Department of Fish and Game lacking answers

At a Wednesday public meeting in Willow with ADF&G Commissioner Cora Campbell, ADF&G Director of Commercial Fisheries Jeff Regnart and ADF&G Director of Sport Fisheries Charles Swanton, many of the public’s questions went largely unanswered or answered in a way that showed little or no concern with declining Mat-Su Valley salmon runs from the Department’s highest-level governor-appointed staff.

For those attending dependent upon salmon fishing in the Valley, the biggest issue was clearly why does the department prioritize management and harvesting Kenai River sockeye salmon over even achieving minimum escapement goals for salmon bound to Mat-Su Valley destinations? Regnart attempted to pass responsibility off onto the Alaska Board of Fisheries, but people in the crowd had been played for fools by ADF&G officials before and would have none of it.

A commercial drift fisherman stated that the Drift Fishery Management Plan listed several drift restrictions during the July fishery to provide escapement of salmon bound for Mat-Su valley streams, and asked Regnart to speak to that issue. Regnart replied that indeed there were several provisions in that management plan providing for escapements of Valley-bound salmon through the entire month of July.

When asked by a Mat-Su fishing guide why the department went outside the same management plan and opened commercial fishing in the area the plan listed as closed to provide for Mat-Su salmon escapement and reasonable fishing opportunities, the director of Commercial Fisheries’ reply was: “Opening commercial fishing in that area during that period provided one of the largest commercial harvests of salmon of the entire 2012 season.”

That’s exactly the point people wanted to make — ADF&G’s emergency action targeted a maximum number of the fish (Regnart claimed were protected by the plan) for harvest, without limit, by the most efficient harvesters of salmon in Cook Inlet.

In further rebuttal to Regnart’s statement that the plan provided for Mat-Su-bound salmon escapements during the entire month of July, another question was asked. When the department projects a Kenai River sockeye salmon run exceeding 4.6 million fish, does the plan remove all mandatory restrictions to the regular drift fishing periods during July?

State statutes state that at run strengths greater than 4.6 million sockeye salmon to the Kenai River there will be no mandatory restrictions during regular fishing periods, and Regnart acknowledged this fact. He then went on to state that the department retains emergency order authority to manage the drift fishery to achieve spawning escapement goals.

Unfortunately for most people attending this meeting, the Commercial Fish Division with this authority, for the most part, chose to avoid using it — even when it meant failure to reach even minimum escapement levels for several Mat-Su Valley salmon stocks. Instead, the Commercial Fish Division exacerbated the problem by focusing near maximum drift fishery effort on vulnerable salmon stocks transecting the middle portion of Upper Cook Inlet from mid-July into August.

Several Mat-Su and some Kenai Peninsula business owners expressed the economic hardship ADF&G salmon management had placed on their financial situations this year. Business loans may be available for some of these individuals through the Division of Commerce, Community and Economic Development once they have been turned down for a bank loan. One attending business owner lamented a thought I sure was on most minds at the meeting; “What good is a loan if there are no fish for my business to be able to repay the loan?”

As Alaska residents, numerous people living in the Mat-Su Valley and Anchorage dependent upon the salmon resource for economic wellbeing, providing food and recreation asked why the Department was not providing reasonable harvestable surplus numbers of salmon to reach the Mat-Su Valley? One individual acknowledged there seemed to be a whole staff of people in the Department of Fish and Game looking out for Kenai River salmon and the people who harvested them, but who in the department looked out for Mat-Su Valley-bound salmon stocks?

From the commissioner, the cirector of Commercial Fisheries and the director of Sport Fisheries, silence was the only answer.

Commercial setnetters from the eastside beaches of the Kenai Peninsula had also suffered through extensive closures of their harvest opportunities during 2012 and attended the meeting. A question asked by setnetter Paul Shadura was shared, at least in thought, by nearly everyone attending the meeting: “Given the same circumstances next year, will the department manage Cook Inlet differently?”

Commissioner Campbell’s answer was that, “Circumstances are always different.”

Shadura persisted, asking, “If circumstances were only slightly different, would the department manage differently?”

From the commissioner there was not even a hint that the department would make achieving Mat-Su Valley spawning escapement goals a higher priority. There was also no hint that the department would even attempt to allow more equitable harvest of Upper Cook Inlet’s salmon bounty.

There were many more thought-provoking and interesting points raised in this meeting than can be covered in a single newspaper column. I would like to thank all who attended and brought management issues to the attention of the highest level of ADF&G staff. I would like to thank Rep. Mark Neuman for hosting this event. While the process is slow, together we can make a difference for Mat-Su Valley salmon — and the process has been started.

Failure to achieve minimum salmon spawning escapement goals is unacceptable.

Failure to provide reasonable salmon harvest opportunities in the Mat-Su Valley and the Northern portion of Upper Cook Inlet must be addressed.

If ADF&G refuses to consider the whole public when doling out both conservation burdens and salmon harvest opportunities, the public should hold commissioner Campbell, director Regnart, director Swanton and the Parnell administration responsible.

Partial attendance List

I did not count people attending the meeting, but when I arrived at Willow Island Resort all of the available parking out front was taken and I had to proceed past a fee gate to park (my parking was still free for this event).

In addition, there were people arriving after me. For an event scheduled on a weekday during business hours, I was impressed with the people who showed up and voiced their concerns.

I head one estimate that 75 to 100 people may have attended, and a second estimate that topped 190, but I was too busy listening to count. The crowd included several politicians who represent portions of the Mat-Su Valley, including Neuman, Rep. Wes Keller, Mike Dunleavy and Sen. Fred Dyson. Rep. Shelly Hughes attended an earlier Mat-Su fisheries discussion the same day in Wasilla.

I apologize if I did not see or recognize other Valley legislators attending.

From the Kenai Peninsula, both commercial drift fishermen and commercial setnetters, some identified with printing on their clothing, attended and some spoke and asked questions. A biologist for the Kenai River Sportfishing Association attended and spoke. At least one Valley resident who set nets on the Kenai Peninsula attended and asked questions.

The president of the Southcentral Dip Netters Association attended. The chairman of the Anchorage Fish and Game Advisor Committee, chairman of the Skwenta Fish and Game Advisory Committee and two members of the Matanuska Valley Fish and Game Advisory Committee also spoke or asked questions.

From the Mat-Su, at least three campground owners attended and spoke, a bed and breakfast owner attended and spoke, at least five fishing guides and former guides were also in attendance, the Mat-Su Borough director of Economic Development attended and spoke, along with five members of the borough Fish and Wildlife Commission. Also attending were two members of the Alaska Board of Fisheries, as well as Curtis Thayer, deputy commissioner of Commerce, Community and Economic Development.