Courtesy Andy Mezirow
The Council chose to postpone an action that considered increasing the CHP ownership caps for a future recreational quota entity (an RQE). Current Federal regulations limit individuals and entities from holding more than five CHPs (with some exceptions). The proposed action would allow an RQE to purchase and hold up to 30 percent of the CHPs in each Area 2C and Area 3A. The intent behind this action is to allow the RQE to influence effort in the charter halibut fishery by temporarily removing capacity from the charter fleet (through the purchase of CHPs) and selling it back into use in times of high halibut abundance. The Council chose to postpone this action, stating that the creation of RQEs has not yet been approved by the Secretary of Commerce, let alone having an RQE established or funded in either area. One Council member stated that while some support was expressed for this capability, he felt it unwise to dedicate resources to pursuing this change until it was clear that an RQE would be functional. Staff contact is Sarah Marrinan.
