NOAA Fisheries News Releases
NEWS RELEASE
April 21, 2003
Sheela McLean
(907) 586-7032
NOAA Fisheries Authorizes Alaska Subsistence Halibut Fishing
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) has published rules that recognize customary and traditional uses of halibut by members of Alaska Native tribes and rural residents of coastal communities. The rules provide formal regulatory authority for subsistence halibut fishing and set out a management plan.
Registration for the subsistence halibut fishery will begin May 15, 2003.
A person may qualify for subsistence halibut fishing if they are a rural resident of a community with customary and traditional uses of halibut that is listed in the regulations. A person may also qualify if he or she is a member of a federally recognized Alaska Native tribe that has customary and traditional uses of halibut and is listed in the regulations.
The regulations were published in a Federal Register Notice published April 15. The Federal Register Notice has been posted on the NOAA Fisheries website at http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/frules/fr18145.pdf.
Many small Alaskan coastal communities are included on the eligible list. Excluded are Ketchikan, Juneau, Valdez and the Anchorage/Kenai non-rural area.
Under the new rules subsistence halibut may be fished with setline gear and handheld gear, including long line, handline, rod and reel, spear, jig and hand troll gear. Subsistence fishing gear must not have more than 30 hooks per subsistence-qualified person on board the fishing vessel.
Areas closed to subsistence halibut fishing are defined in the Federal Register notice, which includes maps for four closed areas.
For more information, please visit the NOAA Fisheries website at http://www.fakr.noaa.gov. For registration questions, please contact the NOAA Fisheries Restricted Access Management Division at (907) 586-7474.
NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries)
is part of the Department of Commerce and is dedicated to protecting and preserving
our nation's living marine resources through scientific research, management,
enforcement, and the conservation of marine mammals and other protected marine
species and their habitat. To learn more about NOAA Fisheries in Alaska, please
visit our website at www.fakr.noaa.gov.