Petition to Repeal Proposal 117 - 15C (Homer) Sea Duck Limit
Some of you may know already, but the Board of Game has lowered Homer area sea duck limit to 2 per day and 4 in possession. This was done with out the support of the biologist or any data. The proposal was created by one person just not wanting people to shoot the bird in the area.
Buck Brown is fighting back and needs our help. He has created a petition to present to the board of game shortly. What we are asking is for letters or signatures for the petition.
What you can do -
1) Write a letter addressed to the Board of Game and send it to Buck at Box 77, Seldovia AK 99663. He is collecting everything to present to the BOG.
2) Sign the petition and mail to Buck.
3) Visit this website -
Petition to Repeal Proposal 117 and sign the petition electrically. The first two have more of an impact, but I encourage you for the minimum of the online form. Please add some comments to the form of your own, this always has more impact.
The fact that this proposal was passed is scary (you will know what I mean when you read the proposal). There was no scientific data or any user group input. Even if you do not use this area we as duck hunters need to stand together and help fellow hunters out.
Here is the petition and for your knowledge of the events I have put the Original Proposal 117 and the Summary of changes by the Alaska Board of Game for regulatory year 2009-2010.
Board of Game
4/2/09
re: Petition to Repeal Proposal 117
We, the undersigned, hereby support the petition to repeal proposal 117 5ACC 85.065. This proposal drastically reduced the number of sea ducks that can be harvest in Kachemak Bay. Resident hunters were dropped from 10 birds daily limit/20 in possession to 2 daily bag limit/ 4 in possession. We feel the original proposal said nothing about regulation changes such as bag limit reductions, and the public was mislead.
The head state waterfowl biologist Tom Rothe writes, "The department has concluded that the sea duck harvest is not excessive in Kachemak Bay and Cook Inlet". His recommendation for proposal 117 was: "Do not adopt." Surveys from 1999 to 2003 show from 15,000 to 30,000 ducks wintering in Kachemak Bay.
The Board of Game has made bag limits reductions to sea ducks in 1999 and 2001. State waterfowl biologists write: "The department does not have concerns that sea ducks are being over harvested and concludes that further restrictions to hunting will not provide conservation benefits to regional winter aggregations or populations of sea ducks." We believe that the biologist's conclusions should be validated by maintaining the previous bag limit.
Dropping of the bag limit is not necessary and was pursued for an individual's personal benefit and was not based on any scientific necessity.
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So that all signing this Petition are Educated on the Topic -
Original Proposal -
PROPOSAL 117- 5 ACC 85.065. Hunting seasons and bag limits for small game. Modify the sea duck hunting season for Unit 15 as follows:
Exploitation rates and thresholds of adundnace need to be maintained within easily accessible areas like Kackemak Bay.
ISSUE: Localized depletion of sea duck species from guided hunting.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF NOTHING IS DONE? Depleted areas cannot recover. Most of these ducks are not eaten or utilized.
WILL THE QUILITY OF THE RESEOURCE HARVESTED BE IMPROVED?
WHO WILL BENEFIT?
WHO WILL SUFFER?
OTHER SOLUTIONS CONSIDERED?
PROPOSED BY: Nancy Hillstrand
Taken from -
http://www.boards.adfg.state.ak.us/g...ok-sc-2009.pdf
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Summary of changes by the Alaska Board of Game for regulatory year 2009-2010.
Unit 15C, Kachemak Bay, modify resident bag limits to 2 seaducks totla per day, 4 in possession (harlequin, long-tails, eiders-((except spectacled or Stellars')), scoters, common mergansers, and red-breasted mergansers) of any species. Modify nonresident bag limit to 2 seaducks total per day, 4 in possession (harlequin, long-tails, eiders-((except spectacled or Stellars')), scoters, common mergansers, and red-breasted mergansers) of any species, with no change to the season bag limit.
Taken from -
http://www.boards.adfg.state.ak.us/g...hanges0910.pdf
Petition to Repeal Proposal 117 - 15C (Homer) Sea Duck Limit
