Newport Halibut Meeting 8/24

[Salty Walty]

The meeting had about 15 or so attending, 2 to 1 charter to sport. I did get to meet Tony Meeker Pres. of OR Anglers after the meeting. I missed the first part of the presentation due to the Bridge work. Please remember that this meeting was for the purpose of getting public comments. None of the proposals has been adopted. ODFW will submit any changes to be considered at the PFMC Meeting on 9/11-15. For those who wish to directly submit a proposal to the PFMC I will put the address at the end of this post.
Don briefly went over the allocation process for the Quota and its' %s for sub Area 2a CA,WA & OR.

Treaty Tribes 35%
WA Sport 23.8%
Commercial 20.6%
CA/OR 20.6%

The next was the Distribution for the Sport catch in OR, CA, & WA.

WA Sport

North WA 47.9%
Puget Sound 27.5%
South WA 21.7%
CR 2.9%
* WA did send some left over # from its other areas to the CR as it said it would. I did not get the exact #.

OR/CA Sport

South OR (S of Humbug) & CA 3%
Central OR (Falcon to Humbug) 92%
CR 5%

Then there was a breakdown of what the contribution to the CR was from OR & WA.

OR 65%
WA 35%

There was another slide with a breakdown of Open All-Depth Days by Sport Sub Area from 2000-2006. For my sanity I will post from 2006 only.


N WA 7 days
S WA 13 days
CR (as of 8/20) 36 days
Central OR (as of 8/20) 27 days

Then came the Public Comment Period and some info regarding future allocation increases for the CR Area. Remember none of this is set in stone so please keep this in mind. Some of this has caused there to be friction in the past and arguing amongst ourselves does not do anyone any good.

- Because of the catch sharing policy between OR & WA the likelihood of there being a split at the Border in regards to landing Halibut is very small.

- The 2007 Season will more than likely be status quo regarding allocation. There was a desire to see how this year panned out.

- There will be an assessment after Labor Day this year to see if increasing the limit to 2 fish is warranted. MAYBE as early as the 15th but more than likely towards the end of the Month.

- Changing the open Dates for the Spring to Fri-Sun (Reel Creel?) from Th-Sa as it is now.

- Increase the Spring allotment to 80% and the Summer to 20%. The split is 75/25 right now.

- Have the Summer open the first 2 weekends and assess progress from there. This would allow time to see if an increase to 2 might be possible for Labor Day weekend.

- ODFW should have one of these Meetings South of Newport to accommodate the folks down there.

- This one is my baby. Allow trolling only, for salmon in the Rock Pile Closed Area with a Halibut on Board. You would only be allowed to have trolling gear (Divers or rigged to use on downriggers, no mooch weights) affixed to rods in the Area.


These were the main ones being kicked around except for the last one. There were a few others but the overall concensus in the room did not make it apparent that they were something that warranted serious consideration.

This next part would be my personal interpretations and perceptions.
These meetings are good to attend if possible for a few reasons. You get to be part of the process. The chance to talk to fellow anglers and ODFW staff can really help you get perspective on an issue that is not possible on the phone or internet. It also gives you a chance to represent your particular group. Whether or not you belive it to be true or not. I sincerely believe that by showing up in person you show those involved that you have gone the extra mile and this shows your interest and concern with the subject.
There was a good deal of discussion about this Season and the how the weather affected effort. There was concern that there would be #s left on the table this year due to this and the fact that angler efffort was down. The subject of a 2 fish limit was brought up also. This brought up the question of how long do you want the Season to last. On a good weekend Newport alone has brought in +50K pounds. If the limit was 2 almost 2/3 of the quota would be gone in one weekend. It was agreed for the most part that it would be in everyones best interest to keep it at 1 fish and make the Season last. The fact that except for last year the Central Area has left # on the table was not lost and that this does get noticed. It was brought up that the reason might be that the Season was being set too conservatively with the desire to spread out the Season causing the left over #s. This led to some of the above proposals. The amount of effort after Labor day led some to suggest that this should be the target to manage to instead of October. Some expressed the desire to increase allocation to the CR. Some with stipulations and some with none. This will be a hot issue and it should be addressed so that the oppurtunity to harvest these fish be extended to all.

Mailed Proposals must be received at Council Office by 9/7/2006

Send Porposals to;

Pacific Fishery Management Council
7700 NE Ambassador Place, Suite 101
Portland, OR 97220

[SeaJayOR]

Thanks Walter.
You got my vote for the Chamber
CJ

[blubeast]

Thanks Walter for attending and the the summary of discussion topics... could not make it over this time.

[CATCH AND EAT]

Walter, thanks man. I appreciate you being there and the summery you provided.

[black magic]

Mr. Salty,
Thank you very much for the thorough and very comprehensive report. It is apparent that you have a good understanding of this issue. I do know that you have expended a great deal of time and effort just to help the rest of us and it is very much appreciated.

[Bluefinn]

Thanks walt

[ron m]

Walter, thanks for attending the meeting and for the report.
ron m

[Reel Creel]

SUNDAY

[Spoiled Daddy]

Thank you Walt!

the Spoiled Daddy