Tag Archives: Board of Fisheries
Sockeye forecast adds concern to Board of Fisheries process
Upper Cook Inlet salmon fishery stakeholders should be concerned with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s 2017 sockeye forecast for many reasons — not the least of which is that the predicted low harvest will inject even more economic and allocation concerns into the debate when the Board of Fisheries meets in February. This past week, the Alaska Journal of Commerce reported that Fish and Game is forecasting a return of 4 million sockeye salmon, with an expected commercial harvest of 1.7 million — about 1.2 million fish less than the 20-year average harvest. Based on 2016 prices, a harvest of 1.7 million sockeye would be worth $10.4 million to Upper Cook Inlet commercial fishermen, which is roughly half the value of this year’s harvest of 2.4 million fish. For the fish board, which sets fishery regulations, seeing a low sockeye forecast ahead of an Upper Cook Inlet meeting is akin to the economy taking a dive right before a presidential election. Each side will have its own theory as to who or what has caused the decline — and that certainly will color the debate at the Board of Fisheries meeting. Read the rest here 09:39
Public weighs in at Board of Fisheries meeting in Soldotna
F
ishermen and the fisheries-inclined turned out by the dozens Tuesday for an open hearing before the Board of Fisheries to air their concerns on a host of issues. The Board of Fisheries, preparing to enter its 2016-2017 cycle, is holding a work session in Soldotna this week to discuss Agenda Change Requests and non-regulatory proposals and to take public comments. When the session was scheduled in October 2014, the board set aside an entire day for fishermen to make public comments on any issue they wanted to address. Commenters spoke on a variety of issues, but several recurred throughout the day. The issue that received the most comments, both for and against, was a non-regulatory proposal requesting the Board of Fisheries to lobby the Legislature to update the state fish habitat permitting process to include specific criteria from the Alaska Sustainable Salmon Fisheries Policy. Read the story here 11:20
Board of Fish considers commercial Yukon pink salmon fishery
A proposal laying the groundwork for a pink salmon commercial fishery near the mouth of the Yukon is on the agenda of this week’s Board of Fisheries meeting in Fairbanks. The proposal would formalize a fishery that has been taking shape by accident over the past few years, but there are concerns about how it would affect the struggling Yukon king salmon population. The proposal was submitted by Kwik’pak Fisheries – the major fish buyer on the lower Yukon. It would allow the Department of Fish and Game to open commercial fishing with 4-inch mesh nets to target pink salmon at a time fishermen are using other gear types to harvest the tail end of the summer chum run. Read the article here 10:34
Walker’s appointments director resigns after two failed fish board nominations
The official charged with picking appointees for state boards and commissions has left Gov. Bill Walker’s administration, a spokeswoman said Monday.Walker wouldn’t answer questions about the official, Karen Gillis, in a news conference Monday, saying her departure was a personnel matter. Several people involved in fish politics attributed Gillis’s departure to a dispute with the governor over his potential selection of a candidate viewed as aligned more with sportfishing interests than commercial fishing interests. Read the rest here 08:19
Board of Fisheries seat open again after Ruffner rejection
Editorial note: this article has been updated. Roberta Quintavell possesses a certificate from Harvard School of Business’s Program for Management Development in 2001. It is not a degree. Gov. Bill Walker has yet another appointment to make to a shorthanded Board of Fisheries, and this time the Legislature won’t be in the equation. After the second of his two board nominations failed to replace resigned chairman Karl Johnstone, Walker will have to appoint a new name from a long list of applicants by May 19. Read the rest here 16:16
Ruffner voted down for Board of Fisheries
Allocations among different user groups took a forefront since Ruffner’s nomination.Criticisms during the confirmation session came largely from Rep. Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, and other legislators who have recently attacked Ruffner’s suitability for supposed allegiance to the commercial fishing industry and lack of representativeness of the Anchorage personal use and dipnetting user base. Read the rest here 21:32
Southeast trollers fight for chums at Board of Fisheries
Regulations to increase the chum harvest for southeast trollers fell short. The Alaska Board of Fisheries held a meeting from Feb. 23 to March 3 to hear proposals regarding southeast Alaska and Yakutat finfish, which includes salmon, herring, and sablefish fisheries for commercial, sport, and subsistence harvest. The meeting limped along with only four voting members during many of the proposals, which kept at least one contentious measure from being passed for lack of board input. Read the rest here 15:08
Nominee Maw faces marathon board confirmation hearing
Roland Maw may not get confirmed for the Board of Fisheries until he hears from every Alaskan who’s ever cast a line or a net, whether politician or private citizen. More than 40 people registered for public comment online and were heard only after some aggressive questioning by committee members worried about Maw’s priorities, particularly his involvement with the Cook Inlet commercial fleet, the lawsuits of his former employer, and the consistency of his science and biology championing. Read the rest here 14:33
Cook Inlet fish wars dominate headlines again in 2014
The Upper Cook Inlet fisheries were tense in 2014, with an emotional Board of Fisheries meeting in the winter and new restrictions in the summer. Alaska’s Board of Fisheries met in Anchorage in late January and early February to discuss management plans for Upper Cook Inlet. By the end of the two-week meeting, the board for the first time approved changes that paired restrictions for sport and commercial fishermen. Read the rest here 17:07
Board of Fisheries readies for annual work session in Juneau Oct. 15 and 16
The board is meeting for its annual work session, where it hears preliminary reports on escapement goals for each of the regions it will discuss as part of its regular meeting cycle for 2014-15. The Board of Fisheries sets the management plans for fisheries throughout the state,,, Read the rest here 14:57
Board of Fisheries rejects Kuskokwim change
The board considered a petition from the Kuskokwim Salmon Management Working Group that would have enabled the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to restrict subsistence fishers to 4-inch mesh setnets, disallowing drift nets on the river. Board chair Karl Johnstone noted that there was not an emergency per say, because the board had been aware that the run this year was going to be poor. Read more here 16:11
Board of Fisheries hears nearly eight hours of public testimony – ADF&G website crashes.
The board heard from fishermen from nearly every UCI fishery who didn’t want to loose opportunity – and many who were concerned about declining king runs in the area. Much of the testimony was as expected, with stakeholders providing similar testimony to the written comments submitted before the meeting began. A total 234 members of the public signed up to testify. Read [email protected] Meeting resumes at 8 a.m. Sunday – 12:00 eastern 11:05
Board of Fisheries is in Session! Listen Live.
When in session, the Board of Fish hosts streaming live audio. Click here 15:44
The Upper Cook Inlet Board of Fisheries meeting starts this Friday.
Posted January 27, 2014 Alaska Board of Fisheries to Meet in Anchorage, January 31–February 13, 2014 on Upper Cook Inlet Finfish information here 17:42
No Go On Permit Stacking for Kodiak Salmon
This is Fish Radio. I’m Stephanie Mangini. Stacking permit proposals dropped. The thoughts on permit stacking between Kodiak set-netters was mixed at the Board Of Fisheries meetings last week. Around 30 set-net families wanted to re instate duel permit holding. This allows one participant to fish two permits at a time. For most it was personal, others principle, but all together controversial. Listen @fishradio 13:43
Tribal consultation plays unofficial role in North Pacific Fishery Management Council and Board of Fisheries process
Historical participation weighs heavily in fisheries management decisions, and Alaska Natives have thousands of years of history of fishing throughout the state, relying on salmon, halibut, crab, herring and other species for food and trade. When it comes to management, however, the oldest users report mixed success in participating in the decision-making process. more@alaskajournal 11:23
Decision delayed on Cook Inlet setnetters’ bid for more sockeyes amid low Kenai king run
In a 19-page lawsuit, the Cook Inlet Fishermen’s Fund accuses the Alaska Department of Fish and Game of violating orders from the state Board of Fisheries to give setnetters an extra 51 hours of fishing time over and above their traditional, two-days-per week openings. continued@alaskadispatch
Kings curbed: Individuals can’t keep them, but commercial boats fish on
As total closures or catch and release regulations have been imposed throughout Alaska on personal use and sport fishers, the commercial fishers have continued harvesting hundreds of thousands of kings. If there was ever a time for Alaskans to revolt over how our king salmon are being mismanaged, it is now. continued@newsminer
Rep. Seaton’s bill breaks up scallop monopoly – Board of Fisheries to decide on how to allocate scallop permits
Homer Tribune – In 2002 the Legislature adopted the temporary permit vessel limited entry program. “That policy led to a rapid and extreme consolidation,” Seaton said, “leaving 90 percent of the scallop fishery in the hands of a Washington-based corporation.” The F/V Kilkenny, based currently out of Kodiak, but making frequent trips to Homer, is the only Alaskan scallop operation in state waters, Seaton said. A monopoly on the majority of the $4.5 million fishery is held by the Alaska Scallops Association, a group of partners from Washington. continued
Ouster of Board of Fisheries member deepens chill between sport, commercial foes – a commercial fishermen is in the minority on the board
Never mind that the Board of Fisheries vote was 7-0 to adopt a new escapement goal range put forth by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game for Kenai kings based on new sonar counters, or that the same full board unanimously refused to adopt any new management measures at its statewide meeting in late March….In the days leading up to the vote on Parnell’s nominations, KRSA put out action alerts urging its supporters to call legislators to oppose Webster, blaming him for the failure of the Upper Cook Inlet Task Force to reach consensus on new management measures and for the adoption of an escapement goal KRSA did not support. continued
Board of Fisheries adopts change to Kenai king escapement
The Board of Fisheries changed the escapement goal for late-run king salmon on the Kenai River March 21. The new escapement goal, which passed unanimously, is 15,000 to 30,000. The change is based on a change in sonar counters 
from split-beam to DIDSON. The board took up the Cook Inlet issue as part of its statewide finish meeting, held in Anchorage March 19 to 23. continue reading
