The Board of Fisheries held an emergency teleconference last week to address the Supreme Court decision striking down the Chignik salmon cooperative fishery. The boardestablished criteria designed to comply with the court's decision, which stated that the intent of the Limited Entry Act is that permit holders actively participate in the fishery for which a permit is held. The board's actions were intended to bring the regulations for the Chignik cooperative fishery into compliance with this ruling. The board reauthorized the cooperative with the provision that members must actively participate to receive any economic benefit. In order to be considered an active participant, a permit holder must make at least 10 deliveries in 2005 on his or her own card. The board will not allow split deliveries, preventing a boat from splitting the catch from one delivery among several cardholders. However, it does not require that every boat registered for the Chignik fishery be used in the cooperative fishery, which will still allow a small number of boats to harvest the co-op's share of the quota, but revolve permit holders on board. At least 51 of the 100 Chignik permit holders must agree to join the co-op. The percentage of the overall quota allotted to the co-op depends on the number of participants. Any permit holder who participates in the co-op may not participate in any other commercial salmon fishery in any other registration area either as permit holder or crew member from June 1 through Aug. 31 of that year. The emergency regulations will be in effect for the 2005 season, and the board expects to review the Chignik Co-op fishery again next fall.

Several fisheries bills are making their way through the House and Senate in the final days of the legislative session. Rep. Carl Moses, D-Unalaska, got approval of his bill to allow for $30 short-term seven day commercial fishing crew member licenses, a drastic reduction from the current rates of $60 for residents and $180 for nonresidents. Dubbed "Dude Fishing," the bill aims to attract tourists and allow them an affordable way to experience life on a real commercial fishing boat. The bill does not address the need for skippers to have Coast Guard licenses to carry passengers for hire or any insurance liability issues. The bill passed 37-1 in the House, and as of Sunday was in the Senate Rules Committee.

The House also approved a bill introduced by Sen. Ben Stevens, R-Anchorage that increases the cap on fees the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission can charge for fishing entry permits from $300 to $3,000. The bill also allows the CFEC to charge fees for vessel license plates and license renewal stickers. That bill has been sent to the Governor.

The Senate approved the controversial Senate Bill 113, which would give the Board of Fisheries and the CFEC the power to create a Dedicated Access Privilege program for groundfish in state waters. The bill was sent to the House and referred to the House Special Committee on Fisheries and the Finance Committee May 4. The Legislature was set to adjourn Tuesday, but at press time there was no word on the current status of SB 113.

The U.S. Coast Guard, Canadian Air Force and Fisheries and Oceans Canada have joined forces in an effort to control illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing by conducting air patrols that began last month and will continue through the summer. Fishery officers will monitor the North Pacific to stop illegal high seas fishing, including illegal driftnet fishing, which can threaten marine ecology. Long range patrol aircraft involved in the operations, including an Air Station Kodiak C-130 Hercules fixed wing aircraft and Canadian air force CP140 Auroras, will carry American and Canadian enforcement officials who will identify and report suspected violators for subsequent interdiction by the U.S. Coast Guard's Pacific Area cutters. Other organizations involved in the interdiction include Russia's Federal Border Service and Japan's Maritime Safety Agency. Rear Adm. James C. Olson, U.S. Coast Guard District 17 Commander in Juneau, noted the importance of international cooperation and enforcement in a press release. "Illegal fishing has a lasting and damaging effect on our planet's national resources. The North Pacific Ocean is an enormous area that can not be patrolled by one nation alone. Our partnership with other Pacific Rim nations and our commitment to the NPAFC make it possible to detect, deter and prosecute those fishing vessels that seek to illegally harvest global resources. The United States Coast Guard will continue to dedicate assets to this mission and work closely with our partners to prosecute violators to the fullest extent possible," said Olson.

Cristy Fry has commercial fished in Homer since 1978, and has also designed and built gear for the industry. She currently longlines for halibut and sablefish, and gillnets salmon in Upper Cook Inlet aboard the F/V Realist.