ANCHORAGE — The Alaska Board of Fisheries has designated northern district sockeye salmon as a “stock of concern,” a tag likely to lead to intensive study of the struggling Mat-Su salmon populations — but not to any immediate restrictions on commercial or sport harvests.

 The designation will help the Alaska Department of Fish and Game take steps to identify what may be causing diminished returns to Mat-Su salmon streams such as the Susitna, Yentna and Fish Creek. Last summer, the Yentna — a Susitna tributary used to gauge the strength of the larger river's overall return — fell short of its 90,000 sockeye escapement goal for the third time in the past five years and fifth time in the past seven.

 Because of the designation, it's hoped the Alaska Legislature will be willing to appropriate $10 million in funds the department estimates is needed to carry out further study.

ROBERT DeBERRY/Frontiersman Tim Wood, 14, walks through the tall grass along the edge of Cottonwood Creek carrying a red that he caught during the summer of 2007. Mat-Su sockeye returns have become a concern for Valley anglers.

 But it doesn't mean any immediate changes to the current management plan, a fact that isn't sitting well with Mat-Su sport fishermen who believe steps should be taken to restrict central district Cook Inlet commercial fishermen in order to allow more northern district fish to pass into the northern end of the inlet.

 “It's a big step in the right direction, but we feel it doesn't go far enough,” said Steve Runyan, who serves on the Susitna Valley Fish and Game advisory committee.

 During its deliberation process, the board heard from Fish and Game staff who said they're not entirely sure why Mat-Su sockeye populations have dropped. Cook Inlet commercial fisheries biologist Jeff Fox said Monday that in order to get a handle on the problem, Fish and Game will need to spend millions of dollars on studies, genetic sampling and equipment — such as more weirs to allow for accurate counting — before it can venture a guess as to why northern district stocks struggle while returns to the Kenai and Kasilof rivers further south are robust. Some current theories include pike predation, low water levels, floods, beaver dams, and overfishing by commercial fishermen.

 “It's probably a combination of all those things,” Fox said.

 Money isn't yet available to further study the affected areas. However, Fox said the department will request funds through the Legislature.

 The board has been meeting since the beginning of the month to consider management of all Upper Cook Inlet sport, personal use and commercial fishing regulations. Since the board meets just once every three years to consider the area, much is at stake for user groups hoping to see changes. Although the meeting is typically dominated by voices from the Kenai Peninsula, Mat-Su Valley anglers have spoken out loudly on the issue of diminished salmon returns to the northern district.

Runyan said Mat-Su anglers had hoped the board would do more to cut back on how many fish are intercepted by commercial drift nets in the central district. Runyan said he believes commercial fishermen should share the burden of conservation, and doesn't understand why the board decided not to take action.

 “I don't see how that is in keeping with a precautionary approach to salmon management,” Runyan said.

 Drift gillnet fishermen have a different point of view. United Cook Inlet Drift Association executive director Roland Maw said he does not believe the sockeye returns are as dire as they're made out to be.

 “It's not a crisis,” Maw said, pointing out that sonar counts used to determine returns on the Yentna are believed to be lower than what's been seen where the more accurate weir counts are used.

 Jeff Fox said it's likely that fisheries managers are under-counting sockeye returns due to inaccuracies in sonar data, and that's why more weirs are needed. Weirs can differentiate between salmon species, where sonar typically cannot.

 “It's not just under-counting, it's an apportionment issue with the other species,” Fox said.

 Maw said commercial fishermen do recognize returns aren't what they used to be, and his group supports further research that will come out of the stock of concern designation.

 “We don't think this is harvest driven, we think this is production driven up in the lakes,” Maw said.

 Maw believes the board's actions not to restrict commercial fishermen was appropriate. And, he said, UCIDA is prepared to pitch in with funding for further study of Susitna River drainage lakes where sockeye salmon spawn.

 “We're willing to put some cash on the table to help solve this issue,” he said.

 Maw said it's in the interest of his industry to help study the problem to ensure Mat-Su sockeye runs rebound.

 “Obviously, it's in our economic best interest to do that,” he said.

 The fight between northern district sport fishermen and central district commercial fishermen isn't over yet. The board is scheduled to continue its deliberations today, and can still make changes to management plans.

 However, Susitna Valley advisory committee chair Bruce Knowles doesn't see that happening, and plans to take Mat-Su anglers' concerns to the Alaska Legislature or possibly to the ballot box through the initiative process in order to force fisheries managers to cut commercial time and pass more fish through to the Valley. As it currently stands, Knowles said the stock of concern designation is essentially a toothless edict.

 “This is a stock of concern without a concern,” Knowles said.

 Knowles he's disappointed by what he thinks is a lack of urgency on the part of both Cook Inlet biologists and commercial fishermen of what Mat-Su sport anglers believe is an impending crisis.

 “Nobody is concerned about the fish.”

 Some other notable measures taken by the board over the weekend include:

 • Decreasing the daily bag limit on Big Lake burbot from five to two and establishing a closed burbot season on Big Lake between March 15 and May 1 to protect spawning fish;

 • Allowing five lines to be fished simultaneously when ice fishing for pike in the Knik Arm drainage; and

 • Expanding the open king fishing area at the Eklutna Tailrace.

 Contact Matt Tunseth at 352-2265 or matt.tunseth@

frontiersman.com