Wheel of Fortune may take on a whole new meaning for Alaska fishermen

Federal managers are set to decide this week if small lots of halibut quota shares will be made available to crewmembers by a lottery system.

When a quota system was implemented for Alaska halibut and sablefish in 1995, shares of the catch were distributed according to each fisherman's historical participation and poundage. About five hundred people were issued very small amounts, many less than one hundred pounds. They've never fished them, and those shares have lain dormant. Federal fishery managers have suggested for years that the quota simply be revoked, and put into the total pool made available for each year's halibut fishery. More recently, the Deep Sea Fishermen's Union (founded in 1912) has proposed that the shares be redistributed to qualified crewmembers through a lottery system.

There is not much halibut involved, said Phil Smith, director of the Restricted Access Management (RAM) division of NOAA Fisheries in Juneau. "In most areas, halibut quota that would be subject to the lottery would be less than one tenth of one percent of the entire quota share pool. That's about 150,000 pounds statewide. And if we put the word out to these people to use it or lose it, there is a good chance the amount available would become even smaller," Smith said.

That poundage is still enough to make it worthwhile to displaced deckhands who would like to own a piece of the halibut action, said DSFU's Tim Henkel who proposed the lottery idea last December. Henkel's plan would provide increments of 5,000 pounds for the lottery, and it would only be available to those who have never owned quota shares.

"Halibut quota starts at $20 to $22 a pound, meaning a value of about $100,000 for five thousand pounds! So it is significant to a crewmember, and it gives them a little leg up," Henkel said. He said that he did not receive an initial allocation of halibut shares, but was able to purchase some through a federal loan program that helps entry level and small boat fishermen obtain quota shares. "It turns you into a new breed of cat, it's like home ownership. When you become vested in the fishery, you look at things differently and become more professional and accountable," Henkel said.

Accountability is another important part of Henkel's plan. "In order to qualify, you must apply to RAM and get the transfer eligibility certificate, which means you also must have documented 150 days of fishing time. So even if you don't win the lottery, you'll have all the paperwork in to purchase quota through the loan program. I don't care if you have a gazillion dollars, you can't buy one pound without that documentation," he said.

Phil Smith agrees that the halibut lottery "opens the door a tiny crack and lets in a few lucky people." The question becomes whether all of the administrative and official work involved is in the public's best interest for such a limited benefit. Smith said if the Council approves the idea in June, it will take two or three years before the lottery will be in place.

The North Pacific Council is scheduled to make a decision on the halibut lottery at its meeting in Kodiak this week.

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