The North Pacific Fishery Mangement Council just finished it's fall meeting in Anchorage, where they decided on a first-ever guided angler halibut allocation. The Council decided sportfishermen only needed roughly 15% of the overall halibut harvest (the commercial fishermen get 84%) which resulted in a one halibut daily limit. For thirty years, the limit has been two halibut per day, and before that it was three.  The decrease in charter allocation is not due to conservation--not a single fish will be left in the ocean as a result of the decreased angler limits, it will be reallocated for commercial fishermen to catch.    Charter fishing is a significant contributor to Alaska tourism, the state's second largest industry.  The anglers who fish halibut on charter boats and the charter operators generate 12,000 jobs and provide an economic impact of one billion dollars. Some of the larger lodge operators individually spend over $5 million dollars annually buying local goods and services to run their businesses. This recent decision by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council was made absent of any economic impact data, even though Dr. Hans Radtke, fisheries economist, testified before the council that sufficient economic impact data indeed exists and should be used.

We invite you to take a moment and look around. Learn more about the Charter Halibut Task Force and what we're doing to advocate for the traditional two-halibut daily limit for all recreational anglers across Alaska.     Sometime in November, the Secretary of Commerce is expected to sign a new proposed rule limiting recreational anglers to one halibut per day.  If Southeast Alaska is at a one-halibut limit this year, this will push more recreational anglers to Southcentral Alaska, where a one-halibut daily limit is sure to follow soon.  Many fishermen pay for their chartered trips a year in advance, expecting a two-halibut limit just as Alaska has enjoyed for 30 years. Even the threat of a one-halibut limit is resulting in anglers canceling trips.  The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) estimates a change to a one-halibut daily limit could result in up to a 30% reduction in angler demand, meaning 27,000 fewer people flying into Southeast Alaska this year. This could have a dramatic impact on coastal economies.