Local fisherman and hunters concerned with upcoming proposals being presented to the state Board of Fisheries and Board of Game this year can learn more and share their thoughts at Monday and Tuesday’s Kenai/Soldotna Fish and Game Advisory Committee.
The proposals to be discussed at the meetings will affect all commercial, sport and personal fishing in the Upper Cook Inlet, which stretches from the Matanuska Valley area south to Ninilchik.
Mike Crawford, who oversees the meetings, said the Upper Cook Inlet fishery is one of the most active and contentious fisheries in the state. He said coming to the committee meeting is a good opportunity for residents to come and share their opinions and thoughts on proposals with the advisory committee.
The meeting, hosted at 6: 30 p.m., both Monday and Tuesday in the Cook Inlet Aquaculture building on Kalifornsky Beach Road, will be a public opportunity to learn more and discuss local issues relating to Upper Cook Inlet proposals and Board of Game proposals.
The committee held a meeting Dec. 31 to discuss proposals for sockeye management plans and Kenai River sport fishing proposals, Crawford said. Monday’s meeting will focus on more sport fishing proposals and Board of Game proposals. Tuesday’s meeting will pick back up with sport fishing, then discuss commercial fishing and the king salmon fishery plan.
The proposals discussed at next week’s meetings will be on the agenda at the Board of Fisheries meeting taking place Feb. 7-19 at the Egan Center in Anchorage — the same meeting that takes place every three years and was slated to take place on the central peninsula, but was shifted to Anchorage last year.
The Board of Fisheries, which is part of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, is accepting written comments on the proposals until midnight Jan. 23. Comments can be submitted by letter, at P.O. Box 115526, Juneau, AK 99811, or through their website at adfgcomments.psmfc.org/Meeting/Details/1086.
For anyone who has never attended a Board of Fisheries meeting, but plans to in February, Crawford recommends attending a training being held during the lunch break on the meeting’s first day, which will go over the board’s meeting processes. The training is at 12:10 p.m., Feb. 7 at the Egan Center in Anchorage.
Crawford said anyone who has questions or wants more information about the meetings can contact him at 907-252-2919.
