Tourists are enticed to visit this area of the Kenai Peninsula every summer by the promise of massive fish caught from the decks saltwater fishing vessels. This promise is a big part of local legends and a sign that proclaims Homer as the “Halibut fishing capital of the world” will be the very first sign that people see upon entering the city. Each spring hundreds of boats each come to Kachemak Bay for the annual Winter King Salmon Tournament.
However, as regulations for the fishing of king salmon and halibut have increased in the past 10 years the charter guides have ventured out into a different species: rockfish. This year it is reported that it’s the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has decided to limit the harvest of rockfish through an an emergency order to ensure that the population doesn’t fall to the point where there is there’s no way back.
“Things are going well. We’re experiencing an increase in harvest that could lead to excessive amounts,” said Mike Booz the area management biologist of the department’s division of sportsfish.
Booz tracked that trend back to 2014 in which the council that oversees the fishing on Alaska’s federal waters enacted the catch-sharing strategyto distribute halibut harvest among commercial and sport fishing within Alaska’s Gulf of Alaska and Southeast. Charters were required to limit the amount of halibut they are permitted to catch. Booz stated that right away that charters began going for rockfish.
The department has stepped up regulations for the fishing for king salmon also, with closures as well as reduced bag limits. That’s because the king salmon in Alaska continue to be afflicted with.
Ray DeBardelaben owns Long Live the Kings lodge in Soldotna and is the president of the Kenai River Professional Guide Association. He also guides clients on his saltwater boat, called the O’Dea out of Homer.
He has fished since 1980 when he claimed that it could be possible to catch 200 pounds of Halibut. He has said that he no more has a clientele who is expecting this kind of fishing.
“That clientele is gone,” he said. “So I’ve just put money into marketing and gained new customers. They grab the halibut, which weighs around 30 pounds. The first thing they’ll say is”wow.'”
He added that there are times when he’ll take customers out fishing for halibut by themselves or to fish for halibut and salmon, in tandem. However, he has been to focus more on trips that target rockfish and halibut over the past seven years.
Rockfish can be found further off the coast — to into the Chugach Islands in Cook Inlet which is located on the opposite shore of Kachemak Bay State Park. They’re also within Resurrection Bay, in the Chiswell Islands area, Booz said.
“That is quite a distance for a charter boat to go,” said Brian Ritchie an operator of charters from Homer as well as vice-president of the Homer Charter Association. “And it will raise fuel costs. However, businesses have demonstrated willingness to accept and we’ve certainly adjusted to.”
The Homer area fishermen have been observing the abundance of rockfish for the past few years. Recently the total amount of rockfish caught in the Cook Inlet salt water skyrocketed to more than 50,000 fish each year — which is a 30% increase over the previous average between 2006 and 2013 according to Fish and Game. The bulk of the increased catch of the species was black rockfish, according to the department.
Booz claimed that rockfish as a species are susceptible to being harvested too much. They don’t travel a lot however they tend to stay at the areas they prefer and are therefore easier to capture.
“Because we know exactly where they’ll be every single the day,”” Booz said.
The rockfish can also take a long time to mature, and they live for long periods of duration. Black rockfish can 50 years old.
Booz says that this is what makes it difficult to get them back — something that has occurred to rockfish fisheries in the lower 48. Booz added that’s another reason to be cautious and impose limits.
The new limits on bag sizes are three per every day at Cook Inlet, down from five along with three fish in the Gulf Coast area, down from four. Both areas have only one of the fish may be non-pelagic.
Booz stated that the announcement this week is an emergency order to be used during this season. Any future changes to regulations will need to be approved by an Alaska Board of Fisheries later this year at their Lower Cook Inlet finfish meeting in Homer in November. Proposals for the board were due earlier in the week.
Ritchie said that the fishermen of Cook Inlet are getting more comfortable with diversification as regulations continue change. In this year is one example. charters cannot catch Halibut on Wednesdays, and on some Tuesdays throughout the year.
“That type of anxiety, especially when it’s your company and your responsibility, can be stressful. It’s certainly been extremely stressful in the last two years, in particular, for businesses and operators in the Homer area,” he said.
Andy Mezirow, a Seward charter boat captain, and a member of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council A new proposal to establish an entity system for recreational quotas which is part of the federal omnibus bill of this year is likely to help to ease the pressure on rockfish as it will allow charter boats to capture more Halibut.
Another issue for charters is the rising cost of gas According to DeBardelaben who will begin fishing with his clients during the season later in February. The charter operator also had to diversify his offerings in freshwaterbecause of the king run that is in decline in the Kenai River, he prefers to take clients out to catch the sockeye.
He believes there’s been a shift in mentality.
“I’ve required a change in my perspective on the amount of fish I require, and how many fish do I want to catch,” said the fisherman. “And I attempt to impart that attitude onto my clients — the mindset that says, ‘We’re just going to go out, and we’re going to enjoy ourselves and we’re going to catch a few fish and then we’ll be eating it later.'”
The client wants to experience the thrill of going out to catch fish regardless of the species.
