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Area 3A, the central Gulf of Alaska, took a bigger than expected hit, dropping from 24.02 million pounds in 2008 to 21.7 million pounds in 2009. Staff recommendations were for a quota of 22.53 million pounds.
Area 4A, Eastern Aleutians, will drop about 500,000 pounds to 2.55 million pounds. Area 4B, Western Aleutians and Bering Sea, is up slightly at 1.9 million pounds, and Areas 4C,D,E, central Bering Sea/ Pribilofs, are also up at 3.46 million pounds.
The total catch for Alaska waters is set at 45.5 million pounds, down from 50.2 million pounds in 2008.
The declining catch limits reflect decreased stock biomass as the exceptionally strong 1987 and 1988 year classes pass out of the fishery. They are expected to take another upswing when the above-average 1999 and 2000 year classes reach legal size, but IPHC biologists expect that to be several years down the line.
The commission set the starting date for the fishery at March 21, after the annual tug-of-war between fishermen eager to get fresh fish on the market and processors trying to clear the freezers before new product comes in. Last year the season opened March 8.
The U.S. Coast Guard is alerting mariners that beginning Feb. 1, it will no longer monitor the frequencies used by the older EPIRBs broadcasting at 121.5 or 243 MHz, rendering them completely obsolete. At that time, the Coast Guard and other search-and-rescue personnel will only monitor and receive distress alert broadcasts using the digital 406 MHz.
In anticipation of this change, the digital 406 MHz model became the only model approved for use in both commercial and recreational watercraft worldwide as of Jan. 1, 2007.
"A 406 MHz EPIRB is your best chance if you are in distress," said Lt. LuAnn Kehlenbach, command center chief at Coast Guard Sector Anchorage. "In Alaska, communications are very challenging due to topography and distance. 406 MHz EPRIBs are our most reliable option. Only one 121.5 MHz alert out of 50 is a genuine distress situation. Given the vastness of the Alaska region this has a significant effect on the availability of search and rescue personnel and platforms."
The 406 EPIRBs broadcast vessel information and emergency contact numbers to the Coast Guard along with the distress signal. Owners are required by law to provide that information by registering their beacon with NOAA at www.beaconregistration.noaa.gov/ or by calling 1-888-212-SAVE. This allows search and rescue personnel to quickly confirm if a distress signal is real, and identify what type of boat or aircraft to look for. It also means accidental activation of an EPIRB may be resolved quickly with a phone call to the owner.
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. She can be reached at cristy-fry@excite.com.
A recommended increase in Area 3B, from the south end of Kodiak to Unimak Pass, of almost a million pounds was not adopted; that quota remains at 10.9 million pounds.
