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#979273 - 08/26/17 12:01 PM 2018 Halibut season meeting
bushbear Offline
River Nutrients

Registered: 08/26/02
Posts: 4709
Loc: Sequim
If you're interested in what kind of a halibut season we might have in 2018, there will be a meeting in Olympia on Monday, August 28 starting at 9 a.m. to hear the state proposal that could go forward to the PFMC meeting in Boise, ID in early September.

A coalition of North Olympic Peninsula businesses, anglers, and governmental agencies has been pushing for a longer season to let folks get on the water when tides and weather are conducive to fishing efforts with a daily bag limit of one fish, a field possession limit of two fish, and an annual limit of six fish. The state proposal appears to be for a one fish daily bag and field possession limit and a two fish annual limit.

Additionally, the coalition has proposed changing the PFMC 2A catch share plan that gives up to 70,000 lbs of halibut off the top of the sport harvest share to the sablefish long-line fleet for incidental take. We recognize that incidental take happens, but feel any fish landed should be counted against the non-tribal commercial quota. The proposed change has not been acceptable to the PFMC or WDFW.

The following letter outlines the meeting and a link is provided so you can see the state proposal.

*********************

Dear Recreational Halibut Angler:

Each year, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) holds public meetings to develop and discuss proposed changes to the Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Council) Pacific Halibut Catch Sharing Plan (CSP). The Council will review proposed changes for 2018 and consider approving them for public review at their September 11-18 meeting in Boise, Idaho. The Council will approve final changes to the CSP at their meeting November 14-20 in Costa Mesa Grove, California, giving time for the state agencies to work with stakeholders to discuss and refine the changes following the September Council meeting.

WDFW staff has been meeting with stakeholders from both the coastal and Puget Sound regions to address high fishing effort and short seasons in all recreational halibut management areas. Since 2015, stakeholders from both regions have worked to establish season dates that overlap between management areas as much as possible. In 2017, the same season dates were established for all management areas except the Columbia River (Marine Area 1). In addition, the Puget Sound halibut season was managed under a quota management system similar to how the coastal region has been managed for many years. We’ve learned a lot during the first year of a coastwide season structure and look forward to continuing the discussion relative to creating halibut seasons that provide meaningful fishing opportunity that is in balance with the Washington recreational quota.

In June, the Council began scoping changes to the CSP for 2018 and received a briefing from the IPHC. Based on input from agency and advisory body reports and the public, the Council recommended several options be further developed over the summer. A summary of those options is described in the Council’s June Decision Summary Document and includes options proposed for consideration by WDFW for the Washington recreational fishery (Agenda Item G.1.b., Supplemental WDFW Report, June 2017).

http://www.pcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/G1b_Sup_WDFW_Rpt_Jun2017BB.pdf

The Department has scheduled an initial meeting to discuss preliminary options and identify proposed changes to the CSP for 2018 for public review. The meeting will be held on August 28, 2017, at 9:00 a.m. in Room 175 at the Natural Resources Building in Olympia. Click here for directions.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at Heather.Reed@dfw.wa.gov or (360) 902-2487.

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#979307 - 08/27/17 11:45 PM Re: 2018 Halibut season meeting [Re: bushbear]
fishbadger Offline
Repeat Spawner

Registered: 03/06/01
Posts: 1194
Loc: Gig Harbor, WA
A two-fish annual bag is complete BS. It would perpetuate the trophy killing mentality, kill off the big breeders, injure a bunch of fish during the sort.

Six fish annual bag, with a slot akin to BC, would be better, would allow more trips, more business, more flexibility, and preserve quota.

My .02,

fb

PS. thank you for the heads up on the meeting by the way. . .wish I could go to advocate for a reasonable season.


Edited by fishbadger (08/27/17 11:46 PM)
_________________________
"Laugh if you want to, it really is kinda funny, cuz the world is a car and you're the crash test dummy"
All Hail, The Devil Makes Three

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#979335 - 08/28/17 02:59 PM Re: 2018 Halibut season meeting [Re: bushbear]
Larry B Offline
River Nutrients

Registered: 10/22/09
Posts: 3020
Loc: University Place and Whidbey I...
Okay, out of a serious case of curiosity and an admitted lack of background I attended what was a 3 1/2 hour session today. Attendees were primarily charter operators and resort folks; only a couple private boat folks - myself included.

Out of the three options WDFW has prepared and presented to the public and attendees they seemed to be pushing one where the season's days (TBD) are common to all areas although there may be poundage "allocations" for the usual management areas. The problem with that approach is that big harvest numbers in coastal waters could effectively shorten the entire fishery to include, say, Puget Sound waters which they acknowledged has a much, much lower CPUE. If you are a small boat operator who fishes Puget Sound (to include the S.J.s and Strait) your potential six day season could be shortened accordingly.

Staff is sticking with the 2 fish annual limit while also acknowledging that such an annual limit will not free up enough poundage to allow for an extra day of fishing. It would take going to a one fish limit to result in additional day(s). Editorial Comment: This is great for the charter operators and particularly those in the more accessible port cities but really puts the screws to the independent small boat fisherman. As I recall Michelle said that 85% of fishers catch 2 or fewer fish per year. No info provided as to how the remaining 15% is spread out catch/year. Basically, under their proposal if you make a two day successful trip you are done for the season.

The good news is that Staff has dropped the proposal to change the possession limit from two fish to one fish. That allows a sport fisherman (and particularly a private boat operator) to make an expensive trip and take home up to two fish per fisherman - even if the open days are split (say, Thursday and Saturday).

There was some angst from the charters, resort folks and private boat operators from the Straits that their low CPUE warrants extra days to accommodate folks who simply enjoy being on the water and who are willing to fish those days while being aware that their CPUE is much lower than coastal. Those folks were adamantly against Staff's preferred proposal.

What did irk me aside from the fact that attendee input had no impact on their three proposed seasons was Staff's position that any potential extended days on the Strait would be constrained by impact on ESA listed rockfish. Staff said there were 19 "caught" in 2016 and 82 "caught" in 2017. When asked how the number reported as "caught" (encountered) versus actual impact (as in dead) given the recent effort to provide deep water fishers with descender devices she did not have an answer other than to say that the mortality rate percentages when using descender devices is accepted for coastal waters but not in Puget Sound. Maybe that is something to ask of our NOAA rockfish folks in order to obtain pertinent, usable facts.

I am sure that there were more nuances at play than what I grasped and have put forth above....so please forgive my ignorance.





Edited by Larry B (08/28/17 03:00 PM)
_________________________
Remember to immediately record your catch or you may become the catch!

It's the person who has done nothing who is sure nothing can be done. (Ewing)

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#979339 - 08/28/17 05:26 PM Re: 2018 Halibut season meeting [Re: bushbear]
GodLovesUgly Offline
Repeat Spawner

Registered: 04/20/09
Posts: 1269
Loc: WaRshington
When do we get to talk about alternating who "goes first"........ ?
_________________________
When I grow up I want to be,
One of the harvesters of the sea.
I think before my days are done,
I want to be a fisherman.

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#979340 - 08/28/17 06:10 PM Re: 2018 Halibut season meeting [Re: GodLovesUgly]
Larry B Offline
River Nutrients

Registered: 10/22/09
Posts: 3020
Loc: University Place and Whidbey I...
Originally Posted By: GodLovesUgly
When do we get to talk about alternating who "goes first"........ ?


Jerry Lewis lives!!!

Actually, the cheat sheet provided included the following:

"The ongoing intertribal halibut sharing discussions and a lack of a cohesive, planned tribal halibut fishery seemed to affect the recreational fishery more than ever this year. As the tribes could not reach an agreement on an intertribal sharing plan or season dates, the federal court imposed season requirements in an effort to equitably share the harvest opportunity amongst the tribes, which included weather considerations. As such, when there was a good weather window, the tribal fishery would open with very short notice and, oftentimes, the opener would be one or two days before the next scheduled recreational opener. It is difficult to quantify the effect this had on the recreational fishery CPUE, there likely was some effect on the halibut grounds as it can take time for new fish to move in."

Maybe the State should have been in on that federal action to remind the courts of impacts on State fisheries.

One other thing for now. The three options up for consideration include:

1. Status Quo Allocation
2. Shared Allocation (apparent Staff favorite)
3. Shared Allocation with incidental sablefish.

The No. 3 involved giving the sable fish industry 20K pounds of fixed bycatch leaving 50K to the recs (70-20=50).
_________________________
Remember to immediately record your catch or you may become the catch!

It's the person who has done nothing who is sure nothing can be done. (Ewing)

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#979349 - 08/29/17 08:41 AM Re: 2018 Halibut season meeting [Re: bushbear]
fishbadger Offline
Repeat Spawner

Registered: 03/06/01
Posts: 1194
Loc: Gig Harbor, WA
Thanks for the update Larry.

As lousy as the status quo is, last year gave us far more opportunity than either of the other proposals would have.

Private small boat hali fishers so outnumber charter angler effort on the grounds, and we pump far more into the economy. . .it's too bad we were all at work earning money to pump, and couldn't attend the meeting to speak up for ourselves.

fb
_________________________
"Laugh if you want to, it really is kinda funny, cuz the world is a car and you're the crash test dummy"
All Hail, The Devil Makes Three

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#979357 - 08/29/17 11:00 PM Re: 2018 Halibut season meeting [Re: fishbadger]
Larry B Offline
River Nutrients

Registered: 10/22/09
Posts: 3020
Loc: University Place and Whidbey I...
Originally Posted By: fishbadger
Thanks for the update Larry.

As lousy as the status quo is, last year gave us far more opportunity than either of the other proposals would have.

Private small boat hali fishers so outnumber charter angler effort on the grounds, and we pump far more into the economy. . .it's too bad we were all at work earning money to pump, and couldn't attend the meeting to speak up for ourselves.

fb


There was no meaningful opportunity for construction input. Basically they provided and to some extent explained the three options. They did entertain some questions but, again, it was more a dog and pony show than anything. So, in that respect you didn't miss anything.
_________________________
Remember to immediately record your catch or you may become the catch!

It's the person who has done nothing who is sure nothing can be done. (Ewing)

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