Petersburg Pilot

Council votes in support of

reduced halibut catch rates

December 24, 2009.

Following a detailed presentation by Julianne Curry of the Petersburg Vessel Owners Association the Petersburg city council voted unanimously against Resolution #1914 asking the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) to revise how they regulate the halibut fishery.

Curry said the commission seeks to reduce catch rates to a sustainable 20% of the coastwide exploitable biomass. This has resulted in cuts to the harvest level allowed for the Area 2C commercial halibut fleet that now approach 65 percent over the past three years.

The IPHC staff recommends a 3.71 million pound catch limit for Area 2C in 2010, which is 26-percent below the 2009 limit of 5.02 million pounds. In 2006 the Area 2C limit was 10.63 million pounds.

Councilor Mark Jensen said, “Even if you don’t agree with some of the methods the IPHC has used recently, I don’t think it’s in the council’s best interest to try to dictate how the halibut commission comes up with the science to come up with the total allowable catch and the apportionment of that area by area.

“If the graphs are right, if they’re trying to get every area down to a 20% exploitation rate and the 15 year average (harvest level shows) it’s going to be a 43% (exploitation rate) I don’t think it’s going to be good for the long term health of the fishery.”

Curry noted that the graphs presented to the council came from the IPHC website and its own sources.

A similar resolution was passed by the Ketchikan Borough Assembly after it was presented the petition prepared by a ex-commercial fisherman who is now a charter operator who had not participated in the IPHC harvest discussions, according to Curry. She added that the information came to her second hand.

Councilor Hickman asked Curry about migratory patterns of halibut as they move down the coast. Curry said the tagging program was only done for a few years and due to the expense, was discontinued.

Curry said it was found that halibut were moving at a higher rate than what they thought. It would be difficult to set area quotas based upon where the halibut may have moved to as they move from different regulatory areas.

Will Ware informed the city council that sometime in 2010 the Petersburg Indian Association will phase out its recycling program that has been in force for four years.

Ware reported that 225 households participate in the curbside recycling program that generates 1,000 lbs. each week.
He added that nearly every business recycles one-ton of cardboard weekly in addition to 1-2 tons of paper.

PIA’s grant source concludes its funding in 2010 and, “sometime in 2010 the recycling program will be phased out,” Ware concluded.

In other action the council approved the mayor’s appointment of Chris Savage to the Petersburg Medical Center board and Ted Smith and Power and Light superintendent Joe Nelson as delegates to the Southeast Alaska Power Agency.