Opinion ID: 2204600
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Evidence at the hearings

Text: At his initial hearing on December 6, 1995, Doubleday appeared telephonically and represented himself. He was not able to testify specifically regarding the years he believed he had participated or the extent of his participation. When asked if he had participated in each of the years 1979 through 1984 in the Northern fishery, he replied: It's beenbeen some time, and off the top of my head II can't be absolutely sure that'sthat's absolutely correct. Although I do know that Ithat I fished thereyou know, at points during theat that time period. The hearing officer followed up by asking him to confirm his recollection of his participation in the Southern fishery, for which he claimed additional points for 1981, 1983, and 1984. He answered, II believe that's correct, yeah. Doubleday said he had owned a number of vessels, but said his longlining boats were the KETCHUM IIa smaller vessel he owned through 1982 and converted from a trolling vessel to a longlining vesseland the EASTERNa larger vessel he gradually transferred over to as his main vessel from 1979 to 1982 and continued to use. He believed, though he could not specifically recall, that he had used the KETCHUM II in the inside sablefish fisheries. He stated that he used the EASTERN primarily for longlining for both halibut and sablefish. He always sold the sablefish to commercial buyers, mainly in Alaska but perhaps also in Prince Rupert, British Columbia. He testified that he longlined and trolled in the early 1980's and ended his trolling efforts altogether towards '85. After taking some testimony and learning that Doubleday had no witnesses or documentary evidence of participation in either fishery through 1984, the hearing officer stopped the hearing. He told Doubleday he would obtain a printout of all known fish tickets and recommended that Doubleday look into specific additional sources of evidence of his participation, and continued the hearing until January 24, 1996. At the January 1996 hearing, Doubleday represented himself, but mentioned that his attorney had recommenced his efforts to locate the seized records. He did not ask for a continuance and the hearing proceeded, but the record was left open for an additional year and a half in case Doubleday or his attorney located further information. Also at the January 1996 hearing, the hearing officer reviewed each year for each fishery, noting the catches for which the department had records for salmon and halibut. For each year, Doubleday sold halibut or salmon during the sablefish season, and the hearing officer asked if it was conceivable that he would have been fishing both sablefish and salmon during those seasons and whether he would have sold the sablefish at the same time he sold the other fish. Doubleday indicated that he had done a lot of combination fishing in those days and said it was conceivable. He testified that he did not believe he had missed any sablefish season in the Northern fishery back through 1978. When asked if he had an explanation for why the Department of Fish and Game had no fish tickets, he stated that he knew that the department had lost some records and he hypothesized that some of his sablefish tickets could be among them. The hearing officer asked him about a loan application for the purchase of a larger boat in 1979, on which he was asked to list his fishing history, and on which he listed halibut and salmon but not sablefish. Doubleday responded that sablefish prices were depressed at the time he filled out the loan application and his crew was putting in the effort but not making money from that fish. Doubleday could not remember specifics about any individual season other than the years in which he had gotten credit for landing sablefish in the Southern fishery, 1981 and 1982. Doubleday submitted affidavits from several persons, all identical, stating: This note will serve as an affidavit that I, [affiant], have knowledge of Morgan Doubleday fishing the vessel Eastern 228794 during the years 1980-1990 and during this time he primarily fished black cod and halibut longline conventional gear. The Eastern was involved in statewide as well as Clarence Straits and Chatham Straits fishing during this 10 year period. I can recall Morgan Doubleday and the Eastern fishing grounds with us and can remember him making deliveries to various plants with his product of longline caught black cod. Doubleday never submitted any other testimony or evidence from other crew members or companies that might have purchased sablefish. No additional records or evidence were submitted before the record was closed on June 2, 1997.