Upper Cook Inlet Alaska Board of Fisheries meeting

The Alaska Board of Fisheries meeting at Egan Convention Center starts at 8:30 a.m. on Friday February 23, 2024. Kicking off the first day of the meeting is introduction of Board of Fisheries members, ADF&G staff members, and additional state and federal staff members participating in the meeting (members of the public may likely be interacting with these individuals at various times during the meeting). Following introductions, Board members give their disclosure statements.

Two other significant items are scheduled to occur during the first day of the meeting:

Sign up for public testimony in specific time slots occurs until the deadline at 3 p.m. on Friday. Sign up is usually coordinated by ADF&G Board support staff members at a table nearest the public seating area on one side of the meeting room. For those who can not make the first day of the meeting, a friend or other individual in attendance may be able to sign them up. After the 3 p.m. deadline — signup for public testimony (in undesignated time slots) will remain open until 10 a.m. on Saturday Feb. 24.

ADF&G Staff Reports — Powerpoint presentations on Upper Cook Inlet fisheries and specific salmon stocks are scheduled for the first day of the meeting, following Board disclosure statements. These reports often provide scientific information that may be used throughout the remainder of the meeting. Staff Reports can also be accessed online and throughout the meeting on the Upper Cook Inlet meeting information page. Look under the heading Additional Reports. Members of the pubic, who sign up for public testimony, may want to refer to specific ADF&G harvest figures, salmon escapements, or lack of escapements, or even management uncertainties identified in these reports. Staff reports should fill the remaining time of the meeting’s first day. The tentative agenda lists no closing time for most days of the meeting, since in keeping on schedule, the meeting may run until 5 p.m. or possibly even later on occasion. 10 minute breaks are often taken each day throughout the meeting — with one break of up to an hour usually scheduled for the public and staff to get lunch (lunch break times vary somewhat from day to day).

Saturday Feb. 24 — 8;30 a.m. —meeting day 2 —Traditional Knowledge Reports and one additional scientific report kickoff the second day of the meeting. I am very interested in seeing / hearing some of these Traditional Knowledge Reports for the first time at an Upper Cook Inlet Board of Fisheries Meeting.

As mentioned earlier the deadline for public testimony in undesignated time slots occurs at 10 a.m. on Saturday February 24.

Public Testimony starts (possibly before the signup deadline) and is scheduled to occur throughout Saturday, Sunday, and Monday — or until all those signed up and present at the meeting are heard. Public testimony provides groups and individuals an opportunity to bring their concerns before the board. Board members want to hear suggested solutions to concerns within Upper Cook Inlet fisheries. On the meeting information page (linked above) — proposed new regulations (Proposals) are listed. During public testimony board members often request that the public mention a specific proposal number in relation to their testimony. Board members also want to know if a person providing testimony supports or opposes a specific proposal(s) they reference. During testimony a member of the public may also suggest a modification to any specific proposal that could create a better solution — or perhaps a solution that serves a larger portion of the public, or more resource user groups.

Whenever public testimony concludes — the board may next start hearing additional new information in the Committee of the Whole process. During committee of the whole, the board designates additional time to hear or get input (new information only please) from the public on each individual proposal (or group of similar proposals). After additional new information is gathered on the first two groups of proposals the board is scheduled to deliberate (make decisions) on proposals within those two groups. This process is scheduled to continue until the board has made decisions on all eight groups of proposals.

The board considers miscellaneous business it may need to act on — then adjourns — either on or before Tuesday March 5, which is the hard deadline through which meeting space has been scheduled at the Egan Convention Center.

I am scheduled to participate each day in the meeting process —and at this point plan to be at the Egan Convention Center every one of those days. I may spend some portions of the meeting in a shared meeting room with Mat-Su Borough Fish and Wildlife Commission / Kenai River Sportfishing Association members and other user groups, but I would invite anyone attending the meeting or wanting some assistance working through the public process to look me up. Together, let’s make some positive changes for those that depend upon salmon stocks returning in abundance to Northern Cook Inlet drainages. I hope to see you participating at the meeting.

Meet On, So We May Fish On!