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Fish Factor: Many fishermen believe coast wide halibut science is out of whack By LAINE WELCH -  Alaska halibut is facing strong headwinds that have dampened the value of the catch shares needed to go fishing.    

Increasing imports of Atlantic halibut from eastern Canada, reports of several million pounds of halibut holdovers in freezers, speculation of reduced catches again next year, and dock prices down by $2 or more have caused a “major readjustment” in the market for individual fishing quotas (IFQ), according to Alaska brokers.  

“That definitely dims enthusiasm for buying quota, and prices have come down quite a bit from last year,” said Doug Bowen of Alaska Boats and Permits in Homer.  “The stuff that was trading at $65-$66 per pounds last year is down between $50 and $55. 

“Normally, as soon as the halibut catch limits are set the available quota is gone instantly. That’s not the case this year,” agreed Olivia Olsen who operates Alaskan Quota and Permits in Petersburg. 

Alaska’s total halibut catch limit for 2018 was set at 17.5 million pounds, a 10 percent drop from last year.

Both brokers said that halibut stakeholders were “blindsided” when halibut catches were slashed again after a small uptick in 2017.

“Last year folks were having good fishing and seeing better looking fish,” Bowen said. “A lot of people thought that maybe the trend of declining size at age that we’ve been struggling with for a dozen or so years had rounded the corner and maybe the stocks were rebuilding. Of course, that’s not what happened.”  

Every year biologists with the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) survey 1,500 stations from Oregon to the far reaches of the Bering Sea from May through September. The 2017 results showed that total survey catches were down 23 percent from 2016, and halibut weights declined by 10 percent.   

The biggest drop stems from a lack of younger fish entering the halibut fishery, explained IPHC scientist Ian Stewart, adding that the nine to 18 year old fish year classes that have been sustaining the recent halibut fishery are not being followed up by strong recruits.

“For 2018 and especially projecting out to 2019, we are moving out of a fishery that is dominated by those relatively good recruitments that started in 1999 and extended to 2005. It appears we are going to have an increasing number of relatively poor recruitments from at least 2009 and 2010,” Stewart said.

“A lot of people were caught flatfooted by the survey results that showed a significant reduction of recruitment coming into the halibut fishery,” said Bowen.

Even more ominously, this year’s catch limits were reduced by half of what fishery biologists recommended. 

“People are waiting for the other shoe to drop next year. That’s definitely another negative affecting IFQ values,” Bowen said.

Halibut quota shares in Southeast Alaska fetch the highest prices, reaching $70 a in recent years. Catches there were slashed 15 percent to just 3.5 million pounds this year, a figure that does not mesh with what fishermen are seeing on the grounds. 

“Last year they all reported that the halibut were thick in the shallows and deeper waters in Southeast and the Central Gulf also looked good. People were excited and feeling really happy. No one expected big cuts,” Olsen said. “And so far this year they are reporting awesome catches. It’s really demoralizing.” 

While fishermen are always willing to err on the side of conservation, Olsen said many are questioning the outcomes and believe that the “coast wide science is out of whack.” 

“They’ve lost confidence in the system,” Olsen said. 

She recommended that halibut scientists should use the data in fishermen’s logbooks to improve their stock assessments. And for the Southeast region, Olsen suggested that local fishermen who are familiar with the waters should be involved in the summer halibut surveys “instead of chartering a boat and crew from Canada.”

Roughly 2,000 Alaskans hold quota shares of halibut; most are located in Southeast Alaska. - More...
Sunday PM - April 15, 2018

“Nearly every school district in Alaska is struggling to do more with less. Without help, students will lose more teachers and lose more opportunity,” said House Bill 339 sponsor Rep. Les Gara  (D-Anchorage). “We have heard from teachers with growing class sizes, students who deserve the right to achieve, and parents considering leaving Alaska due to real concerns about Alaska’s commitment to public education. [Saturday’s] vote shows that education is indeed a top priority.”

In recent years, the loss of anticipated funding increases and continued flat funding has forced school districts to eliminate well over 700 teachers and support staff. The Anchorage School District has cut nearly 400 jobs, the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District has cut 231 jobs, and the Juneau School District has cut 92 jobs. Without a boost in school support, school officials project major teacher cuts next year.

“Every day I hear from Alaskans concerned about the future. They see teachers leaving for better paying and more stable opportunities elsewhere. They see schools with fewer classes but more students in those classes. And, frankly, they see many of their elected representatives in Juneau unwilling to make the necessary decisions to ensure the next generation of Alaskans have the knowledge and skills they need to succeed. I am proud to say that today a majority of the members of the Alaska House stood up for kids, parents, and teachers with their vote in favor of House Bill 339,” said Rep. Harriet Drummond  (D-Anchorage), HB 339 co-sponsor and Chair of the House Education Committee.

Several statewide organizations and school districts from across Alaska have come out in support of a $100 increase to thebase student allocation (BSA). 

House Bill 339  passed the Alaska House of Representatives Saturday by a vote of 22-18. After a reconsideration vote, the bill will be sent to the Alaska State Senate for consideration.

Governor Bill Walker in a prepared statement regarding the passage of House Bill 339 said, “Parents and teachers deserve certainty that Alaska schools will be funded consistently every year. I thank the House of Representatives for taking an important step in that direction by passing H.B. 339. I also thank Representatives Les Gara and Harriet Drummond for leading the way by filing this important legislation."

Walker said, "H.B. 339 modestly increases the base student allocation by $100 per year. This 1.6 percent increase amounts to $25 million per year and counters reductions of $70 million to school formula funding since the school year that started in 2014." 

"I support this legislation and hope to see it on my desk before session ends," said Walker. "We must not deprive our children of the resources they need to succeed. This is something the House and Senate – Democrats, Republicans, and Independents – can all rally around. Both bodies have taken actions to increase education funding and to provide budget certainty to educators. Given this broad support, it is my hope that we can finalize H.B. 339 in addition to a mechanism to forward fund education as necessary components of any final legislative package.”

Also on Saturday, in the midst of declining test scores [The Nation's Report Card] and school enrollment, rising healthcare costs, and struggles with teacher retention and morale, the Alaska Senate advanced a series of bills to reverse the downward trend of educational outcomes in Alaska.

“The Senate recognizes the difficulties facing Alaska’s schools,” said Sen. Anna MacKinnon (R-Eagle River). “This suite of bills will provide Alaska’s educators with funding certainty, open the door to a broader range of educational opportunities for students, and give districts additional tools they need to be successful.”   

As a centerpiece of Saturday’s initiatives, HB 287 delivers up to two years of full funding for schools, in addition to a one-time $30 million boost, which the Senate Majority Coalition says amounts to a $117 increase to the base student allocation (BSA) in Fiscal Year 2020. The FY 2020 early education funding and one-time grant portions of the bill are contingent on the passage of SB 26, a bill to protect the use of Permanent Fund earnings and ensure a dividend. Full funding for education in FY 2019, however, is not contingent on the passage of other legislation. - More...
Sunday PM - April 15, 2018

Ketchikan: 363 Ketchikan Donors Pledge Over $25,000 to 15 Local Non-profits By MARY KAUFFMAN - The Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) filing season has ended and nonprofits in Ketchikan have been pledged over $25,000 according to information SitNews requested and received from The Alaska Community Foundation. Additionally, non-profits based in Anchorage and Juneau that also serve Ketchikan have been pledged over $73,000.

There were 363 donors in Ketchikan pledging a total of $25,200.00 to local non-profits. The most donors contributed to the Ketchikan Humane Society with 61 donors contributing $3,800.00. KRBD Public Radio received the largest donation amount of $4,150.00 contributed by 47 donors.

The Pick.Click.Give program is run by The Alaska Community Foundation in partnership with the Rasmuson Foundation, The Foraker Group, United Way of Anchorage, and the State of Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend Division.

The local non-profits and their pledge amounts are as follows: - More...
Sunday PM - April 15, 2018

Alaska: Public Records Restriction for Past Marijuana Convictions Passes Alaska House - Today, the Alaska House of Representatives passed legislation introduced by Representative Harriet Drummond (D-Anchorage) to protect Alaskans’ ability to go to work despite past convictions for marijuana possession.

House Bill 316 restricts public access to records related to simple marijuana possession in the wake of voter approval of legalization in Alaska in November of 2014. The bill also calls for the Alaska CourtView system to be wiped clean of all marijuana convictions classified as a VIA misdemeanor. The citizens’ initiative allowed the sale and consumption of recreational marijuana but failed to address how to deal with those previously convicted of marijuana possession.

“This bill is not a get out of jail card; it’s a reasonable approach to allow Alaskans to get jobs currently unavailable to them because they did something that Alaskans have voted repeatedly they believe should be entirely legal,” said Rep. Drummond.

Drummond said, “This bill does not benefit drug dealers. Rather, it helps mothers and fathers clear their names from past mistakes, allows many of our friends and neighbors to apply for jobs they didn’t think they could ever get, and strengthens communities by providing new opportunities for those who continue to be held back by something that is no longer against the rules.” [Alaska rules.]

House Bill 316 passed the House by a vote of 30-10, it now heads to the Alaska Senate for consideration.

And on Friday, the Alaska House of Representatives unanimously approved legislation to ease an overly burdensome regulation that requires annual fingerprinting of those seeking to renew their marijuana establishment registration. House Bill 319 changes the fingerprinting requirement to once every six years.  - More....
Sunday PM - April 15, 2018

JOHN L. MICEK: Congress Not Up to the Task of Taking On Facebook - As I watched Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg go head-to-head with members of Congress, I couldn't help but have the same reaction I have when I get a pointless chain email from an elderly relative.

The inclination to smile, shake your head indulgently, and hit the "delete" key was impossibly strong.

Because after watching lawmakers fumble their way through the questions they posed to Zuckerberg, who'd swapped his customary hoodie for what appeared to be his dad's suit, it's not clear the majority of them possess the baseline understanding of what Facebook does to responsibly regulate it.

Let's face it, Facebook was wildly irresponsible with its handling of the personal information of tens of millions of its customers. It allowed its platform to be infiltrated by operatives working on behalf of a geopolitical rival who used it to meddle in the 2016 elections. Until it was caught, the massive social media company seemed entirely indifferent to changing its ways.

But the questioning from members of Congress, most of whom are old enough to be the 33-year-old Zuckerberg's grandparents, was excruciating to watch.

Take Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, who asked Zuckerberg how Facebook, which is free, made its money.

"Senator, we run ads," Zuckerberg said patiently. - More...
Sunday PM - April 15, 2018

RICK JENSEN: Crackdown on Facebook Would Be Good... For Facebook - From the moment Mark Zuckerberg began to read his opening statement, you knew he wasn't going to change Facebook.

Clueless politicians made it clear they didn't understand Facebook, so members of Congress were unable to drill down into details of Facebook's business model and just how much of your personal information is owned by thousands of companies.

Perplexed members of Congress suggesting Facebook change its business model to "fee-based" don't understand the advertising business and how many hundreds of millions of dollars and users they would lose.

Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana was most articulate when he told Zuckerberg his company's user agreement "sucks" and if he doesn't change it, Congress will.

Which would be good news for Facebook.

If Congress creates new laws that make it hard to compete in this industry, it will certainly make it harder and more expensive for competition to enter the arena, as Facebook already has the lawyers and billions of dollars to compete.

Does this mean Congress should do nothing?

Of course not. - More...
Sunday PM - April 15, 2018