Carol W
2008-02-23 16:11:47
I don't know if anyone is aware that Annette Island has applied to extend their sovernity south to the 54'40" line this would take away one of the best coho grounds in the Dixon Entrance area. Trollers are the primary if not only gear group outside of the charter fleet to lose ground here. Very little is being said about it and the proposal is currently flying under the radar screen. I asked Ted Stevens about this issue in Jan, his response was vague and almost like he supported it. Don Young said in a Ketchikan News interveiw that he wasn't going to jump into the middle of this frey. The irony of this whole thing is currently the folks who fish out of Annette Island can't stay inside the boundry now.
I am not sure where we direct our comments but I believe it is the Dept of Interior.
Ocean Gold
2008-03-10 19:55:52
This issue is not flying under the radar screen. Many groups are actively working the issue. The State has just sent their response to the Dept of Interior stating that they don't support the proposal. There are many fisheries besides the trolling that are impacted. Clarence strait blackcod, halibut, seining, herring, rockfish, dive fisheries (cucumbers, urchins etc.) dung. crab, shrimp etc. The first plan was for an expansion of the boundaries providing for an exclusive area, this has changed to a plan where the Metlakatla could fish in State waters without a limited entry permit or where they could start the set in the reserve and as long as they started picking the set in the reserve, they could float over the boundary. The state addressed all three in there response. If you want more information on this subject, please send a private email.