Exploring funding for Mat-Su salmon projects with legislators

On Friday January 6 the Mat-Su Borough along with the Palmer, Wasilla, and Houston Mayors met with Mat-Su Valley legislators to talk about legislative priorities. Mike Wood, chairman of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Fish and Wildlife Commission and I also attended and signed up to briefly talk about funding needs to operate 4 Mat-Su Valley salmon weirs and a coho salmon genetic testing program that provides additional knowledge from Upper Cook Inlet commercial coho salmon harvests.

As mentioned in an earlier Mat-Su Anglers Column, the Jim Creek and Chelatna Lake weir projects have not been operated at all in the past 3 years. While Deshka River weir project has been operated throughout the king salmon season, but only funded for the early portion of the coho season, and Fish Creek weir is currently funded only for the month of July and does not record most of the coho salmon return. All 4 locations are important Mat-Su Valley salmon producers with Alaska Department of Fish and Game established salmon spawning goal(s). Currently Little Susitna River is funded for the entire Chinook and coho salmon returns (which each have a goal) and also counts chum, sockeye, and pink salmon returns without spawning escapement goals.

Jim Creek has a coho salmon goal on the McRoberts Creek tributary and another location where ADF&G counts a similar number of coho salmon on most years upstream of Leaf Lake. In addition to coho salmon, Jim Creek may also be the largest producer of sockeye salmon in the Knik River system. Cost for a weir project from mid-July to September 30 is $55,000.

Chelatna Lake — At the head of Lake Creek would count a sockeye salmon population with the largest spawning escapement goal in the Susitna River drainage. This project has been unfunded for the past 3 years. Cost to fund throughout the sockeye salmon return — $60,000.

Deshka River — Currently counts a Chinook salmon population with the largest escapement goal within the Susitna River drainage — and also counts the early portion of a Coho salmon population with the ONLY coho salmon spawning escapement goal in the entire Susitna River drainage. Cost to extend the project from August 15 — September 15 which would count the full coho run, and allow inseason management throughout that entire timeframe— $40,000.

Fish Creek —Currently funded to primarily count sockeye salmon escapement during the month of July. Cost to extend the Fish Creek project from July 31 — September 30 inorder to count the complete sockeye salmon and coho salmon returns (both of which have established ADF&G spawning escapement goals) thereby allowing better inseason management for both species throughout the season —$25,000.

Total Cost for weir projects: $180,000.

The first question a legislator asked was, how would we prioritize the weir projects? All of these salmon projects have goals attached and each weir project has been used in the past to make inseason salmon management decisions. People from different portions of the Mat-Su Valley harvest significant numbers of salmon from each of these salmon populations. Is it even desirable to only allow inseason and postseason salmon management for salmon stocks from only a portion of the Mat-Su Valley? The Chelatna Lake sockeye salmon project and the Deshka River coho salmon project represent the two largest salmon spawning escapement goals and the Deshka River coho goal has been used to manage coho salmon throughout the entire Susitna River drainage — and especially when Deshka River weir was in for the entire season. When any weir project is Not run through a salmon season we’ve lost considerably inseason management ability and often don’t know — even postseason — if Mat-Su salmon spawning escapement goals were attained.

Multiple Mat-Su legislators commented that the amount of money needed to fully operate these weirs was a relatively small amount of money — especially considering how many people purchase fishing licenses and utilize the salmon resource. Compared to the other priorities discussed at the meeting, the funding needed to operate these already established weir projects is minimal.

Why were the weir projects cut in the first place? In the recent past with reductions in oil revenue state funding was cut throughout many departments and programs. When each department is asked to cut a specific amount without thoroughly considering the consequences essential programs may be lost or diminished. Travel restrictions and a loss of nonresident license and king salmon stamp sales, resulting from the Covid pandemic, compounded the lack of money to fund sport fish division projects. Like the legislature annually appropriates money for Commercial Fisheries management projects would not now be an appropriate time to use some General Fund monies to fund important and already established sport fishery management projects?

Fish On!

Andy Couch is a Mat-Su Valley salmon fishing guide and member of the Matanuska Susitna Borough Fish and Wildlife Commission. Thoughts expressed in this article are his own.