Dividing the Valleys salmon share

Several Mat-Su anglers and sports fishing groups have spent the past week in Soldotna testifying before the Alaska Board of Fisheries, focusing relentlessly on one topic: increasing the allocation of salmon for sport fishing.

Claiming a way of life, along with Mat-Sus valuable tourism industry, could go downriver unless changes are made, they are calling for a 50-50 allocation between personal and commercial fishing, instead of the current 90-10 split.

Although that is not likely to happen at this board meeting, sport- fishing proponents say theyre making their voices heard instead of allowing them to be being drowned out by the powerful and better-financed commercial fishing interests.

During testimony heard Feb. 13 and 14 in Wasilla, several local anglers and setnetters testified on behalf of increased allocation; although, they were still outnumbered by commercial fishing interests.

Bruce Knowles, a guide who volunteers with several sport-fishing organizations, said he was disappointed with the turnout of locals at the local hearings.

But they heard from people they hadnt heard before, and theyre going to hear the same thing in Soldotna, he said.

Dale Sandstrom, owner of Millers Riverboat Service in Big Lake, agreed with Knowles and other locals testifying at the hearing that the current regulations need to be geared toward more sport-fishing use.

We think theyre bum, he said of the current allocations. We need to manage better or were not getting more fish in the Valley. If they cant come up to spawn, there wont be any fish.

At the board of fisheries meeting in Soldotna last week, Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologists Susie Hayes and Bob Lafferty presented reports on

the fisheries and management of the chinook and coho stocks of the Northern Cook Inlet.

Craig Whitmore, the area management biologist, said the departments primary recommendation to the board is to slightly liberalize the king salmon fishery in the inlet.

One proposal would open the Deshka River for king fishing in 1999, Whitmore explained. Last years opening was for a single season. Another proposal before the fish board would open the Kashwitna River to king fishing up to the Parks Highway.

The Upper Cook Inlet Management Plan, which is one of 17 other associated plans, states the Cook Inlet fisheries would be managed primarily for recreational use through July 1.

This includes chinook salmon runs to Northern Cook Inlet streams.

A commercial fishery operates during Mondays in June, but during the last few years, this fishery has had only one or two openings a year. In accordance with the Cook Inlet Salmon Management Plan, after July 1, the commercial priority would go into effect. However, the board directed the commercial harvest of Susitna River coho salmon should be minimized.

Overall, chinook and coho salmon populations in Mat-Su streams have had good escapements in the past two years, said Gene Sandone, an area research biologist for Northern Cook Inlet with ADF&G. However, the department has concerns about the health of Knik Arm coho salmon stocks.

Chinooks on the whole are pretty good, Sandone said, with numbers of fish counted in 16 of 17 area streams meeting or exceeding the departments biological escapement goals (BEG) during 1997 and 1998.

To count the salmon populations, biologists do aerial surveys by helicopter during the week to two weeks of the peak spawning activity. Other counts are made using fish weirs or foot surveys. The only waterway that had a lower-than-expected king BEG was Prairie Creek in the Talkeetna River drainage, Sandone said.

Sandstrom, the fishing guide, agreed king returns were good last year, and he was particularly glad to see the Deshka reopened for king fishing. Ninety percent of his clients caught kings on the Deshka.

Sandone provided the following rundown for local fisheries:

For red or sockeye salmon, only 23,000 fish were counted on Fish Creek in 1998, and the departments escapement goal was 50,000. The state commercial fish division is predicting another low run this year, which might prompt restrictions on the creek, a popular dipnet fishery.

For silver or coho salmon, the Little Susitna River has been meeting the departments escapement objectives, which are planned to be increased this year from 7,500 to a range of 9,600 to 19,600 fish.

At Fish Creek, more than 5,000 silvers were counted last year, meeting the escapement goal of 2,700. But from 1993 to 1996, the escapement goals were not met.

Cohos in Cottonwood and Wasilla creeks historically have not met escapement goals, although escapements were considered good in 1998.

A bright spot in last years fishing was for pinks, also known as humpies. A whopping half million pinks migrated up the Deshka, probably due to the reduced commercial fishing in the Central Drift fishery to provide escapement of reds into the Kenai River, Sandone explained.

A puzzle for fish managers is the falling numbers of chum salmon both locally and statewide.

Chum harvests and runs have decreased, and we dont know why, he said.

The fish board is scheduled to continue deliberations and committee meetings through late February.