The council made several modifications to the groundfish rationalization plan as a result of the meeting and instructed its staff to develop options for crew interests, something that was left out of the crab plan.
According to a story in the Alaska Journal of Commerce, Steve Branson, organizer of the 100 Fishermen March in 2004 and president of the Kodiak-based Crewmen’s Association, spoke at a protest rally outside the council meeting.
“Crab rationalization has been devastating for Alaskan fishermen and Alaska’s coastal communities,” Branson said.
“The council hasn’t provided a forum for us to explain the problems of displaced crabbers. Our only option is a public protest in the hopes of public support swaying the powers that be.”
Council staff member Mark Fina said he would work with Branson and any other crew members interested in putting together options to present to the council for inclusion in the gulf rationalization plan.Items under consideration include crew shares of the harvest and development of a licensing program for crewmen.
“Right now it’s an open book,” Fina said. “It could be anything.”
The AJOC reported that in his testimony to the council, Branson said the majority of working crab fishermen were excluded in allocations of fishing rights and displaced by the rapid consolidation of the fleet in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Island crab rationalization plan.
Branson urged the council to maintain the status quo in gulf groundfish fisheries. “If you must push forward with the privatization of our (Gulf of Alaska) groundfish, make certain all American fishermen involved in the harvest of said resource are meaningfully included,” he said.
Several coastal communities, including Homer, submitted resolutions requesting that the council postpone action on the groundfish plan until after an 18-month review of crab rationalization and a thorough analysis of the social and economic impacts of excising share-based fishing programs, especially the individual processor quotas.
Support for GOA groundfish rationalization came from several participants, according to the AJOC. Jay Stinson, president of the Alaska Draggers Association in Kodiak, urged the council to move forward with gulf rationalization.
“We believe it is vital that the gulf trawl fleet be rationalized as soon as possible in order to maintain the stability of our fishery and the enhancement of the economic and cultural fabric of our sector of the gulf groundfish fisheries,” Stinson said in written testimony.
“The future of the Kodiak-based trawl fleet is more than just a local issue,” Stinson said. “Our fisheries are sustainable and our product is healthy. It’s important that we continue to protect and enhance the production of the Kodiak fleet to develop market-driven products that will maintain our position in the larger market place.”
The federal coastal oversight agency has given final approval to the state’s hard-fought revised Alaska Coastal Management Program to protect state coastal resources while providing for environmentally responsible development, according to a statement issued by Governor Frank Murkowski’s office.
“We have been working hard for nearly three years to update and reform our coastal management program into one that works for Alaska,” the governor said.
“The process was challenging, but the results were worth it. I’m very pleased that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and its Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management have recognized our desire, ability and legal right to manage development on our own shores.”
Federal law establishes standards for states to develop their own coastal zone management programs to achieve wise use of the land and water, while considering ecological, cultural, historic and aesthetic values as well as the need for compatible economic development.
The state has been working with OCRM since 2003 on a revised program that reflects Alaska’s unique conditions and needs.
In February 2003, Murkowski moved the ACMP from the governor’s office to the Department of Natural Resources, and in May 2003 signed a bill to reform the ACMP and amend its implementing regulations.
In January 2005, OCRM rejected the state’s amendments as not complying with federal approval standards, but later reversed itself, acknowledging the legitimacy of the governor’s legal objection.
In June 2005, the governor signed another bill further amending ACMP’s guiding statutes and allowing coastal resource districts eight additional months to submit revised district plans to DNR.
Conceding the accuracy of the state’s legal position, OCRM gave preliminary approval to the amended ACMP in June 2005. NOAA issued its final approval in a Dec. 29, 2005, letter from Capt. Craig McLean, NOAA’s acting deputy assistant administrator, which said Alaska’s amended plan met all federal requirements and standards.
All 33 coastal districts with approved district plans must now revise their plans to comply with the amended ACMP statutes and regulations by March 1. DNR and NOAA intend to review and approve those plans by March 1, 2007.DNR must also review and update all categorically or generally consistent ACMP determinations, as there have been no comprehensive updates of these lists since 1995.
The full ACMP broken down by district can be viewed at the ACMP Web site at http://www.alaskacoast.state.ak.us/Plans/intro.htm.
Cristy Fry has commercial fished in Homer since 1978. She also designs and builds gear for the industry. She currently longlines for halibut and gillnets salmon in upper Cook Inlet aboard the F/V Realist.
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