tpbrady
Guru
One of the topics of interest this summer in Southeast Alaska was the NMFS regulations dealing with sport caught halibut on recreational vessels. Here is an excerpt from the Federal Register of the rules:
28. Sport Fishing for Halibut—Areas 2C,
3A, 3B, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E
(1) In Convention waters in and off
Alaska: 11 12
(a) The sport fishing season is from
February 1 to December 31.
(b) The daily bag limit is two halibut
of any size per day per person unless a
more restrictive bag limit applies in
Commission regulations or Federal
regulations at 50 CFR 300.65.
(c) No person may possess more than
two daily bag limits.
(d) No person shall possess on board
a vessel, including charter vessels and
pleasure craft used for fishing, halibut
that have been filleted, mutilated, or
otherwise disfigured in any manner,
except that each halibut may be cut into
no more than 2 ventral pieces, 2 dorsal
pieces, and 2 cheek pieces, with skin on
all pieces.13
(e) Halibut in excess of the possession
limit in paragraph (1)(c) of this section
may be possessed on a vessel that does
not contain sport fishing gear, fishing
rods, hand lines, or gaffs.
Basically, the rules are so convoluted that the net result you can't eat any halibut while out for the day, the week, or the summer because you will have mutilated a fillet while on a boat with fishing tackle. Even at home, you cannot possess more than 4 halibut, because possession to the NMFS also means frozen fish. I heard of one case this summer where someone was boarded by NOAA who subsequently looked in his freezer and cited him under these rules.
A few weeks ago I contacted Senator Lisa Murkowski office on these rules and the impracticality of applying them to those of us who live aboard for months at a time. I also posed a question to them on the authority of NOAA/NMFS to stop, board, and search a recreational vessel without a warrant.
Two days ago I spoke with a staffer in the Senator's office who was working on it. Apparently, I am not alone in complaining and he was aware of a person who was cited by NOAA this summer. He is still working on it, but so far he has NOAA and Alaska Department of Fish and Game pointing at each other. I don't see how the state of Alaska is involved as possession to them means frozen and they only repeated the NOAA rules. The one positive development was the staffer said the US District Attorney handling the citation on the sport fishermen dropped the case saying it was unenforceable.
I will periodically update this, but if anyone thinks about it, let's keep the pressure up on NOAA/NMFS to change the rules to something that is more rational. Contact your Senator or Congressman and make them work for you during this election season. Senator Murkowski understands the problem as her father and mother keep their boat in Wrangell and have to comply with the same rules when the family goes out fishing.
Tom
28. Sport Fishing for Halibut—Areas 2C,
3A, 3B, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E
(1) In Convention waters in and off
Alaska: 11 12
(a) The sport fishing season is from
February 1 to December 31.
(b) The daily bag limit is two halibut
of any size per day per person unless a
more restrictive bag limit applies in
Commission regulations or Federal
regulations at 50 CFR 300.65.
(c) No person may possess more than
two daily bag limits.
(d) No person shall possess on board
a vessel, including charter vessels and
pleasure craft used for fishing, halibut
that have been filleted, mutilated, or
otherwise disfigured in any manner,
except that each halibut may be cut into
no more than 2 ventral pieces, 2 dorsal
pieces, and 2 cheek pieces, with skin on
all pieces.13
(e) Halibut in excess of the possession
limit in paragraph (1)(c) of this section
may be possessed on a vessel that does
not contain sport fishing gear, fishing
rods, hand lines, or gaffs.
Basically, the rules are so convoluted that the net result you can't eat any halibut while out for the day, the week, or the summer because you will have mutilated a fillet while on a boat with fishing tackle. Even at home, you cannot possess more than 4 halibut, because possession to the NMFS also means frozen fish. I heard of one case this summer where someone was boarded by NOAA who subsequently looked in his freezer and cited him under these rules.
A few weeks ago I contacted Senator Lisa Murkowski office on these rules and the impracticality of applying them to those of us who live aboard for months at a time. I also posed a question to them on the authority of NOAA/NMFS to stop, board, and search a recreational vessel without a warrant.
Two days ago I spoke with a staffer in the Senator's office who was working on it. Apparently, I am not alone in complaining and he was aware of a person who was cited by NOAA this summer. He is still working on it, but so far he has NOAA and Alaska Department of Fish and Game pointing at each other. I don't see how the state of Alaska is involved as possession to them means frozen and they only repeated the NOAA rules. The one positive development was the staffer said the US District Attorney handling the citation on the sport fishermen dropped the case saying it was unenforceable.
I will periodically update this, but if anyone thinks about it, let's keep the pressure up on NOAA/NMFS to change the rules to something that is more rational. Contact your Senator or Congressman and make them work for you during this election season. Senator Murkowski understands the problem as her father and mother keep their boat in Wrangell and have to comply with the same rules when the family goes out fishing.
Tom