The Kenai/Soldotna Fish and Game Advisory Committee will meet Monday to begin discussion of the many proposals set to be considered by the State Board of Fisheries in February.
The meeting, which is open to the public, will be held at the Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association Building at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 20.
The committee, which features representatives of local user groups, will discuss and set their recommendations on the nearly 200 proposals set for consideration that would impact fishing regulation of the Upper Cook Inlet region. Those recommendations will be weighed by the board alongside public testimony during their meeting.
Many of the proposals describe changes to the Kenai River Late-Run King Salmon Management Plan, which earlier this year triggered full-season closures of both the king salmon sport fishery and the east side setnet fishery. Others look at the high numbers of sockeye salmon counted in local rivers or seek protections for coho.
Monday’s committee meeting will likely be the first of a series as the committee works through the deep proposal book. The group will have to have their recommendations prepared before the Upper Cook Inlet meeting of the Board of Fisheries, set for Feb. 23 through March 6 in Anchorage, despite requests from the committee and local governments to hold the meeting on the Kenai Peninsula.
Other advisory committees on the Southern Kenai Peninsula have already been meeting as they prepare for a similar Board of Fisheries meeting on Lower Cook Inlet scheduled for Nov. 28 to Dec. 1.
For more information about fish and game advisory committees, or to view a full list of proposals set for consideration, visit adfg.alaska.gov, under “Regulations.”
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
