Fish and Game orders necessary

We live in an area with a mixed bag of fishing opportunities and a wide variation in management actions for those same fisheries resources. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has issued a couple of emergency orders this past week outlining both positive and negative management strategies for our Mat-Su salmon species.

The following is from a recent news release by Fish and Game:

Beginning Aug. 5, “the retention of sockeye salmon in the Larson Creek drainage and within a one-quarter mile radius of its confluence with the Talkeetna River is prohibited. Sockeye salmon may not be retained or possessed and must be released immediately if caught while fishing for other species. Sport fishing and harvest of other salmon is not affected by this emergency order.”

The release continues:

“The sustainable escapement goal for sockeye salmon in Larson Creek is 15,000-50,000 fish. The weir count through August 2 was 5,020 fish. Based on historical run timing, approximately 60 percent of the run has historically passed upstream of the weir. Even using a projected run timing of 5 days late, the projected escapement is less than what is required to achieve the escapement goal.”

This is a necessary but negative management order.

A second news release states, beginning Aug. 6, “the bag and possession limit for coho (silver) salmon 16 inches or greater in length is increased from two to three fish in the waters of the Little Susitna River from its mouth upstream to the Parks Highways bridge. The coho salmon bag limit is in combination with current limits for pink, chum and sockeye salmon; three fish per day and in possession.”

The second release continues:

“The sustainable escapement goal (SEG) for coho salmon in the Little Susitna is 10,100-17,700 fish. As of August 4, a total of 8,320 coho salmon have passed the Little Susitna weir. Based on weir counts and using average run timing, the department is projecting to exceed the SEG. By August 6, as much as 50 percent of the harvest has typically taken place in the sport fishery. It is not anticipated that increased sport harvest from this emergency order will lower escapement below the goal in the Little Susitna River.”

This also is an appropriate, but highly positive management order!

Within 24 hours, we see one fishery being closed for lack of returning numbers and a second fishery being expanded because there are good numbers of fish entering the drainage. These Sport Fish Division-issued actions are both warranted and appropriate, in my opinion. They result from a combination of factors including but not limited to: how the commercial fisheries are being managed in the saltwater, and the strength of the specific return of fish.

The Commercial Fisheries Division manages our Cook Inlet salmon stocks out in the saltwater. They have the “luxury” of generally large numbers of fish to structure their commercial fishing periods around. The Sport Fish Division takes over once the fish move into the freshwaters of Cook Inlet. That puts the Sport Fish folks in a potentially awkward position of having to manage what actually escapes the commercial nets and/or what few fish may return during weak years.

Neither division has an easy job. The Commercial Division folks come under scrutiny and pressure from all commercial gear types, plus the in-river users, all of whom want as many fish as they each can get. The Sport Fish Division folks come under criticism and pressure from sport and guided sport users when restrictions become necessary to protect, enhance, or rebuild a salmon stock because of whatever caused the decline.

When I worked for Fish and Game, I kept two separate files regarding public input about projects in which I was involved: one labeled “Oh S*#T” and one labeled “Atta Boy.” I think you can guess which one was the thickest — by a factor of 10 at least!

I hope the two fisheries management division biologists involved in Cook Inlet salmon stock management will view this column as a possible addition to their “Atta Boy” files, if they are keeping score. Our Sport Fish Division biologists in the Northern District show great dedication to managing and protecting our salmon resources in spite of criticism or praise, although they get darn little of the latter!

I don’t agree with everything the respective managers do, but I respect the fact that they are trying to do their best for the resource (number 1) and the affected user groups (number 2). Managers: don’t get a swelled head just yet. End-of-year meetings are on the horizon!

Howard Delo is a retired fisheries biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.