A broken seashell comes to rest on the rocky shoreline of a beach south of the Kasilof River, not far from where an eager angler has set out a marker with their name and address. Several people have begun doing this in an attempt to claim coveted sites, but according to Alaska Department of Fish and Game regulations, all sites are "first come, first serve" once the fishery opens and not before.
Story last updated at 5/5/2008 - 12:48 pm
Setnet fever begins
Fighting for fish is an annual summer occurrence in many parts of the Kena i Peninsula, and the battle is already beginning on the Kasilof River in anticipation of the personal-use set gillnet fishery ? even though it doesn't open for another six weeks.
"I can see it will be contentious," said Robert Begich, Sport Fish Area Management Biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
While this fishery doesn't open until 6 a.m. June 15, eager anglers are already setting out markers with their name and address in an attempt to claim coveted sites, typically those closest to "Humpy Point" on the southern end of the fishery. Already half a dozen markers have been placed, each 100 feet from each other, as is required of fishing gear once the fishery is open.
However, Begich said these markers are completely arbitrary according to the Alaska Sport Fish Regulations which state that the placement of signs, running lines, buoys or dry nets on the beach in anticipation of incoming tides does not constitute any prior right to a net location.
"The sites are 'first come, first serve,' so it doesn't matter if you stake it out in January or on June 14. Legally it's not considered your site until the gear is actually in the water at 6:01 a.m.," he said.
The open areas for this fishery are only in the salt water about one mile in either direction of the Kasilof River mouth, as defined by Fish and Game markers, so part of the problem may be that this fishery has limited space, yet it continues to grow in the numbers of fishermen attempting to harvest fish during the 10 days it is open.
"It's a popular fishery and looks like it's getting more so," Begich said.
As the numbers of fishermen have increased, so too has the harvest. According to a Fish and Game report recording Upper Cook Inlet personal-use salmon fisheries data from 2004 to 2006, sockeye salmon harvest during this time in the Kasilof River set gillnet fishery averaged 26,964 fish, rising from 25,417 fish in 2004 to 28,867 fish in 2006.
Unlike the Kasilof dipnet fishery, king salmon caught in the Kasilof set gillnet fishery may also be retained, and harvest numbers for this species increased as well, jumping from 87 fish in 2005 to 287 fish in 2006.
In-season management of this fishery is the responsibility of Fish and Game, but Begich said it is difficult to tackle problems such as people attempting to stake their claim to the salmon prior to the fishery opening.
"The resources are there for everyone to get a shot at them, but this is a social issue more than a biological issue," he said.
As such, he said the best way to address the problem is for people to go through the Board of Fish process for making change.
"Proposals for the next board cycle need to be submitted by April 2010," he said.
Joseph Robertia can be reached at joseph.robertia@peninsulaclarion.com.
