Archive for the ‘Fishing’ Category
Mafia-Style Rule Over Alaskan Fisheries
Who Gets the Money?
Just as the majority of modern-day ruling powers, the Management Council reserves the rights to please any party they wish and this preferential power has come into question as of late, particularly this summer as this group shake hands under tables in order manipulate where this money goes.
To begin, we can tell you where this money is NOT going…the Management Council currently wants to take 1.4 million pounds of halibut away from local, ma and pop-owned establishments and hand it over to charter fishing businesses in Southcentral Alaska by giving it to commercial fisherman. Without keeping the local charter fishing companies in mind, the Management Council has the ability to bankrupt these small communities who are truly the heart of the Alaska Fisheries and have been for centuries.
The “Family’s” Reasoning
Before we jump to conclusions, let’s hear the mobsters out. According to recent research, the biomass of Halibut is steadily declining in the waters off Alaska. Due to the decreasing environment and therefore decreasing number of fish, the larger commercial fishing companies have been regulated on the amount of fish they’re allowed to catch in the area, while the smaller charter companies have actually been able to catch more.
This doesn’t account for the fact that the price of halibut has soared since the mid 90′s. In 1995, a pound of halibut was selling dockside for $2 a pound and today sells for nearly $6-7 per pound. Overall, the commercial fisherman are getting to work less, catch fewer fish, and making a lot more money.
Conclusion
Apparently, the “council family” has grown tired of the entire issue which leads us to believe that they’ll be reaching a decision soon. The question now lies, will this mafia-family of Fishery Management take the local plight into consideration when coming to their own conclusion, or will the commercial fisherman who produce more at a lower cost ultimately win reign of the Alaskan halibut coast?
Fishery adviser is guilty of $100,000 in illegal fishing
Arne Fuglvog, U.S. Senates Lisa Murkowski’s top fisheries advisor was a recent candidate to become head of the National Marine Fisheries Service. Now, Fuglvog is pleading guilty to $100,000 worth of illegal fishing.
Fuglvog was a commercial fisherman for many years and has been the top fisheries advisor for the North Pacific Fishery Management Council since 2006. This illegal fishing charge will cost him $150,000 in fines and restitution along with 10 months in prison.
In 2005, Fuglvog took 63,000 pounds of sablefish, which is nearly twice what he was allowed to catch. Then he falsified the records to suggest that half of the fish had been caught in the central gulf instead of the Gulf of Alaska as they were.
Fuglvog has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor violation of the Lacey Act which was set in place to fight trafficking in illegally taken wildlife, fish and plants.
Fishing Alaska
When you bring up fishing in Alaska, the most common thought are of Alaskan Salmon. The Salmon runs in Alaska are famous for a reason, thousands of fish, clear waters, gorgeous seasonal environments. 
Halibut fishing should be famous for all of these same reasons, but is not. What some people don’t know is that Halibut can sometimes be considered to be a higher quality fish than Salmon. For some the taste and texture are simply preferred. Halibut is a lighter type fish, white in color in stead of the pink you get with salmon. The fish itself is much larger on average in comparison to Salmon and as such, if you get the right cut out of a Halibut you get the tender, amazing fish you’ve come to expect from salmon, but in larger morsels and portions. If you’ve never had a good cut of Halibut, you’re missing out. One of the most amazing culinary delights I’ve ever had in my life was a six ounce cut of Alaskan Halibut pan sauteed in a garlic parmesan cream sauce and served with a Lettuce wedge with ceasar dressing. The fish itself is saturated with the creamy garlic flavor and cooked well Halibut flakes away from itself in the lightest, fluffiest way in huge chunks of succulent fish. For all the fishing fun and culinary amazement you can get from Alaskan Salmon Fishing with half the crowds, Halibut fishing. Welcome to Alaska.
Freshwater Salmon Fishing
There a several different types of sport fishing available in all the different regions of Alaska. Whether you prefer the tranquility of remote fly fishing or having your rod double over from a giant halibut run, you can’t beat fishing in Alaska.
Fishing for freshwater salmon in Alaska is a dream vacation you should plan on. There is nothing like this experience along a remote stream fishing for native salmon that are swimming by you by the thousands. Not many people experience this phenomenon in their lifetime.
Freshwater salmon fishing in Alaska gives you the opportunity to be out in a part of nature where very few people are ever going to visit. This fishing action is incredible but it also lets you look around and take in the beauty. The scenery is breathtaking in this area and there is plenty of wildlife to observe. Much of the wildlife around is not seen in many other parts of the world.
Freshwater Alaskan salmon fishing is best done when the salmon are running. Salmon will spend the biggest part of its life in open water but when it is time to breed, they will begin running through the streams and rivers. People tend to vacation around this time to experience the best fishing possible. Standing in the middle of the stream during one of these runs is a phenomenon that you can’t describe.
If you are planning on coming to Alaska to do some freshwater salmon fishing, be sure to take some time to enjoy the other great parts of Alaska as well. It’s not very often that you get to travel this far to enjoy your favorite sport.