Federal suit challenges hired skippers rule

A lawsuit brought against the National Marine Fisheries Service challenges the new "hired skippers" rule in the halibut and sablefish fisheries.

The plaintiffs, Fairweather Fish Inc. and Ray Welsh, must be pretty serious, with six lawyers signing the 40-page complaint.

Welsh is claiming the new rule discriminates against him because of his disabilities.

The suit is pending in the federal court at Tacoma.

For background, here's an item published in Pacific Fishing magazine that explains the hired skippers rule:

The National Marine Fisheries Service on July 28 published a “final rule” to clamp down on the rising use of hired skippers to harvest halibut and sablefish quota. The two fisheries converted to catch shares beginning in 1995. One goal of regulators was to encourage owner onboard fisheries. However, progress toward this goal was slipping because some initial quota share recipients were acquiring more quota and using hired skippers to go catch it. Initial recipients hiring skippers nearly doubled in the halibut and sablefish fisheries between 1998 and 2009, federal data shows. The final rule, which takes effect Dec. 1, will prohibit using a hired skipper to harvest quota acquired after a cutoff date of Feb. 12, 2010. For holders of such quota, the alternatives include climbing aboard the boat and fishing it themselves, or selling the shares.

Attention shellfish growers

The Alaska Department of Natural Resources is holding a series of public meetings, starting Monday in Homer, on revising the state's aquatic farm regulations.

Details here.

Halibut help coming

The National Marine Fisheries Service says it's implementing a plan to tighten halibut bycatch limits in the Gulf of Alaska groundfish fisheries.

Here's the press release.

Feds throw wrench into seine permit buyback plan

Deckboss trusts you recall our recent posting of the proposed plan for a buyback of salmon seine permits in Southeast Alaska. The plan listed the names of seiners who had submitted acceptable bids in a reverse auction, and the bid amounts.

Well, now the National Marine Fisheries Service has rejected the plan, saying the auction was premature. Here's the letter from NMFS.

The organizers, I'm told, are seriously annoyed with this setback.

A step closer to trimming Southeast seine fleet

The National Marine Fisheries Service today published regulations for a possible $23.5 million buyback of state permits in the Southeast Alaska purse seine salmon fishery.