December 1, 2009

Thanks for your continued support!
Many of you have been receiving our newsletter and mailings for some time now and we would like to thank you for your taking the time to read through all that we have sent out over the years. 

On behalf of all the members of SEAGO we wish you a joyous holiday season and a prosperous 2010.

In this Newsletter

• SEAGO Membership Drive - SEAGO works tirelessly on your behalf promoting the tradition of sportfishing in Southeast Alaska through reasonable regulations that ensure the sustainability of our businesses and fisheries. We are getting good results but can accomplish much more with your help. Look for our 2010 membership campaign to start during December!

• SEAGO Participates in Pacific Salmon Treaty Mitigation Fund Utilization Taskforce

• SEAGO Introduces the Save Alaska Sportfishing Campaign - SEAGO Seeks 100,000 sportfishers who annually visit Southeast Alaska to join forces with our guide and lodge owner members to speak out to legislators and regulators.

• SEAGO Responds to the ADF&G Request for Information - Preliminary 2010 business forecast prepared.

• Halibut Issues - Major Concerns for Sportfishers - SEAGO talks with NPFMC Panel members regarding the upcoming Catch Sharing Plan and a federal judge rules against the Charter Halibut Task Force lawsuit.

• Board of Fisheries Update - SEAGO will attend the December ‘09 meeting in Anchorage - The BOF has published a list of proposals to be considered at the State wide meeting next March. More than 20 proposals are designed to penalize sportfishing.

• Statewide Alaska Fishing Association Initiative - Final bylaws were approved in October and tentative charter members identified.
  

• News from Around the Web - SEAGO’s pick of articles from the Internet that matter to you.

SEAGO Membership - Your financial support is appreciated now!

Now more than ever, you need strong representation for your business and SEAGO is there to fight on your behalf. With your financial support we can continue to be a strong voice throughout SouthEast.

Some very important meetings and organizational issues are coming up that require guide/lodge owner participation. Your membership dues will let SEAGO continue to be your representative as we face multiple key issues including: five upcoming Board of Fisheries meetings with the usual toxic proposals, a devastating halibut catch sharing plan, halibut Moratorium implementation, sport fish guide bill, the formation of the Alaska Fishing Association, and more.  

Please take a moment to join or renew your membership.  And because there is strength in numbers, ask a friend to join too!

Our 2010 membership drive will begin during December. Thanks in advance for your continued support of SEAGO. If you have any questions in advance, please contact John Blair at john@seagoalaska.org

SEAGO Participates in Pacific Salmon Treaty Mitigation Fund Utilization

SEAGO President and founder Tom Ohaus and Board Member Russell Thomas were invited by the Alaska Department of Fish & Game to participate in a stakeholders panel organized to develop recommendations for the Governor’s Fisheries Subcabinet for measures to mitigate the economic impacts to the region’s Chinook fisheries resulting from Chinook harvest reductions under the Pacific Salmon Treaty.  Details of this taskforce are presented here.

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SEAGO Introduces the Save Alaska Sportfishing Campaign

SEAGO is now building a coalition with recreational anglers to make our combined efforts more effective.  “Finally someone has created an effective way for the individual angler to be heard by decision makers”, says John Blair,  SEAGO’s Executive Director.  “As sportfishers join forces with guides and lodge owners, SEAGO will magnify their voices in speaking out on key issues. More information:

http://www.seagoalaska.org/newsletters/2009-11-30_special_email.html

http://www.seagoalaska.org/documents/SportfisherFlyer.pdf

SEAGO Responds to ADF&G Request for Information

2009 was a down year across the board economically for sportfishing throughout Southeast Alaska. In an effort to respond to our changing needs, the Alaska Department of Fish & Game asked us for a preliminary 2010 business forecast. SEAGO polled a cross section of guides and lodge owners throughout Southeast and compiled a qualitative forecast which can be read here.   Unfortunately the news is rather somber as business will be down again in 2010.

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Halibut Issues – Major Concerns for Sportfishers  – SEAGO talks with Panel members regarding the upcoming Catch Sharing Plan and a federal judge rules against the Charter Halibut Task Force lawsuit

In all likelihood 2010 will see a continuation of the one-fish rule, implementation of the limited entry Moratorium, and potential implementation of the catch sharing plan, all of which will have significant impacts on sport fishing in Alaska.

SEAGO Board members and management recently met with NPFMC representatives and it appears that there is very little motivation to change the Catch Sharing Plan. If this plan is implemented as currently written, sport fishermen will VERY LIKELY be subjected to one fish with a size limitation and subject to in-season closings. SEAGO will continue to focus efforts on doing whatever we can to modify the program as it is currently written. Information about the Catch Sharing Plan that was approved can be found here:

http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/current_issues/halibut_issues/
CHIPFinal_supp1008.pdf and

http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/current_issues/halibut_issues/
HalibutCSPmotion1008.pdf

A federal judge ruled against the Charter Halibut Task Force lawsuit which challenged the one-halibut ruling that went into effect this past June. Details of the legal ruling can be read here.

Recent communications from NMFS indicate that final wording for the Halibut Moratorium is currently being completed. While a final implementation date has not yet been announced, it is anticipated that the program will go into effect in the 2010 season. More news as it becomes available.

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Board of Fisheries Update

SEAGO will attended the combined BOF/NPFMC meeting in Anchorage during the second week of December.

The BOF has published a list of proposals to be considered at the State wide meeting next March which includes twenty nine proposals that will require our intervention. You can download a copy here: http://www.boards.adfg.state.ak.us/fishinfo/meetinfo/2009-2010/state-props.pdf

The BOF meeting schedule for 2009-10 is here: http://www.boards.adfg.state.ak.us/fishinfo/meetinfo/fcal.php.  SEAGO is planning to attend all meetings to represent Southeast sportfishing issues.

Statewide Alaska Fishing Association Initiative

Final bylaws were approved in October and tentative charter members identified. Bylaws and initial funding requests ($2,000) will go out soon.  SEAGO has directly participated in preparation of draft organizational bylaws. It is anticipated that the bylaws will be finalized in October.   Many thanks to the Kenai River Sportfishing Association, KRSA, for taking the leadership role in this important program.

News from Around the Web

SEAGO searches the Internet for articles that have relevance to Alaska fishing. Please forward any interesting articles you find to John Blair john@seagoalaska.org  and we will publish them in our next newsletter. Note that some of the links are time sensitive and may be non-functional by the time you receive this newsletter; we apologize in advance.

Finally, please understand that SEAGO does not necessarily agree the contents of any of these articles.  Here are some recent stories found around the internet:

• IPHC Conducts Workshop on Bycatch – Workshop was conducted on September 29, 2009. Detail presentations and background are here: http://www.iphc.washington.edu/halcom/meetings/workshop
  2009/bwback2009.htm

• Scandalous crab by-catch exposed? - Problem of the growing incidental capture of bairdi Tanner crab in trawl nets dragging for groundfish around Kodiak. Interesting to read the comments at the bottom of the report.  http://deckboss.blogspot.com/2009/10/
  scandalous-crab-bycatch-exposed.html

• 10,000 metric tons of halibut wasted by draggers. Please note before you click that is a very biased website. Video of trawler by-catch here: http://tholepin.blogspot.com/2009/10/filthy-video-of-halibut-waste.html

• Southeast charter captains lose fight against 1-halibut limit - http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/1024827.html and see attached legal document .

• Commercial fishing banned in Arctic waters as of Dec. 3 - The plan was approved by Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke in August. NOAA said Tuesday that the plan establishes an orderly process to consider requests to develop fisheries in the Arctic, and it provides time for science to catch up to changing Arctic conditions, specifically global warming and the loss of sea ice. http://www.adn.com/news/environment/warming/story/
  998683.html

• New regulations include more rural residents in AK subsistence halibut fishery - http://www.sitnews.us/1109news/110409/110409
  _halibut.html

• Vanishing salmon inquiry - judicial inquiry to investigate the disappearance of millions of sockeye salmon from B.C.'s Fraser River: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/todays-paper/Vanishing+salmon+inquiry/2190261/story.html

• ADF&G increases Togiak 2010 herring harvest quota by 56% to 25,905 tons - Makes you wonder what will be left in the ocean for the salmon to eat. http://www.cf.adfg.state.ak.us/region2/finfish/herring/
  togiak/togfor10.pdf

• Scientists recommend slightly lower pollock catch - recommended an allowable catch of 813,000 tons -- slightly lower than last year and down significantly from the previous year of 1 million metric tons. http://www.adn.com/money/industries/fishing/story/
  1017062.html

• Commercial salmon harvest 11th largest – ADF&G press release here: http://www.adfg.state.ak.us/news/2009/11-16-09_nr.php 162 million salmon were harvested this year, 15 million more than last year, but 14 million below the preseason forecast. This year's catch was valued at $370 million, higher than the latest 10-year average of $308 million. The average price declined last year, down to 80 cents a pound.

• Unprecedented high catches of Pacific salmon continue According to the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission (NPAFC). - http://www.uscgalaska.com/go/doc/780/377603/

• Canada Investigates Sockeye Debacle - Inquiry into this year's disastrous return of Fraser River sockeye, which led to a total shutdown. More than 10 million fish were expected to show, but only about 1.4 million returned. http://www.newsdata.com/fishletter/268/9story.html

• New antennas help biologists study salmon. Giant antennas in two dozen rivers across the PNW to track fish implanted with a microchip the size of a rice kernel - http://www.katu.com/outdoors/featured/
  69925447.html

• Go slow on catch shares - The Pew Environment Group yesterday urged the Obama administration to "go slow" on fishermen's catch shares, the economic system of fisheries management pushed by Jane Lubchenco. http://www.gloucestertimes.com/permalink/local_story_
  307232521.html

• Angry fishermen plan protests - angler discontent over federal fisheries management decisions is spreading across the country. http://www.al.com/news/press-register/metro.ssf?/base/news/1257502608311770.xml&coll=3

• Lubchenco Interviewed by US Congressmen(videos) - Begich - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zc1OWIYIxps and another Senator http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxLdlltsL4I and by another congressman - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsIwO1gj68c and by-catch in Alaska - http://www.youtube.com/watch?
  v=kTiKvtL9YHU

• Alaskans' visit spotlights differences in fisheries – Hoo boy, what some people think….We better get some sport fishermen involved in these issues or Lubchenco is going to give away the fish to the historical users and the head bashers… http://www.gloucestertimes.com/punews/local
  _story_ 316223852.html

• Task force ignores good management – “Be aware of MLPA’s coming our way” -- Anglers, ocean users and the economy were completely ignored by the so-called Blue Ribbon Task Force in making its recommendation for ocean-fishing closures and protected areas under the 1999 Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA). http://www.sbsun.com/sports/ci_13778986

• No-fishing zones: a draconian conservation measure - the state blue-ribbon task force's draconian decision to stifle California's offshore recreational fishing in the guise of protecting the ocean environment - http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinionla/la-oew-
  hansen25-2009nov25,0,5456904.story

• Seals, sea lions play significant role in depleting salmon stocks - adult sea lions eat as much as 4,400 kilograms of fish/invertebrates per year -
  http://www.timescolonist.com/business/Seals+lions+play+
  significant+ role+depleting+salmon+stocks/2231598/story.html

• Fish being wiped out to feed farm animals - The study's author said the B.C. salmon farming industry is a major consumer of wild fish stocks. 30 million tonnes or 36 per cent of the world's total fisheries catch each year is ground up into fishmeal and oil to feed farmed animals. http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Fish+being+wiped+feed+farm+
  animals+study+says/2236112/story.html

• Deep-sea gillnet ban on the cards - A ban on the use of massive deep-sea fishing nets in South Pacific waters is about to be announced. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/11/13/2742298.htm

• Employment and Economics in Alaska’s Seafood Industry - A November-09 report from the Alaska Department of Labor. http://labor.alaska.gov/trends/nov09.pdf

• More Alaska halibut eaten at home this year - http://www.adn.com/money/welch/story/1022773.html
  SALMON: Chefs serve anti-pebble messages along with the dinners. - The fight is on between backers of the Pebble Mine and 13 Seattle restaurants. http://www.adn.com/money/industries/mining/story/
  1015903.html

• Judge likes NW salmon plan but sees legal flaw - A federal judge says the government's latest plans for making Columbia Basin dams safer for salmon look good, but a legal flaw could delay his approval - http://www.minyanville.com/articles/ap-
  content/index/ap/f93dd390d3b7442fa8f7364867909ada

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