Alaska Board of Fisheries Agenda Change Requests for 2023/2024 Cycle Posted

The 2023/2024 Agenda Change Requests (ACRs) have been posted. The 13 ACRs will be considered at the Board of Fisheries Work Session scheduled for October 12 & 13 at the Egan Center in Anchorage. Comments on ACRs are due September 27th, 2023.

ACR 2 submitted by the Fairbanks Advisory Committee to reduce South Peninsula June salmon fishing time would put Area M salmon back on the Board agenda for the 3rd year in a row. ACR 2 requests the Board to:

• Conduct an out-of-cycle Area M Board of Fish review of the South Unimak and Shumagin Islands June Salmon Management Plan before the 2024 season.
• Change management to specific windows and delete caps.
• Consider  observer coverage for both the drift and seine fleets as well as point of delivery and within the processing plant.
• Develop plan for securing run reconstruction numbers on the Kuskokwim River and increasing accuracy of numbers on the Yukon River.
• Increase genetic sampling area and response time on analyses. 
• Consider a new Area M management plan with an annual review.
  

ACR 1 would require set gillnet anchors and buoys to be removed from the water when not actively being fished.  

ACR 3 would reduce commercial salmon seine depth in the Southwestern and Unimak Districts.

ACRs 4, 5 & 6 address Bristol Bay salmon gear concerns.

ACR 7 addresses Yukon Commercial gillnet gear.

ACR 8 would restrict Copper River Commercial salmon fishing.

ACR 9 would change sport salmon fishing regs.

ACR 10 addresses Nushagak sport salmon fishery management.

ACRs 11, 12 & 13 address Southeast Alaska King salmon management.

The Board will only accept an agenda change request:

(A) for a fishery conservation purpose or reason;
(B) to correct an error in a regulation; or
(C) to correct an effect on a fishery that was unforeseen when a regulation was adopted;

If the Board accepts an ACR at the Work Session, it will then be scheduled for a regular meeting during the 2023/2024 meeting cycle. The regular meetings this cycle are scheduled:

• November 28 - December 1 in Homer for Lower Cook Inlet Finfish
• January 9 - 12 in Kodiak for Kodiak Finfish, and
• February 23 - March 7 at the Egan in Anchorage for Upper Cook Inlet Finfish

Comments on Agenda Change Requests can be submitted here by September 27.

Alaska Legislature Confirms all Governor Dunleavy's Board of Fisheries appointees

 The Alaska Legislature met today in a Joint Session of the House and Senate to consider all the Governor's appointments to Boards and Commissions.

For the Board of Fisheries, Gerad Godfrey of Eagle River, Mike Wood of Talkeetna and Stan Zuray of Tanana were confirmed by unanimous consent. Greg Svendsen of Anchorage was confirmed by a vote of 53-7.

Alaska Senate Resources Committee Overview: Area M Fisheries Part II

 The Alaska Senate Resources Committee will hear the second part of an Overview: Area M Fisheries today May 1 @ 3:30pm. Invited testimony is scheduled by Kiley Thompson, Frances Leach, Brian Ridley, Curt Chanberlain and Virgil Umphenour. You can find the link to watch at 3:30 under the LIVE NOW tab at www.akleg.gov. Kiley's presentation pdf can be found here. Frances' presentation is found here.

The Senate Resources Committee Overview: Area M Fisheries Part I, Friday April 28 with ADFG Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang presentation pdf here, testimony video here.

Alaska State Senate Resources Committee to Hold Hearings on Area M Fisheries

Today April 28th the Senate Resources Committee will hold a hearing: Overview: Area M Fisheries Part 1. ADFG Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang will give that presentation, hearing will begin at 3:30pm.

On Monday May 1 at 3:30 in Senate Resources will be Overview: Area M Fisheries Part 2, with Kiley Thompson, Frances Leach, Virgil Umphenour, Curt Chamberlain, Brian Ridley.

Alaska Legislators Introduce Bills to Close Area M Salmon Fisheries

On April 12th Senator Donald Olson of Golovin introduced Senate Bill 128 to close the June salmon fisheries in all of Area M. The bill was referred to Senate Judiciary and Resources committees. Senator Kawasaki added on as a co-sponsor April 14th and the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on SB 128 April 21st.

At the April 21 hearing on Senate Bill 128, Committee Chair Claman made several points: His office has received more calls and emails on SB 128 than on any other bill during his 9-year tenure on the Senate. The Senate Judiciary Committee will not close the public hearing on the bill until “all who wish to testify are given an opportunity to testify.”  Chairman Claman recognized that there are constitutional questions raised by SB 128, and given the few days left in this year’s regular session, SB 128 is unlikely to get another hearing before the legislature adjourns. Members of the public should continue to submit comments to senate.judiciary@akleg.gov but avoid sending multiple emails.
The Senate Judiciary Committee heard limited testimony of just 20 members of the public at the April 21 hearing, 15 of those 20 from across the state were opposed to SB 128.

On April 26th Representatives Cronk, McCormick, Stapp, Foster, and Tomaszewski sponsored the introduction of House Bill 180, which was referred to House Fisheries and Resources committees. Senate Bill 128 and House Bill 180 are identical in language, and would close the ADFG Salmon Management Area M from June 10 through June 30 in 2023.

At this writing, House Bill 180 is not yet scheduled for a hearing.