Update Halibut lottery tag for '04

[Longfin]

Just received e-mail from Janet Green and Don Bodenmiller regarding proposed halibut lottery tag for 2004. Just to refresh you, it was proposed to have a lottery tag for halibut to allow the opportunity for lucky drawers to fish at all depths on a day they choose. The idea is to allow smaller boats a chance to fish on a day that might be safer than the set dates given. The way it is looking is that in order to get approximately 100 lottery tags the season limit on the general tag would be reduced from 6 to 5. If we wanted to get approximately 300 tags then the limit must be reduced to 4 fish. There are a lot of details in the proposal that have to be ironed out but want to see what reaction we are going to get here. Is 4 halibut per year enough for everyone? Salty dogs voice your opinion. ODFW has given the OK on the ability of the department to handle the logistics of the controlled fish application process.

[corrirod]

I personally don't use 4 fish, let alone 6, but I'd be reluctant to let it go depending on where the extra funds were being placed. Is this proposed to be similar to the controlled hunt tags? Application fee? Tag fee? Any fee? Where's the money going? etc.?

I would need more details I guess.

[Deepslayer]

I think you should use the survey function and set up a survey on this. You would probably get more answers. I personally used six halibut last year. Of course I have ten kids and they all love fish. So I would prefer to keep it the way it is.

[South Paw]

I like the idea of 6 fish AND a lottery season.

[Miss B Haven]

A reduction in proportion like that means there is only 100 folks out there with a tag during normal season? Am I missing something here? Sounds small! [img]graemlins/stupid.gif[/img]
100 lottery tags = a reduction from 6 to 5 fish?

What's the total sport poundage again? :whazzup:

[CrazyFish]

No I don't want to drop from down from 6 fish. [img]graemlins/icon_argue.gif[/img]

We have quotas for this kind of thing people. :grin: If we have to we drop the quota to cover the 100 lottery tags that get their choice of days or if the quota is already over run use the August #'s.

We also need to keep in mind that there is an inside 30 fathom fishery that is open 7 days a week for those who can't make it out on the rough days.
Fred R.
Are they saying that these special tags are going to run us over in poundage??

Sounds like another goverment cut back to me. Give them a reason to cut the tag back to 4 or 5 fish and they will stay there.


P.S. Please keep in mind that this is my pearsonal opinion which usually doesn't count for much.

[Orca]

The numbers don't compute!

[Mello-Yello]

Kinda reminds me of the time I traded my 4 year old daughter five one-dollar bills for the $20 bill her Nana gave her...


My daughter was happy, I was happy, so why did the wife get so upset?

[img]graemlins/icon_argue.gif[/img]

[CrazyFish]

You said it all Mello-Yello

[Fishplay]

Nope! Not interested in any lottery ......period.

IMHO It is a very poor sollution to the Derby season.

What needs to be done is a tonage shift from the early season to the late. The ocean conditions are more predictable in July/August.

Six halibut is excessive for almost all anglers.

Reducing the bag limit to 4 per year and shifting some tonage would allow for a safer fishery that more of the public could enjoy.

As it is now you have a small percentage of fisherman catching all the fish. Those who can afford to pay $140.00 (per fish)to a Charter, those with larger more expensive boats, and those who are CRAZY.

If I had more opportunity to fish I wouldn't feel so compelled to run 36 miles out(also very expensive)to improve my odds of boating that fish.

The way I see it they are pricing the majority of sportfisherman out of the game.

I shouldn't have to buy a lottery ticket for a chance to catch a Halibut safely from my own boat. These fish are a public resource that the public should have a fair chance at.

If I do choose to make the run to the Ranch I should at least have more opportunity to do it at a safer time of year.

[ 04-21-2003, 10:28 PM: Message edited by: Fishplay ]

[Mark Mc]

How about another idea: shift some of the area 2A commercial quota (which is about 70% of total if I'm not mistaken) over to sport to allow for these "anytime" sport fish. Oh, silly me....the PFMC is dominated by commercial interests so that won't happen.

[Fishplay]

What you been sprinkling on your FruitLoops Mark?


Nice to dream. I agree, it is an unfair split.

However; the opposite is what is likely to happen if the commercial interests get their way. They are gunning for an increased share of Halibut now due to the closures in rockfish.

We need that sport voice at the PFMC badly.

[Mr. Fisherman]

I skimp and save and plan to fish the Halibut days and spend a good deal of money to fish all open days if at all possible. I use all the fish that I catch so NO, I am not interested in reducing the bag limit.
I like the idea of shifting the quota so we can get out later in the season.
The only logical reason I see holding us from doing this is the commercial and charter fleets desire to have the dates early so that there is a better chance of smaller i.e. Sport fishing boats being unable to make the trip. This increases charter angler days and adds dates due to low harvest against allocated quota.
I mean no disrespect to these businessmen and women, however, this public resource should be made safely available to all users if at all possible. I believe it IS possible but unlikely given the lobsided majority interest at the decision making level.
I have faith in the Commision and Chair Essler but the task before them is daunting and they could no doubt use our support should they decide to take on the task of adjusting the dates to make this fishery safely available to all users.
I think the charters would also benefit as day sailors and would be fishermen will be more interested in a quality experience on a flat ocean than chumming in a rough sea and having some stranger reel in the fish they paid $150 to go after. It should produce more repeat business to boot. I know that I have given out charter information to those who were interested in fishing with me after my seats were all spoken for. It is a big pond with lots of room.

[Pilar]

There's a few things here that confuse me. Every fisher in Oregon who buys a game fish tag can fish for halibut. It used to be that you had to buy the Halibut tag separate.

How does 100 all depth lottery tags reduce the annual limit to 4 fish? I know there are 500+ sport boats with several anglers each going west every one of the May derby days. So that would be at least 500 anglers? If you figure 1/2 the days are fishable then you get 1500 possible punches on the tag.

The quota is usually around 25 ton. At 40 lbs per fish, about 1250 fish. 25 lbs per fish is 2000. That's not very many fish. If you figure one punch on the card for all anglers is about 200 fish .....

It is suprising to me how few fish are in the quota. 25 ton sounds like alot until you look at in terms of #'s of fish. Reducing the annual limit will not reduce the # caught, just how many each person gets.

Should we shift 200 fish to the lottery tag? Why the overkill?

Maybe we should ask the Pacific Halibut Commission for more #'s to look at.

In the informal discussions I have had with ODFW officials there is a reluctance to go here with the derby fishery. The charters make a great percentage of their money from this one fishery on these 6 or 7 days in May and it is configured in such a way as to make it work for them. Early in the year is a big boat show and with luck and fair weather a part time small boat show.

Maybe if the sport boats got a larger portion of the almost dead trawl fleets incidental halibut quota we could be a little more flexible with lottery tags.