Fish and game advisory committee hosts first meeting of year

PALMER — The Mat Valley Fish and Game Advisory Committee opened its 2018 with a meeting in a familiar place.

The committee would like to see a change to the regulation on community subsistence hunts. Those in the meeting debated proposals given by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game which the committee gives its input on.

Committee Chair Herb Mansavage is one of a group of passionate supporters of Alaska outdoors activities who sits on the board. Mansavage was displeased with hunting regulations, so he became a regular at meetings two years ago. After sitting on the board for one year, the 28-year-old Mansavage is in his first year as board chair. While Robert's Rules of Order may not be as strictly followed as in other publicly-held meetings, the committee furnishes passionate debate over the issues.

The committee voted on proposals 84 through 100 at its Jan. 3 meeting, a pace Mansavage would like to see improve. The advisory committee has no specific timeline for completion of review of the regulations, but it is one of 80 advisory committees in the state that must submit their review of the regulations in hopes that the state board of fish and state board of game will hear their suggestions and put them into action.

"Sometimes the amendments or unanimous yes or no votes send the loudest message," said Mansavage.

The committee took up Regulation 92 pertaining to community subsistence hunts, and the feelings were varied as to how to fix the issue. However, the board would undeniably like to see a change. Mansavage said that with so many different definitions in the state for what qualifies as subsistence, the committee struggles to find a concrete definition to give guidance on.

"Not all those who enjoy a nice moose rack on the wall are trophy hunters, and not all those who enjoy a moose dinner only harvest the meat," said Mansavage.

The committee aims to offer a wealth of knowledge on fishing and hunting in Alaska. Mansavage lauded the diversity of the committee as a strength in providing all points of view on any given issue.

"There's a lot of passion and different ideas. We have guides, bowhunters, non-guides, non-bowhunters. We have a diverse group of thoughts and feelings toward these things as we move further," said Mansavage.

Discussion on regulation of the community subsistence hunt near Glennallen, with stipulations that moose hunters must hunt caribou, brought lengthy discussion over what was fair and which hunters may have an advantage. The committee hopes to see a change in the way community subsistence hunts are regulated.

"There's five layers of mess. Most people are saying get rid of it and let’s talk about something new, a registration permit and draw tag because then everybody is allowed and you're still allowed to get in the participation of the hunt," said Mansavage.

Proposal 92 moves to strike current subsistence regulation and move back to the traditional 20-day season. The regulation states that subsistence hunters given an 'any bull' tag are meeting required needs and that the population of moose in the area is sufficient for a regular season hunt. However, subsistence hunters using the any bull tag are given 50 days, where others are given the spike, fork, 50-inch rule.

The committee continues to meet twice monthly to discuss and give their advisement on issues to the Department of Fish and Game.

Contact Tim Rockey at timothy.rockey@frontiersman.com.