The Alaska Board of Fisheries is expected to make its decisions known today, Jan. 15, on a number of finfish proposals following three days of debates in standing room only meeting at the Kodiak convention center.
The 37 agenda items include proposals submitted by United Cook Inlet Drift Association (UCIDA) urging restriction of commercial salmon fisheries in the Kodiak area to limit interception of fish that UCIDA contends are stocks headed for Upper Cook Inlet.
Kodiak harvests dispute this claim. Duncan Fields, who chairs the Kodiak Salmon Work Group, noted that the restrictions proposed by UCIDA would limit July harvests of sockeyes bound for Upper Cook Inlet and restrict some commercial seine fishing in the Kodiak Management area to conserve Chinook stocks.
Fields warned the Kodiak Island Borough in a letter sent last September that these proposals would pose a serious threat to Kodiak’s historical salmon fishery and could reduce Kodiak salmon fishermen revenue by as much as 35 to 40 percent.
UCIDA maintains that recent genetic data shows that the Kodiak salmon fishery intercepts sockeye salmon bound for Upper Cook Inlet and it is reasonable to require Kodiak to reel back on Upper Cook Inlet reds at least in nonterminal fisheries. Fields counters that “it seems a fool’s errand to put additional closures in the Kodiak area based on random occurrences both year by year and place by place.”
All meeting documents, including on-time public comments in support and opposition to the various proposals, are available online at https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fisheriesboard.meetinginfo&date=01-11-2020&meeting=kodiak.
All portions of the Kodiak meeting are open to the public and a live audio stream is available on the board’s website at www.boardoffisheries.adfg.alaska.gov
The 37 agenda items include proposals submitted by United Cook Inlet Drift Association (UCIDA) urging restriction of commercial salmon fisheries in the Kodiak area to limit interception of fish that UCIDA contends are stocks headed for Upper Cook Inlet.
Kodiak harvests dispute this claim. Duncan Fields, who chairs the Kodiak Salmon Work Group, noted that the restrictions proposed by UCIDA would limit July harvests of sockeyes bound for Upper Cook Inlet and restrict some commercial seine fishing in the Kodiak Management area to conserve Chinook stocks.
Fields warned the Kodiak Island Borough in a letter sent last September that these proposals would pose a serious threat to Kodiak’s historical salmon fishery and could reduce Kodiak salmon fishermen revenue by as much as 35 to 40 percent.
UCIDA maintains that recent genetic data shows that the Kodiak salmon fishery intercepts sockeye salmon bound for Upper Cook Inlet and it is reasonable to require Kodiak to reel back on Upper Cook Inlet reds at least in nonterminal fisheries. Fields counters that “it seems a fool’s errand to put additional closures in the Kodiak area based on random occurrences both year by year and place by place.”
All meeting documents, including on-time public comments in support and opposition to the various proposals, are available online at https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fisheriesboard.meetinginfo&date=01-11-2020&meeting=kodiak.
All portions of the Kodiak meeting are open to the public and a live audio stream is available on the board’s website at www.boardoffisheries.adfg.alaska.gov
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