The conundrum of rationalization for groundfish fisheries in the Gulf of Alaska may begin to clear at the February meeting of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council in Seattle when members get a reformatted version of the original 26-page motion.

For the last several years the council has worked with a rationalization plan that intermingles gear types making it next to impossible for the different sectors to understand how the elements and options within each alternative apply to their distinct fishery.

What works for big trawl boats doesn’t work for longliners or pot boats. What is good for big boats may hurt the small-boat jig fleet.

When it comes to Gulf rationalization, “I’m on the side — on the fence,” said groundfish fishery pioneer Melvin Larsen from Sand Point.

“Is it going to help? Will it take jobs away? I don’t want to see my neighbor out of a job.” Larsen said.

Larsen first rigged for cod in 1987 and with a partner currently owns two boats that trawl for pollock and cod as well as fish salmon and herring.

“If I thought more (cod) quota was going to the state, I would push for rationalization,” he said.

But, as Larsen points out, no one can explain how the different possibilities within the current rationalization motion will affect him or others.

Stephanie Madson, chair of the NPFMC, agreed the original motion “has been difficult to get your arms around.,” she said in a recent phone interview.

“We have directed staff to restructure the document so it’s easier to recognize which elements and options are applicable to which gear types,” Madson said.

Al Burch, executive director of the Alaska Draggers Association in Kodiak, is anxious to move rationalization forward for the segment of the trawl fishery he represents and sees reformatting as a tool to hasten that process.

“I know our segment of the industry. We’re ready to move,” Burch said. “This will give us a chance to explain our solutions and have the fixed-gear groups explain where they want to go and what they want to do.”

Julie Kavanaugh, who along with her husband Ron, owns the longline vessel Sylvia Star, agrees the new document is necessary.

“I believe the intent is to allow the council to address the separate issues of the different sectors,” she said.

But fishermen wonder, once everyone understands the implications of the various elements and options for the different gear types, will the council rationalize one gear type and leave the others behind?

Burch, believes they will.

“A number of the council members and the State of Alaska made it very clear. If a group has done their homework, has a plan and is ready to move forward, they shouldn’t be held back by any other group,” Burch said.

Madson concurred that moving one group ahead first is a possibility, but “we are not at that point,” she said.

“I can’t speak for all the council. (But) I agree with him (Alaska Department of Fish and Game Commissioner McKie Campbell). We will not drag one sector kicking and screaming into rationalization. Neither are we going to let one group hold back another,” Madson said.

“Some of the fixed-gear fishermen have been loud and clear about being rationalized and not being left behind,” she said.

Ron Kavanaugh believes separating the two groups would be a mistake.

“I feel if any gear type is rationalized first, it goes against the problem statement,” Kavanaugh said.

The problem statement outlines reasons for rationalizing the groundfish fisheries in the first place.

Kavanaugh believes rationalizing only one sector will have ripple effects for other sectors, and fishermen won’t be able to protect themselves because they can’t predict what the effects will be.

It’s happened with Bering Sea crab boats that fished for cod in the Gulf this year, Kavanaugh said. Although this impact resulted from a glitch in crab rationalization paperwork, it illustrates the ripple effect fishermen fear, he said.

The ripple effect is also a concern for coastal communities that are only now realizing the potential for devastating change as the Bering Sea crab rationalization program develops.

In an Alaska Journal of Commerce article Jan. 8, both the cities of Homer and Kodiak are cited as urging the council to wait for 18 months when a review of crab rationalization impacts is scheduled.

The Kodiak City Council and Borough Assembly meet in joint session tonight to discuss forming a community fisheries task force to consider new options for rationalizing the Gulf.

“The city is concerned about the current options,” Manager Linda Freed said.

Joe Sullivan, fisheries consultant for the city, has prepared a white paper for the group that includes a new allocation model for Gulf rationalization.

Sullivan’s model attempts to retain the benefits of the current models without unduly restricting new entry into the fisheries or drastically diverting fish revenues from traditional industry participants.

“Several council members thought it might be helpful for me to put together an alternative to address some of the concerns they have regarding the other rationalization systems,” Sullivan said.

These generally fall into the categories of either individual fishing quotas (IFQ) or harvesting cooperatives that include processors.

The city went on record against processor shares during crab rationalization, Freed said.

“They are concerned about that component in Gulf rationalization as well as all the things that might impact the city,” Freed said. “Where things go will depend on what happens at the meeting tonight,” though no official actions can be taken, she said.

Duncan Fields, a spokesperson for coastal villlages, believes communities need a stronger voice at NPFMC meetings,

Fields represents the Gulf of Alaska Coastal Communities Coalition, a group of 42 communities across the Gulf with less than 1,500 people,

“If we think about how a public resource should be used for the greater good as a matter of public policy, we should be listening to the community voice, not the advocate’s voice that’s advocating for the short term economic interests of their particular constituencies,” Fields said.