NOAA Fisheries News Releases
NEWS RELEASE
July 3, 2003
Sheela McLean
(907) 586-7032
Phil Smith
(907) 586-7344
NOAA Fisheries Issues 8,000 Subsistence Halibut Registration Certificates
After about six weeks of a new subsistence halibut fishing program, the Alaska Region of NOAA Fisheries has produced more than 8,000 subsistence halibut registration certificates.
The new program authorizes and regulates subsistence halibut fishing by residents of 118 rural Alaska coastal communities and by members of 123 coastal Alaska Native Tribes.
The application rate for registration certificates has declined after an initial surge, but remains steady. According to Phil Smith, who heads the Restricted Access Management Division of NOAA Fisheries in Alaska, staff are now processing fewer than 100 applications a day.
"We originally estimated that we would have register between 10,000 and 12,000 eligible individuals, so we're not surprised at the volume," said Smith.
Native elder Harold Martin received the first registration certificate (Number 00001) in a Juneau ceremony on May 15.
Individuals have been registered from virtually all eligible communities and tribes, although a large number (almost 2,000) are residents of the rural cities of Kodiak, Petersburg and Sitka.
"We know how many folks have registered, but we don't yet know how much halibut they've caught," said Smith. "We'll have a fairly good idea next winter, after the Subsistence Division of the State Department of Fish and Game completes surveys of harvesting activity." Overall estimates of historic subsistence halibut harvests range from five hundred thousand to one million pounds, or about one percent of the annual commercial harvest.
The subsistence halibut program has been designed to formally recognize and authorize customary and traditional uses of halibut by members of Alaska Native tribes and rural residents of coastal communities. 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.
One area of concern has been defining and limiting sales of subsistence halibut. As David Benton, Chairman of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, emphasized: "Subsistence-caught halibut should not enter commerce. The Council's intent was to legitimize customary practices that allow for exchange of small amounts of money for such things as reimbursing gas or other subsistence halibut fishing expenses. We had no intent to create a new commercial fishery and we will be carefully reviewing the program to insure that we have not done so."
For more information, please visit the NOAA Fisheries website at www.fakr.noaa.gov For registration questions, please visit the website or contact the NOAA Fisheries Restricted Access Management Division at 1-800-304-4846.