State to look at proposed Alaska halibut charter regulations

With a deadline fast approaching on a federal plan to reduce the number of fish allocated to Alaska halibut charter businesses and hand them over to commercial fishermen, a handful of state legislators say they are going to take a look at the issue. To date, the state has ignored a so-called “catch share plan” developed by the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council, an organization dominated by commercial fishing interests. The plan is on the verge of becoming law under the direction of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Fisheries Service, whose Alaska regional director happens to be married to a lobbyist for commercial fishermen.

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