Tag Archives: Kenai River Sportfishing Association
Bycatch stirs debate at fisheries roundtable
Hosted at Kenai Peninsula College by the Kenai River Sportfishing Association, the three-hour event brought together a who’s-who lineup of fisheries and policy experts from Alaska. That lineup included Alaska Department of Fish and Game Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang, who said Bering Sea trawling is not responsible for Alaska’s declining chinook salmon runs. The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act defines bycatch as fish harvested in a fishery that are not sold or kept for personal use. The phrase is sometimes used generally to refer to the capture of fish that are not being targeted by a specific fishery that are discarded. >click to read< 09:59
Seawatch: Board of Fish meets March 9
The Alaska Board of Fisheries kicks off its meeting dealing with state-wide finfish proposals on March 9 in Anchorage, covering about 20 proposals and expected to last four days. Those proposals include some that, while generalized to fit the criteria of a state-wide proposal, are clearly aimed at the relentless “fish wars” in the Upper Cook Inlet salmon fisheries. One of the proposals, submitted by the Kenai River Sportfishing Association,,, >click to read<17:06
Board of Fisheries denies petition on hatcheries
The members of the Board of Fisheries agree that Pacific salmon hatchery impacts on wild salmon stocks are concerning, but they aren’t clear on what to do to address them yet. At a meeting Monday to consider emergency petitions, the board declined to consider an emergency petition submitted by the Kenai River Sportfishing Association and signed by a variety of Southcentral Alaska sportfishing organizations expressing concern about a hatchery operation permit. Specifically, the petition asked the board to intervene in a permit modification procedure for the Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corporation to increase its pink salmon egg take this season by 20 million. >click to read<15:35
Fields withdraws name from fish board consideration
It was a quick dip into the state fisheries politics pool for Duncan Fields. The Kodiak resident on Wednesday withdrew his name from consideration for the Board of Fisheries, a little less than two weeks after Gov. Bill Walker announced his nomination March 16, according to a press release from Walker’s office. Fields, a commercial salmon fisherman and former member of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, had become a flashpoint of controversy among sportfishing groups because of his background in commercial fisheries.>click to read<10:47
AJOC EDITORIAL: Time for Penney to drop vendetta against setnetters
Bob Penney is now 0 for 2 at the Alaska Supreme Court in his efforts to reallocate Cook Inlet salmon stocks at the ballot box, but he’s not giving up the fight against commercial fishermen. It’s past time that he did after some three decades of dividing the community with his nonstop efforts to drive his neighbors out of business and turn the Kenai River into his personal playpen. After the court emphatically rejected his ballot initiative that would ban setnetting from Cook Inlet beaches on Dec. 31, Penney released a statement that, “Maybe it’s time the federal government looked into this issue.” Read the editorial here 19:52
Kenai River Classic approach to future of fishing — Forum brings together leaders in recreational fishing industry
Don’t let the term “recreational” mislead you, sportfishing is serious business, and panelists at the Classic Roundtable on National Recreational Fishing made the case for it to be taken more seriously in public perception and federal fisheries management. The roundtable was put on Wednesday at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex by the Kenai River Sportfishing Association as part of its annual Kenai River Classic fundraising event. The panel consisted of various national leaders in the sportfishing community, representing Yamaha Marine, the National Marine Manufacturers Association, Center for Coastal Conservation Board of Directors, American Sportfishing Association, Alaska Oil and Gas Association, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and the Coastal Conservation Association. Read the rest here 10:46
‘Something fishy’ — Protesters sign their disapproval of Kenai River Sportfishing Association
The hundred or so people holding signs outside the Soldotna Sports Complex on Thursday afternoon were demonstrating their opposition to the Kenai River Sportfishing Association, which was holding a banquet inside as part of its annual Kenai River Classic fundraiser. But their message wasn’t directed at KRSA. Neither were the similar signs displayed by eight boats and a kayak in front of the riverside home of KRSA founding member Bob Penney on Wednesday evening during another Classic event. Read the rest here 14:38
Anti-setnet group scrubs site after submitting signatures
After the Alaska Fisheries Conservation Alliance submitted 43,000 signatures on June 10 to the Alaska Division of Elections seeking a 2016 ballot initiative that would ban setnets in urban areas of the state, the organization scrubbed its website to remove a link to a group it has previously claimed isn’t related to the effort. Although the AFCA shares several board members with the Kenai River Sportfishing Association, or KRSA, including the latter’s founder Bob Penney, the group has strenuously denied the two groups are linked based on their different tax-exempt status. Read the rest here 10:34
What’s in a name? State employee’s title called into question during Wednesday’s APOC hearing
It’s all semantics when it comes to one state employee’s defense against being required to file certain financial disclosure forms required of public officials with the Alaska Public Offices Commission. Kelly Hepler, whose title with the ADFand G is either “assistant commissioner” or “special projects coordinator,”, should have disclosed that he had received gifts, . Read the rest here 19:42
Cook Inlet fish wars, APOC receives about 200 complaints primarily from commercial fishermen, reject 198, will hear three
Kenai Peninsula and Anchorage residents with ties to Cook Inlet commercial fisheries — including United Cook Inlet Drift Association Executive Director Roland Maw — submitted the complaints to the commission Aug. 25 regarding the Kenai River Sportfishing Association’s Kenai River Classic and other outreach and lobbying of public officials regarding fisheries management. Read the rest here 10:01
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
Prosecutor drops United Fishermen of Alaska complaint without investigation
JUNEAU — After shutting down an Alaska State Troopers investigation that had barely begun, chief state prosecutor Richard Svobodny decided no criminal charges will be filed in response to a complaint from the United Fishermen of Alaska that someone at the offices of the Kenai River Sportfishing Association eavesdropped on its January board teleconference meeting. continued @ Alasksa Journal
New research: All fisheries important to food security on Kenai Peninsula
HomerNews – The Kenai River Sportfishing Association has used elements of a recently released study about food security on the Kenai Peninsula to assert that commercial fishing should be curtailed in favor of sport and personal-use fishing. Not so fast, according to the one of the authors of the study, Philip Loring. 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 to tackle thorny Cook Inlet issues
What to do when the Kenai River late-run king salmon may not meet escapement is up for discussion in Anchorage, in hopes that users and managers can find a solution before the start of the 2013 fishery. The Board of Fisheries will take up the Cook Inlet issue at its statewide finfish meeting March 19 to 24, with discussion on the late-run management plan scheduled to come up March 20. continue
UFA seeks legal action against KRSA — Commercial fishing group alleges sportfishing association eavesdropped on teleconference
United Fishermen of Alaska leadership says the organization is prepared to see the process through as it awaits response in pursuit of recourse to its allegations that someone at the Kenai River Sportfishing Association eavesdropped on a teleconference of a UFA board of directors meeting. “We intend to follow it through to some sort of logical and final conclusion,” said Bruce Wallace, interim president of UFA, a commercial fishing trade association representing 34 member organizations in Alaska. Read more
From the Deckboss. A Needed Juicy Diversion – Listening in
A potential legal showdown is brewing between United Fishermen of Alaska and the Kenai River Sportfishing Association. Read more, Well, Deckboss can just imagine what kind of stir this is causing!
