Everyone needs to be aware of boat safety

Several of the local television stations have recently been running a public service announcement about boating safety. The PSA shows a rolling ocean with some wind and tidal influences. The narrator talks about how people involved in fatal recreational boating accidents rarely die from hypothermia in Alaska’s cold waters. The cause is more commonly drowning. The PSA concludes by asking folks to please wear their personal flotation devices when out on the water.

The fishing season is winding down here in the Valley. There are still a few fish to catch, but lots of folks are beginning to think about hunting. Many of those hunters will be using their boats to access prime waterfowl areas or for moose hunting along the hundreds of miles of river corridors in this part of Alaska. Unfortunately, many of these hunters do not consider themselves boaters when they’re riding in or operating the boat. Further, they don’t think they need to follow safe boating protocol because they’re hunting.

I hope they don’t take that same mind set when they’re driving their highway vehicle to their hunting destination — “I’m a hunter; I don’t need to follow safe driving etiquette!”

A media report earlier this week describes how a moose hunter boating near Pilot Point was thrown from his boat when it struck a submerged log in the creek he and his companions were running. All three hunters were thrown from the boat. Two made it to shore. The third did not. None of the hunters were wearing PFD’s when they were thrown into the creek.

The Alaska Bush is dangerous enough for those folks prepared for the pitfalls of their adventure. Don’t do something stupid by ignoring a simple and obvious action that would save your life! Whether you’re fishing, hunting, trapping, hiking, camping, or just taking in the scenery, if you’re in a boat on water, wear your PFD. You might be thinking about that brace of geese you harvested, the 60-inch moose rack you saw, or simply admiring the mountain background while you travel, but keep in mind, as the paragraph above points out, something as simple as bumping a submerged log can change your life in a heartbeat.

Speaking of those fish left to catch, here’s one population that doesn’t qualify. ADF&G issued a news release earlier this week stating, “The retention of sockeye salmon in the Larson Creek drainage and within a one-quarter mile radius of its confluence with the Talkeetna River will be prohibited beginning 12:01 a.m. Thursday, August 11.”

Here’s the reasoning for this restriction: “’The run of sockeye to Larson Creek is winding down for this year,” Sam Ivey, the Area Management Biologist in Palmer, said. “The sustainable escapement goal for Larson Creek is between 15,000 and 50,000 fish. As of August 8, 6,963 sockeye salmon have been counted through the weir…. Even if we use a one week late run timing model, the projected escapement is less than what is required to achieve the escapement goal. Allowing harvest of sockeye to continue would further limit the number of fish in the creek and have an impact on the spawning population.’” Unfortunately, this news release sounds like shades of the “old days” for sockeye!

This just in as I write this column, ADF&G has liberalized coho bag limits on three systems. Quoting from the news release: “The sport fishing bag and possession limit for coho salmon will increase to three fish beginning at 6 a.m. on August 13 in waters open to salmon fishing on Fish, Cottonwood and Wasilla creeks. In addition, fishing will be allowed at Fish Creek seven days per week, and anglers will be allowed to fish on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays at Cottonwood and Wasilla creeks. Fishing will be allowed on these waters from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day.”

The news release states that strong numbers of coho salmon within the Knik Arm are starting to show. As of August 9, just over 2,000 coho salmon have passed the Fish Creek weir. From reviewing the average run timing and current weir counts, the sustainable escapement goal of 1,200 to 4,400 fish will likely be exceeded. Previous studies indicate a strong correlation in run size between coho salmon runs to Fish Creek and runs to Cottonwood and Wasilla Creeks.

Speaking of hunting, the early archery moose season in Game Management Units (GMUs) 14A and 14B opened on Aug. 10 and extends through Aug. 17.

Howard Delo is a retired fisheries biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. This column is the opinion of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman or its parent company, Wick Communications. You can leave Delo a message by emailing sports@frontiersman.com.