Participating in the public process for fisheries

Last week the Matanuska- Susitna Borough Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) “started “ a new season of meetings aimed at advising the Borough Assembly and other government agency on fish and wildlife habitat and management issues. The commission usually attempts to break for the summer, but this year we seemed to have more than our share of emergency summer meetings.

In previous columns I mentioned that the FWC had submitted agenda change request #2 to the Alaska Board of Fisheries seeking to designate Susitna River drainage Chinook (king) salmon as a stock of yield concern throughout the entire Susitna River drainage. I also mentioned that the Mat-Su Valley legislative delegation had submitted agenda change request #3 to seeking to designate Little Susitna River coho salmon as a stock of yield concern as well. When a salmon stock is designated as a stock of concern a regulatory acton plan is also adopted by the Alaska Board of Fisheries (BOF) to address the situation.

One of the FWC actions at last week’s meeting was to approve a letter to send to the BOF in support of ACR 3. The commission used the regulatory definition and language found 5AAC 39.222 the Policy for the Management of Sustainable Salmon Fisheries (SSFP) to address why this request should be scheduled to be heard at one of the BOF’s regular meetings during the 2024/2025 meeting cycle.

5AAC 39.222 (42) “yield concern” means a concern arising from a chronic inability, despite the use of specific management measures, to maintain expected yields, or harvestable surpluses above a stock’s escapement needs, yield concern is less severe than a management concern, which is less severe than a conservation concern:

Chronic Inability is defined by the SSFP as a 4 -5 year period, the approximate lifecycle of a salmon, ACR 3 shows that coho salmon yield from the Little Susitna River sport fishery has declined by approximately 84% when comparing the 5-year period of 2000 - 2004 compared to the most recent 5-year period with sport coho salmon harvest estimates (2019 -20023). The commission asked the BOF to consider the agenda change request in relation to this level of decline, and in addition to consider that over the past couple years the decline has been accelerating. Further if the decline was not dealt with before the next regularly scheduled Upper Cook Inlet BOF meeting, the level of concern would then have the potential to be a more severe Management Concern, and, therefore, it should be dealt sooner, before reaching that next level of concern.

Before the Borough Assembly

Assemblyman/FWC member Bill Gamble had also worked on Resolution 24-107 on the consent agenda for the Tuesday October 1, 2024 Mat-Su Borough Assembly Meeting , that if approved, would provide additional support for ACR 2 and ACR 3. On Tuesday evening I spoke before the assembly in favor of them supporting the resolution, but after sitting through approximately an hour and a half of public participation, I did not stay longer for assembly action on RS 24-107.

Fairbanks Fish and Game Advisory Committee

Members of the Fairbanks Fish and Game Advisory Committee have been quite active for several years working toward getting the State of Alaska to cut back pink salmon releases from private nonprofit hatcheries. Some scientists ( and the membership of this advisory committee) believe that huge releases of hatchery pink salmon, in particular, may be part of the cause of declining production of some wild Alaska salmon stocks in the ocean environment. The Fairbanks committee has scheduled a meeting for Wednesday October 2, 2024 at 6 p.m., and I am hoping to listen in, via a zoom link. User groups along the Yukon River have been impacted more severely, and for a longer period of time by king salmon shortages, than anywhere else in the state — to the best of my knowledge. Many people from interior Alaska now travel to the Copper River drainage for their primary salmon harvest opportunity. I want to hear and learn from their perspective.

Public Opportunity to Comment on Agenda Change Requests

All 15 statewide agenda change requests submitted to the BOF can be reviewed Agenda Change Requests and commented on from this webpage.

Note: that for the work session public comments should likely focus on how the ACRs meet, or do not meet the one or more of the 3 criteria for a request. People leaving comments should state whether they support or oppose the request. The comment deadline for whether the BOF should schedule to hear each of these specific requests is October 15. It takes a bit of time and effort, but I would encourage Mat-Su anglers to participate through a public comment— having reasonable numbers of king salmon and coho salmon return to Mat-Su drainages should be worth some amount of time and effort. BOF actions this winter could produce positive results as soon as next summer.

Good luck and Fish On!

Mat-Su sport salmon fishing guide, Andy Couch, is a member of the Matanuska - Susitna Borough Fish and Wildlife Commission and the Matanuska Valley Fish and Game Advisory Committee, however, thoughts and opinions expressed in this column are his own.