Congratulations to Gerry (The Bully) Merrigan the recipient of the first Enemy of Halibut Sport Fishermen Award!

Gerry, a highly connected (Prowler Fisheries) commercial fisherman from Petersburg, Alaska, is a voting member of the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council. Mr. Merrigan is the one who made the motion to limit Guided Anglers to one fish. In a recent article in the Anchorage Daily news he defended his plan as fair to both fleets, saying it “establishes a line in the sand that I think is long overdue.”

Gerry Merrigan’s tactics during public testimony at the Council are irremissible. He demonstrates complete bias in his line of questioning. Gerry’s questions to commercial fishermen are known as Softballs (biased questions asked help further the point of the testifier). Even after multiple warnings from the Chairman, Eric Olson, Gerry continued with this line of one sided questioning bolstering the points made by commercial fishermen.  

When a representative from the sport fishing industry gives testimony Gerry takes the opportunity to use his questions to belittle their position. A good example is as follows:

A charter operator from South East brought each council member a stack of copies of an exit survey their business did with their clients. Questions like would you return to South East Alaska if you were only allowed to catch one halibut were asked. It was a grass roots survey which should be respected as valuable input for the council in making decisions on regulations and bag limits.

Gerry proceeded to antagonize the charter representative. He said surveys need to be scientific in nature and asked if the person had any education in writing a survey. Merrigan also bullied the Charter Representative asking if they had prompted the clients on how to answer the survey. This is just one example of the many times Gerry stepped way over professional and ethical lines in his badgering of sport fishermen.

The Bully is as partial on halibut issues as a person can be. His willingness to step over the line and publically treat people with disrespect during Council Meetings is unforgivable. He needs to be removed from the position as he is a disgrace to the integrity of the process. Gerry represents an unyielding commercial bias. His bullying tactics and involvement in the process need to come to an end.

Please help. Write to Governor Sarah Palin and Chairman Eric Olson at the below addresses. Ask them to remove Gerry from the Council. Help put a stop to Gerry’s deliberate and calculated (and to date successful) attempt to destroy the rights of sport fishermen.

Governor Sarah Palin
P.O. Box 110001
Juneau, AK 99811-0001

Chairman Eric Olson
Kwikpak Fisheries
1016 West 6th Avenue, Suite 301
Anchorage, AK 99501