Tag Archives: Alaska Fish & Game
Sac roe herring fishery opens as first spawn is seen in Sitka Sound
The Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery opened on Saturday, March 26. Seiners landed an estimated 450 tons of herring in 75 minutes of fishing, in beautiful weather along the eastern shoreline of Kruzof Island. The fishery moved into Hayward Strait on Sunday and was open for eight hours, from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. As of press time, the total catch for the day has not been published. Matt Kinney is one of 47 permit holders in the fishery. “We have such a large GHL that we’ll never even come close to scratching the surface of actually processing what we’re allowed to catch,” Kinney said. >click to read< 13:57
Dunleavy administration announces formation of bycatch task force
“We’ve had a reduction in or closure of the crab fisheries in the Bering Sea. The [North Pacific Fishery Management] Council is discussing how to deal with halibut bycatch, and I think there’s a lot of perception that there are bycatch issues associated with what’s happened with salmon in Western Alaska systems,” said Alaska Fish & Game Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang. And, he says, his boss has taken notice. “I think the governor was hearing loud and clear that there was just a lot of noise around the issue of bycatch,” >click to read< 12:52
Alaska Fish & Game plans to cut 30 positions in upcoming budget
“Like, I think, most of the department you’ve seen, there was pretty steady growth for about a 10-year period. For the last three years we’ve seen a pretty significant decline,” Brooks said. In three years, the department has cut 100 positions, Brooks said. There are two pieces of legislation in the works that would help raise revenue for the department. House Bill 137 would increase fees on fishing and hunting licenses. And House Bill 251 would assess an additional 1 percent tax on the commercial fishing industry. Read the rest here 11:18
Alaska Fish & Game bracing for possible shutdown unless the legislature can agree on a budget
“We’re trying to see, how can we manage as a bare bones staff, keeping that fishery open and making that opportunity available to Alaska’s commercial fishing industry,” said ADF&G Deputy Commissioner Kevin Brooks. Brooks says the commercial use group relies more on unrestricted general funds than other sectors do. Those monies could be scarce during a shut down. Customer service staff, lab services, and data support will also be curtailed during a shutdown, according to a AD&FG release. Read the rest here 07:39
