CHANGE, EVEN WHEN it seems like common sense, still takes time.
Such is the case for the recreational halibut fishery in the state of Washington.
State Fish and Wildlife Commission commissioners heard numerous calls for changes in how the recreational halibut season is scheduled during the public comment period at last Friday’s commission meeting in Port Townsend.
As the season now stands, halibut anglers are pushed into small windows of time, typically two to three days at a time, to harvest halibut.
These open dates are scheduled on weekends in May, with a rare early June date allowed if catch totals are not met.
The short duration of this fishery causes its own set of issues.
Boat launches are packed with anglers itching to hit the water, turning the scene into a grocery store on the day before Thanksgiving, or Nordstrom’s on December weekends before Christmas.
They’re packed and full of frazzled people.
You get lines a mile long at launches, flaring tempers and experienced anglers shouting at newbies to launch and park and get out of the way.
The short season also pushes anglers out on the water, sometimes in conditions that are too much for a small craft to handle.
One man made the comment that “it’s only a matter of time” until an angler or a boat full of anglers dies during a halibut opening.
Unfortunately, accidents at sea already have claimed the lives of recreational halibut anglers.
A 71-year-old man died and two others survived in May 2008 when their boat capsized while fishing off LaPush.
And in May of 1990, a vicious spring storm capsized three recreational boats, killing five anglers in the Strait of Juan de Fuca just outside Port Angeles.
Small boats are going to run into problems from time to time on the Pacific Ocean and in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. This is a given.
But having so many boats out for these halibut openings can spread thin the coverage capabilities of Coast Guard rescue teams.
It seems like the current schedule provides for too much pressure during halibut openings.
Anglers who spoke at the meeting in Port Townsend asked for commissioners to push for a longer halibut season when state representatives attend meetings of the International Pacific Halibut Commission.
The Halibut Commission regulates the fishery from Alaska’s Aleutian Islands near Japan all the way to Northern California.
A few called for a move to a British Columbia-like season, which begins in February and lasts as long as the halibut quota remains unfilled.
British Columbia anglers have the same one- fish-per-day bag limit as in Washington, but are limited to six halibut for the entire season.
“Some good ideas are in play about halibut,” said Ward Norden owner of Snapper Tackle Company and a former fishery biologist who lives in Quilcene.
“You would think after the Alaska Department of Fish and Game figured out that the gold rush fisheries like king crab or halibut were getting people killed, our experts might have learned.”
Rockfish rebound
Norden was mainly at the meeting to hear a presentation on Endangered Species Act-listed rockfish conservation and recovery planning.
Fish and Wildlife scientists have been working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration since three rockfish species (yelloweye, canary and bocaccio) were listed in 2010.
The public, including many members of the Puget Sound Anglers, helped with a test fishery featuring 98 anglers on 73 fishing trips.
Genetic testing conducted on these fish shed new light on two of the species.
Restriction-site Associated DNA sequencing tests helped scientists discover yelloweye rockfish found in Hood Canal are genetically distinct from those found in the Puget Sound/Strait of Georgia.
These fish will be treated separately in NOAA’s Rockfish Recovery Plan.
Canary rockfish were not found to be genetically distinct, and delisting from the Endangered Species Act is likely.
That’s good news for recreational anglers.
Bocaccio rockfish were few and far between in test fisheries.
More genetic samples are required to evaluate any genetic differences.
This information was presented at last by Dayv Lowry, a senior research scientist with Fish and Wildlife’s Marine Fish Science Unit, and Dan Tonnes, rockfish recovery coordinator with NOAA’s West Coast Region.
Puget Sound Anglers
A touch of the Last Frontier will be presented at tonight’s meeting of the North Olympic Peninsula Chapter of the Puget Sound Anglers.
Mozelle Maness will give a presentation titled A Taste of Southeast Alaska,” and show two short films “The Bush Pilots” and “A Fish Story.”
The meeting will be held at Trinity United Methodist Church, 100 S. Blake Ave., in Sequim.
A social half-hour begins at 6:30 p.m., with the meeting following at 7 p.m.
Maness also will talk about her experiences guiding visitors to observe bears at Herring Cove outside Ketchikan, Alaska.
Refreshments will be served, fishing reports will be offered and raffles for fishing gear and a $50 membership drawing (must be present to win) are planned.
For more information, visit www.psanopc.org or www.facebook.com/psanopc.
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Outdoors columnist Michael Carman appears here Thursdays and Fridays. He can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5152 or at mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
