FIFTH OPENING – The Sitka seine boats Hukilau and Rose Lee pump herring aboard this afternoon at the end of Deep Inlet during the fifth opening in the Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery. The opening was being held in two locations beginning at 11 a.m. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson) 

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Daily Sitka Sentinel

Fisheries Board Weighs King Salmon Plans

By SHANNON HAUGLAND

Sentinel Staff Writer

Trollers and Department of Fish and Game biologists continued work this morning on a plan to present to the Alaska Board of Fisheries that would meet conservation goals for king salmon on three rivers in Southeast without the need to start the summer troll season later than July 1.

“We are working very hard and so I’m hopeful that we’ll come up with measures to achieve conservation goals for the stocks of concern while doing the best to harvest our allocation,” said Sitka troller Jeff Farvour. “We’re really concerned about the status of stocks of concern. We’re fully committed to rebuilding these stocks.”

Department biologists and fishery managers have pointed to poor ocean survival conditions for Chinook, with Southeast Alaska and British Columbia stocks experiencing historically low production levels.

The fisheries board has been meeting here since Jan. 11, and is considering action plans related to salmon, herring and other finfish in the last half of their meeting, which will run through Tuesday. The board wrapped up the shellfish portion of the agenda last weekend.

After a break for lunch today, the board was scheduled to reconvene at 1:30 p.m. to address an action plan on the Chinook “stocks of concern.” 

Chinook runs on King Salmon, Unuk and Chilkat rivers failed to meet escapement goals for at least four of the past five years.

Troller Mark Roberts said he and others in his user group are hoping for a plan that preserves the summer king trolling season, with a July 1 start date. Among possible conservation measures are postponing the opening to July 15.

“I’m very afraid of losing time with our cohos,” he said. “Kings are important to me in the summer, but cohos are my bread and butter.”

The action plans for the three king salmon stocks call for conservation measures for troll, seine, gillnet, personal use, sport and subsistence harvest.

Trollers today said they are concerned about rebuilding the stocks but also about how conservation measures will affect communities in Southeast.

“Our job is to come up with management strategies for the department to achieve those conservation objectives while harvesting our respective allocation – and without impacting any other sector,” Farvour said.

There is also the question of the portion of the action plan related to the spring and winter troll fisheries.

The Department of Fish and Game in its forecast for Southeast salmon said it is not overlooking pressures on king salmon stocks besides the ones in the three designated for special concern:  

“It is important to note that while other Southeast Alaska Chinook salmon stocks, including Stikine, Taku, and Situk river stocks, are not designated stocks of concern based on policy for the management of sustainable salmon fisheries criteria, low abundance of these stocks warrants very conservative fishery management in the near term. Management actions to conserve those stocks will also be considered during the January 2018 board meeting in Sitka.”

The fisheries board meeting is running behind schedule following the lengthy public testimony earlier this week on the hundreds of proposals submitted for board consideration. 

Of great interest in Sitka are the action plans for Chinook on the King Salmon, Chilkat and Unuk rivers and proposals related to the Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery. 

The Sitka Tribe of Alaska has submitted three proposals proposing to reduce the target harvest in the sac roe fishery and expansion of the core area for subsistence harvest off Halibut Point Road.

An industry association and individual seiners are asking the board to eliminate the area restricted for subsistence, and to lower the figure for the Amount Needed for Subsistence (ANS).

 

 

 

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20 YEARS AGO

March 2004

Matthew C. Hunter of Sitka recently returned from Cuba as part of a St. Olaf College International and Off-Campus Studies program. Hunter, a junior physics major at St. Olaf College, is the son of Robert and Kim Hunter of Sitka.


50 YEARS AGO

March 1974

Eighth graders have returned from a visit to Juneau to see the Legislature. They had worked for it since Christmas vacation ... Clarice Johnson’s idea of a “White Elephant” sales was chosen as the best money-maker; Joe Roth won the political cartoon assignment; highest government test scorers were Ken Armstrong, Joanna Hearn, Linda Montgomery, Lisa Henry, Calvin Taylor and David Licari .....

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