Fishing for Food; Sports and Subsistence

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Fishing for Food; Sports and Subsistence

Postby Cotton Over Steel » Sat Dec 17, 2011 11:11 pm

Everybody feeding themselves is not always practical in states and countries with large concentrated areas of population; but in Alaska it is.

Alaska’s written priorities stated below, state that only commercial fishing is to be regulated on fish availability only, but this is not the reality. Large commercial interests dominate the state government, so sports fishing and subsistence fishing is also limited.

The regulating of sports fishing takes availability into account, but must ensure a wide range of public interest including subsistence and religious uses. Subsistence fishing alone is to be given unqualified priority. Federal law also states subsistence priority.

The 2003 State of Alaska Subsistence Annual Report page 26, state that the Southeast Alaska salmon only accounts for 6.9 % of the state total (79,434 out of 1,003,120).

“The major portion of coho and chinook harvests for home use in Southeast Alaska is taken with rod and reel (sport gear) ...64,670 sockeye harvested in Southeast/Yakutat Region ", Alaska Subsistence 2003 Fisheries Report, September, 2005.
1,525,000 sockeye were harvested in Southeast by commercial fisheries, according to the 2003 Alaska Commercial Salmon Harvests and Exvessel Values.

Some commercial, fisherman make large amounts of money in a short time; so the have a lot invested. Bob Thorstenson, Jr., a commercial fisherman, fasley states, in an editorial:

“I recently moved to Juneau in 2003, but was raised in Petersburg, where my family moved four generations ago in 1903. In many locations, nearly 75 percent and at times nearly 100 percent of sockeye salmon in Southeast Alaska are harvested by subsistence users. “
http://juneauempire.com/stories/010410/ ... 9782.shtml

Southeast Subsistence Sockeye harvest only accounts for 4.1% of the total harvest (64,670 out of 1,525,000). Those subsisting for sockeye salmon in Taku River, only get the crumbs left over after the fish pass by the commercial fleet.

Statewide Alaska subsistence users took about 1/2 % of the salmon (.0056 %, of 177,998,000 = 1,003,120).

Sports fishing and subsistence fishing combined only account for 3.5% of the total volume of fish wildlife harvested in Alaska, and should not be regulated when fish are scarce, in the same manner as commercial fishing, since commercial fishing has the greater impact with the least benefit to Alaskans.
“Commercial fisheries 96.5% 1.95 billion lbs. (est. based on 1994 harvest all spp. Except pollock)”, (source: Robert Wolfe, ADF&G Subsistence Division, 2000 in ISER 2000)

A statewide survey (DNR 1999) revealed that:
92% of all Alaskans consider the availability of high quality outdoor recreation opportunities important to their lifestyle.
85% drove for sightseeing/pleasure at least once in the past year; other popular activities include sport fishing (86%) “, Alaska Forest Legacy Program Assessment of Need, 8/23/02, page 39.

The Principles and Criteria for Sustainable Salmon Management, A Contribution to the Development of a Salmon Fishery, Evaluation Framework for the State of Alaska, by Phillip R. Mundy, PhD states:
" in providing for the needs of subsistence harvesters, in seeking to maximize the long-term commercial landed value, in providing recreational fishing opportunities ... It has been argued that it is reasonable for salmon harvest management to neglect stocks that form very small parts of the total harvest , …

regulations would be evaluated for consistency with the priority for subsistence use called for by statute.

…Commercial fisheries should be administered to ensure the long term sustainability of populations of aquatic resources including non-target , bycatch species) and their habitats.

Sportsfisheries should also be administered to provide long-term sustainability of aquatic populations and habitats while at the same time ensuring a diversity of recreational opportunities to a wide range of public interests (including consumptive and nonconsumptive as diverse as opportunities for religious and subsistence uses).

State of Alaska statutes and reports show that the majority’s priority and desire for sports and subsistence fishing. Federal statute also demands subsistence priority.

Is fishing for food practical for your area?
Cotton Over Steel
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Location: Juneau and Admirilty Island, Alaska

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