Posted on 03/03/2010 7:49:04 PM PST by george76
Many of the big decisions that affect our fishing industry are made by people who are far away and have never set foot in Alaska.
Catch share programs have become the preferred method for managing U.S. fisheries, and federal managers are offering incentives for regions to adopt the plan.
"Business as usual with our traditional management tools is not accomplishing what we need," said Dr. Lubchenco, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration...
Catch shares is a term usually applied to programs that divide up fish resources among historical participants, but it also encompasses fishing co-operatives, sector splits and other hybrids. So far 13 U.S. fisheries operate under catch share programs, including Alaska halibut, sablefish and Bering Sea crab.
Sea lions in westward regions were listed as an endangered species in 1997, prompting closures from three to 20 miles from haul outs, rookeries or other areas deemed "critical habitat" to protect the animals. Their numbers are increasing-but are they recovering fast enough to prevent more fishing restrictions?
"What the agency (NOAA Fisheries) is looking at now is the population trend, which has increased 12 percent to 14 percent since 2000, and if it is on track for delisting and down-listing. It is not whether the population is in jeopardy of survival," said Donna Parker, director of government affairs for Arctic Storm fisheries, and a former member of the Steller Sea Lion Recovery Team. She also watchdogs sea lion issues for the Juneau-based Marine Conservation Alliance.
To down-list a species from endangered to threatened, a population must increase by 1.5 percent per year for 15 years. To de-list a species, the goal is to double the population over 30 years.
(Excerpt) Read more at capitalcityweekly.com ...
To de-list a species like Sea lions , the goal is to double the population over 30 years.
said Donna Parker, director of government affairs for Arctic Storm fisheries, and a former member of the Steller Sea Lion Recovery Team. She also watchdogs sea lion issues for the Juneau-based Marine Conservation Alliance.
Grew up commercial salmon fishing in the 60’s and 70’s. Even then I could see the hand writing on the wall. The government took our living away one little bit at a time until it became obvious (to me anyway) that there was no way you’d be able to make a living at it after a while. I left the business in 1983, my brothers tried to make a go of it but every one of them got squeezed out. Just one left and it now only makes enough for his beer money.
Sad to say I see the same thing happening all over the country, we’re getting squeezed a little bit at a time but most people just don’t see the hand writing on the wall and won’t until it’s too late.
NOAA/NMFS is funding the push for “catch shares” and the bonus question is why? The globull warming alarmists are the same as those trying to steal our marine resources.
vob
NOAA/NMFS is funding the push for “catch shares” and the bonus question is why? The globull warming alarmists are the same as those trying to steal our marine resources.
vob
They have recovered to the point of being pests all up and down the West coast, time for them to be delisted.
Tough on the small working towns based on fishing, mining, timber, ranching, farming...
Even the secondary businesses like restaurants and retail stores suffer and close with more good jobs lost.
What percent of our fish is imported ?
The globull warming alarmists / progressives want to kill our jobs and small businesses.
Grew up commercial salmon fishing in the 60’s and 70’s. Even then I could see the hand writing on the wall.
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Wasn’t part of that due to the salmon and steelhead numbers crashing?
Not really it was more a push by the sports fishing industry and the environmental nuts the actual fish numbers were pretty consistent from year to year, they just squeezed the amount of time that we could put our nets in the water down to almost nothing. That and the price for wild salmon was being pushed down by farm raised fish and collusion by the fish processors (all foreign owned by the way). In any case it was sad to see the decline but I used it to get an education and on to another industry. Still, I do sometimes miss it even though it was dangerous as hell, it was fun and there is a certain amount of freedom and satisfaction in working for your self that you just don’t get working in a corporate environment.
That's pretty much it.
I can’t figure out why they’d be listed as endangered. They’re everywhere.
Calif Sea Lions aren’t listed as endangered by the ESA but they’re protected by the Marine Mammal Prot. Act. Steller Sea Lions are listed as endangered by the ESA.
There are way too many Calif Sea lions and they are the ones that are such pests, they should be excluded from the MMPA.
I hear that brother.
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