08-02-2013, 05:41 PM
Catch sharing plan bad for Alaska, not just charter boats
Perhaps the most troubling element of the CSP is that it doesn't conserve one fish. Rather, it simply reallocates fish from the charter sector to the commercial sector. Any suggestion to the contrary is just smoke and mirrors. To add insult to injury, CSP provides that if the charter sector wants any of those fish back, individual operators have the opportunity to lease them. It becomes even more insulting when you consider that since 2011, Alaska's charter fleet has left over a million pounds of halibut in the water below their annual harvest limits.
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[size 3]A 2008 study commissioned by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game indicated that sport anglers spent $1.4 billion in Alaska that supported 15,879 jobs and provided $545 million in income.[/size]
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[size 3]How many single moms who work in the restaurants and hotels in Homer, Seward or Sitka will see a significant drop in their income because those sport anglers are no longer there? Or, what will be the fate of young Alaskans paying their way through college working on charter boats or any number of businesses that support the charter industry and their clients?[/size]
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[size 3]An allocation plan that serves no conservation interest, limits access for sport anglers to the halibut resource and causes significant harm to an industry that is a major contributor to Alaska's economy is a bad idea.[/size]
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[size 3][#ff0000]PLEASE take time to comment on the proposed Catch Share Plan, below are some links to a couple sample letters and some talking points to draft your letter.[/#ff0000] [/size]
[size 3][url "http://www.alaskacharter.org/docs/sample%20letter1.pdf"]http://www.alaskacharter.org/docs/sample%20letter1.pdf[/url][/size]
[size 3][url "http://www.alaskacharter.org/docs/sample%20letter2.pdf"]http://www.alaskacharter.org/docs/sample%20letter2.pdf[/url][/size]
[size 3][url "http://www.alaskacharter.org/docs/CSP%20Talking%20Points.pdf"]http://www.alaskacharter.org/docs/CSP%20Talking%20Points.pdf[/url] [/size]
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Perhaps the most troubling element of the CSP is that it doesn't conserve one fish. Rather, it simply reallocates fish from the charter sector to the commercial sector. Any suggestion to the contrary is just smoke and mirrors. To add insult to injury, CSP provides that if the charter sector wants any of those fish back, individual operators have the opportunity to lease them. It becomes even more insulting when you consider that since 2011, Alaska's charter fleet has left over a million pounds of halibut in the water below their annual harvest limits.
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[size 3]A 2008 study commissioned by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game indicated that sport anglers spent $1.4 billion in Alaska that supported 15,879 jobs and provided $545 million in income.[/size]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
[size 3]How many single moms who work in the restaurants and hotels in Homer, Seward or Sitka will see a significant drop in their income because those sport anglers are no longer there? Or, what will be the fate of young Alaskans paying their way through college working on charter boats or any number of businesses that support the charter industry and their clients?[/size]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
[size 3]An allocation plan that serves no conservation interest, limits access for sport anglers to the halibut resource and causes significant harm to an industry that is a major contributor to Alaska's economy is a bad idea.[/size]
[size 3][/size]
[size 3][#ff0000]PLEASE take time to comment on the proposed Catch Share Plan, below are some links to a couple sample letters and some talking points to draft your letter.[/#ff0000] [/size]
[size 3][url "http://www.alaskacharter.org/docs/sample%20letter1.pdf"]http://www.alaskacharter.org/docs/sample%20letter1.pdf[/url][/size]
[size 3][url "http://www.alaskacharter.org/docs/sample%20letter2.pdf"]http://www.alaskacharter.org/docs/sample%20letter2.pdf[/url][/size]
[size 3][url "http://www.alaskacharter.org/docs/CSP%20Talking%20Points.pdf"]http://www.alaskacharter.org/docs/CSP%20Talking%20Points.pdf[/url] [/size]
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