Where have all the salmon gone?

PALMER — Approximately 100 people packed the Mat-Su Borough administration building to vent their frustrations over what many called the “chronic failure” of Alaska Department of Fish and Game policies in allowing salmon to reach upper Cook Inlet drainages in the region —particularly the Little Susitna and Deshka rivers.

ADF&G Commissioner Sam Cotten, along with Scott Kelley, the ADF&G director of commercial fisheries and ADF&G Sport Fish Director Thomas Brookover, were invited by the Mat-Su Borough Fish and Wildlife Commission to attend the special meeting. The purpose was to explain the drastic early-season salmon fallout on the Valley’s two top salmon streams.

Cotten and Kelley did most of the talking, defending the decisions made regarding the summer salmon run. Many in the audience accused the department of kowtowing to Cook Inlet commercial fishermen, along with the interests of Kenai and Kasilof river anglers at the cost of Mat-Su residents.

For more than 1 1/2 hours, commission members posed written questions to their ADF&G counterparts. Borough Public Affairs Director Patty Sullivan read through some of the questions but due to the meeting running much behind schedule, not all were heard. The concerns not read will be addressed in writing by ADF&G officials. Most of the commissioners spoke to regulatory concerns and necessary things in place to help make salmon run predictions for fisheries north of the Kenai.

Moving to audience participating, Eric Spade said he had to laugh at the “kudos” issued by wildlife commision members referring to the work Fish and Game has done in its fisheries management as far as the Susitna Drainage is concerned. Spade said he used to be a Valley river fisherman but quit due to the low numbers. He said whether here in Valley, or down in on the Kenai, a lot of business is tourism-related.

“You guys slam us every year. You let them slaughter all the fish coming into the Mat-Su. The board needs to be replaced and some of you guys have to lose your job,” said Spade. “It’s horrible…I hope you guys realize there’s more than one fishing group down there.”

Seemingly the most upset person in the audience was Willow Creek guide Farley Dean, who had to be asked to “clean up” his comments or face being removed. Dean began saying he started his $1.5 million charter service and the sportsman association after arriving in the Valley in the 1980s.

“I went to all the meetings and everyone said the same thing you’re saying today. Thirty years ago you told me ‘wait, be patient, and we’ll give you more fish’. Well for 30 years, you guys have lied to every person in this room,” Dean said. “You have not given up one more fish, the fishing is worse now than it was 30 year ago.”

Dean said the cumbersome and confusing rules and regulations set forth for every sportfishing season are overkill. He said he can’t keep his business open because of it and no one can figure out what, where and when they can fish.

“People show they look at the book and they leave. And you know where they go? Your stinking Kenai River. You’re killing the Mat-Su Borough with the Kenai River. There’s no fish for us to catch up here in the Valley…nothing’s left buddy…nothing. I’ve been a guide for 20 years. The point is there’s no fish left. “

Kelley said making sure sockeye numbers are sufficient during runs on the Kenai drives fisheries to the north—including the Mat-Su and other locations.

Despite a major loosening of the regulations this week by ADF&G officials, many in the audience felt it was too little, too late. At least one berated Cotten and his colleagues for issuing the first of several orders loosening Mat-Su restrictions on the same date and at the same time of the meeting.

“You can talk all the data you want. But I’m talking people…Kids need to learn how to fish. There’s got to be fish and there’s got to be good fishing in July and August,” said Mat-Su grandmother Freddie Steer. “There can’t be OK now…school’s on, there state fair’s coming, hunting’s going…oh but we now are going to make our escapements. Whoopie fizz! It’ doesn’t help. It should have happened in July and August…think about the common people.”

A late July commercial driftnet opening and another early this month only fanned the flames of many audience members. Some questioned how those openings could occur when approximately two-tenths-of-a-percent of the historic average 10,000 spawning coho salmon had made it into the Little Su.

Valley resident Mark Campbell said his family travels to Cordova to fish “…where it is not managed by the Kenai and there’s fish there.” He suggested ADF&G take into account population, and the effect of guides and tourism to the state economy. Campbell said he wanted to see those industries flourish and suggested the state not look at a minimum escapement but rather begin a management plan focusing on maximum escapement realizing there is a greater pressure here in the Mat-Su.

“When the fleet’s out, there’s no fish anywhere else. When they’re held back, fish come through,” said Campbell.

After almost two dozen audience members had their say, Cotten said the department only enforces the rules handed down to them. Members of both groups suggested the public aim comments and frustration at the Alaska Board of Fisheries, the body responsible for developing the policies ADF&G is bound to enforce. One suggested that if the audience size present for this meeting showed up the spring in Anchorage when decisions affecting the Mat-Su were made, things might have turned out different. Among those concerns the commission would like addressed included erring on the side of conservation to ensure salmon move into northern waters before commercial harvests, restore sonar counts — which ceased in 2009 — on the Susitna River, continue a weir on Jim Creek and foot survey on McRoberts Creek; and restore a test fishery off Kalgin Island.

The Commission helped direct funds to pay for the Jim and McRoberts creek weir counts. The commission said the Kalgin Island fishery test will show where different fish specials are and when. The commission wrote that a recent five-year project was mothballed after three years.

“This data was collected for three years out of a five-year capital project. On the fourth year, the money that was appropriated by the state legislature at the request of the (MSBFC) was absorbed into the Fish and Game budget, and the test fishery was not completed,” Sullivan stated in a handout.