Board of Fisheries news and notes

Last week’s column covered most of the changes made by the Alaska Board of Fisheries that will likely be noticed by sport anglers fishing Mat-Su Valley freshwaters. In the past week through Tuesday March 5, the Board adopted one bag limit change that will provide additional harvest opportunity for some Mat-Su anglers willing to harvest pink salmon.

Pink Salmon, Anyone?

From Proposal 222, the adopted regulation will allow anglers fishing the Susitna River drainage to harvest six (6) pink salmon, in addition to their 3-fish bag limit of sockeye, chum, and coho salmon (only 2 of which may be coho salmon). Many commercial, personal use, and sport anglers have chosen not to harvest pink salmon —often in hopes of harvesting coho or sockeye salmon instead. This new bag limit would allow anglers to harvest or attempt to harvest sockeye and coho salmon in the same numbers, while providing an additional opportunity to harvest additional smaller pink salmon during the same trip. According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) pinks are the most abundant salmon in the Susitna River drainage, but often only about 5,000 of them may be harvested in an entire season. Pink salmon returns in the Susitna River drainage are often stronger during even numbered years (like 2024), and early pink salmon may start arriving at road-accessible tributary streams to the Susitna River between Willow and Talkeetna by the second week of July. The Deshka River (a 15-minute boat ride from Deshka Landing Boat Launch) can have sporadic abundances of pink salmon during this same time period, with greater abundances of this smaller salmon often arriving later in July and the first week of August. While many proposals submitted to the Board of Fisheries can be quite contentious — I did not hear a single person speak in opposition to Proposal 222 during the 11 days I participated at the Upper Cook Inlet Board of Fisheries meeting. Proposal 222 was submitted by Farley Dean.

Northern District Commercial King Salmon Cap Reduction

Proposal 206 by Tom Vania sought to reduce the king salmon cap for the Northern District commercial fishery from 12, 500 to 2,000 kings. The Board amended and adopted this proposal with a new cap number of 4,000 kings. This cap specifically applies to the portion of the season between May 25 - June 24 when the northern district is allowed to target king salmon with one net and one Monday period per week per commercial permit. For the 2024 season the Susitna River drainage sport king salmon fishery, Little Susitna River sport king salmon fishery, and this northern District commercial king salmon seasons will all likely be closed before the season starts, because of a poor projected 2024 king salmon return.

Commercial Eulachon Quota Reduction

Proposal 216 Amended the Cook Inlet Smelt Fishery Management Plan to allow a reduced harvest of no more than 100 tons rather than the 200 ton quota used the past few years. The board cited concerns for beluga whales that feed and raise their young in the Susitna River Delta, mentioned lower numbers of washed up eulachon observed by Tyonek area subsistence users, and observations of lower eulachon abundance within the Susitna River drainage when making this change. Proposal submitted by Alaska Wildlife Alliance.

Anderson Creek Area Closed to Personal Use Dip Netting

Proposal 228 by ADF&G established an area from approximately 50 yards upstream of the Anderson Creek confluence with the Susitna River to approximately 300 yards below the confluence as closed waters to personal use dip netting. This is a closure the department had been making every year by emergency order, that will now be covered by a more permanent fishing regulation.

Commercial Management Based on Little Susitna River King and Coho

Proposal 210, by this column writer, was amended by the board, to add king salmon and coho salmon counted through Little Susitna River weir, to sockeye salmon counted through the weir on Judd, Chelatna, and Larson Lakes and king salmon counted through the weir on Deshka River in the management of Northern District commercial fisheries.

The 2024 Upper Cook Inlet Board of Fisheries Meeting presented some unusual challenges when a board member missed some meeting time, because of an out-of-state surgery, while another board member (who developed COVID) attended the meeting entirely through a zoom link. In addition the ADF&G commissioner was called away to Juneau, during a portion of the meeting, and there was also a new system for submitting record copies (RCs) that the public was not familiar with, and especially at the start of the meeting. It was a challenging process, after which, many of those attending will look forward to the 2024 fishing season. Note: The board also adopted a Kenai River Late Run King Salmon Action Plan and subsequent regulations that will be used in Kenai River sport fisheries and the Central district commercial fisheries at least between now and the next planned Upper Cook Inlet Board of Fisheries Meeting in 2027. For more information look for upcoming ADF&G press releases and distribution of the 2024 Upper Cook Inlet sport fisheries regulation booklets (perhaps by early to mid-April).

Fish On!