific Halibut Commission reports, National Marine Fisheries Service reports and public testimony.
In 2012 the directed halibut fisheries catch in all of Alaska was 33 million pounds. The halibut averaged 23 pounds per fish, roughly 1.43 million adult fish. Commercial halibut catch in Alaska during the 1980s through 2000 was over 50 million pounds per year. Area 2C, Southeast Alaska, has had cuts of 70 percent to allowable harvest of halibut in the longline fishery. At 6.5 million pounds of halibut wasted by trawlers (using a generous 5-pound average) this translates to 1.3 million juvenile halibut destroyed in the nursery grounds.
The juvenile halibut that are not scooped up migrate eastward, some as far as California. Sixty-eight percent of all juvenile halibut development is in the Bering Sea nursery grounds. The trawl fishery targets flounder, sole and other flatfish, all low-value fish worth around 50-cents a pound. At Unimak Pass up to 30 percent of the fish caught in trawl nets are bycatch juvenile halibut. The halibut die. How are we going to get recruitment with so many juveniles out of the picture? These numbers are estimates from observers; the number could be twice this for all we know. The Gulf of Alaska trawlers have 7 percent observer coverage, far too low to get the real data. The Bering Sea trawlers have better observer coverage. In the scientific and statistical meeting it was reported that observers are routinely intimidated, harassed, and halibut are hidden from observers, skewing the data leading to under-reporting.
The IPHC estimates allowable harvestable biomass for the coming season. Projected trawl bycatch of halibut is removed from the allowable catch before quotas are set for subsistence, commercial, sport and charter groups. In 2015 the directed longline fishery in the Aleutians was shut down by the IPHC as a direct result of trawl bycatch taking too many halibut. There was not enough biomass remaining for a viable directed halibut fishery. The area recommended for shutdown was given a temporary token of halibut so they could fish in 2015 partially to keep fish plants open, partially to keep fishermen and communities from going extinct. Trawl bycatch of halibut is detrimental to all who enjoy halibut.
Everyone who enjoys halibut, whether for eating, sport, livelihood, culture or just knowing there is a fish in the ocean that gets bigger than us, should be concerned about trawl bycatch. Everyone needs to join together to do what is right for the halibut resource. Get educated. The next meeting is in October.
Fabian Grutter, 28-year longline
halibut fisherman
City Tobacco Tax
Dear Editor: I applaud Assembly members Guevin and Eisenbeisz for voting against the increase in the tobacco tax. Assembly members saying this tax was based on it being a deterrent to smoking is a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution.
As our local governing body, the Assembly should not pass any law that cannot provide equal protection of everyone within its jurisdiction. If they feel a tax on tobacco items is needed to protect us from the evils of tobacco, they should have imposed the same tax on alcohol and soda drinks.
Soda drinks, loaded with huge amounts of high fructose corn syrup, cause more health problems and deaths in Sitka than tobacco. Our problems with obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancers, strokes, Alzheimer’s and other ailments are all being linked to the high levels of high fructose corn syrup mainly found in soft drinks.
Assembly: you can call it a tax to raise revenue, but you can’t call it a law meant to protect us from the evils of tobacco while leaving the others evils that we chose to plague us untouched.
Clyde Bright, Sitka
Alaska Air Donation
Dear Editor: The Sitka Sound Science Center would like to thank Alaska Airlines for their generous donation of airline tickets and an Alaska Airlines vest, for a drawing held at the science center last week during a reception for the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.
The event was put on by the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association with help from the local seafood processors. The Alaska Airlines drawing raised money for the Sitka Sound Science Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving understanding to the marine and terrestrial ecosystem in Alaska through scientific research and science education.
We would like to thank KC Hostetler and Scott Habberstad of Alaska Air Sales and Community Marketing for the enthusiasm and energy that they brought to the event. Hip-hip hooray!
In appreciation,
Lisa Busch, Executive Director,
Sitka Sound Science Center
Sitka Visit
Dear Editor: Thank you for the invitation to write you that I found in the 2015/2016 ‘‘All About Sitka’’ issue.
We visited your beautiful community on May 14 while on a shore excursion from the ship Celebrity Millennium. We wish we could have stayed longer!
We visited the Alaska Raptor Center, had an interesting hike through the Tongass National Forest, were amazed at the interesting totem poles, and then had a short walk to town and marveled at the treasures inside St. Michael’s.
Our guide was not born in Sitka but clearly loves your town and shared her pride in its natural treasures and the man-made ones.
Alaska is a long way from Georgia, but it was worth the long journey to see wonders and so much unspoiled land.
We hope to return to your lovely town against someday.
Evelyn and Dave Knight, Georgia
