ata
2009-03-21 20:23:28
Just returned from the statewide Board of Fisheries meetings. Here are a couple of topics that might be of interest.
Black Cod: At the Sitka meeting the BOF established a 2-4-8 bag/possession/annual limit for sport caught black cod.
A petition was sent by an Auke Bay lodge owner asking the BOF to take emergency action to change it to 4-4-8. He has a niche market taking people fishing for black cod.
The Board voted down his petition, but decided to put out a BOF generated proposal for: 4 per day for all users - 4 in possession - 8 annual. This proposal will be taken up during their May teleconference, so there will be the minimum 30 day public notice. Be on the lookout for the notice if black cod is important to your operation - and prepare to comment! You can monitor progress on the public notice here:
ADFG sportfish division staff discussed reporting issues. The 2009 statewide charter logbook will include black cod. The statewide angler harvest survey can't be revised for 2009, but will include black cod in 2010.
Possession Limit Task Force: The BOF drafted a charge statement for the new Possession Limit Task Force, to discuss issues relative to the charter industry. This is a repeat of the group that was supposed to be established in 2006, but this time the board set up a better structure to get it done. The Task Force will be appointed and start meeting by fall 2009. They will take up the broader issues and policies surrounding possession limits, recording, transport of fish, and enforcement - the group will NOT define specific bag, possession, and annual limits.
The task force will be made up of representatives from around the state, not just Southeast, and must report its findings and recommendations to the Board at the March 2010 statewide meeting. After that, the BOF may generate proposals to submit during the regularly scheduled board cycle.
Other: The BOF developed a new set of criteria for selecting meeting locations. They also discussed, but took no action, on a series of recommendations for receiving additional public comment during meetings. This discussion will continue over the next couple of meetings.
There were other actions taken, so keep tabs on the link above if there were other issues of concern to you on this week's agenda. It will be a few days before anything is online - they just adjourned last night (Fri, March 20).
Southeast Meeting Results: Here is the link to the complete set of actions taken during this BOF cycle:
Best!
Dale, ATA