Northern District king salmon setnetters stay closed

Subsistence fishermen in part of the Susitna River drainage will be able to harvest a few kings, but commercial fishermen in Northern Cook Inlet will remain closed for now.

The Board of Fisheries considered two emergency petitions Monday related to the preseason restrictions of king salmon fishing in northern Cook Inlet after preseason forecasts indicated that the Deshka River would not see enough king salmon returning to meet its escapement goals. The board approved an action related to a petition from the Mt. Yenlo Fish and Game Advisory Committee, which requested limited subsistence fishing opportunity for king salmon on the upper Yentna River, and denied another asking for reconsideration of the commercial fishery closure from the Tyonek Fish and Game Advisory Committee.

In March, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game issued an emergency order closing the Deshka and Yentna rivers to sportfishing for king salmon other than catch-and-release and closing the rest of the Susitna River drainage to sportfishing for kings entirely. The closure is based on small projected return of king salmon to the Deshka River — only 12,782 kings are projected to return, less than the lower end of the 13,000–18,000 sustainable escapement goal.

The Mt. Yenlo committee asked for a revision to the closure to designate a customary and traditional use for king salmon in the Yentna River because there is a small surplus of king salmon in the area that residents rely on. In the past, the residents have harvested king salmon under sportfishing regulations, but sportfishing is closed on the drainage this year.

Board member Israel Payton, who grew up in the area, said at the meeting Monday there are limited other opportunities for subsistence fishing in the area. Without the opening, residents would have to travel downriver to Tyonek, where there is more competition for resources.

“There’s really no opportunity,” he said. “There’s a couple little sloughs and potholes that once in a while have the opportunity to catch fish, but there’s really no opportunity.”

The board ultimately voted in favor of opening limited opportunity 5-1, with board chairman John Jensen voting against it. Board member Al Cain expressed concern about finding a customary and traditional use pattern in an emergency meeting. Member Robert Ruffner agreed, but said the subsistence action best suited the request.

The board unanimously denied the Tyonek Fish and Game Advisory Committee’s request. The committee wrote in its petition that the emergency order closing the fishery was only issued a few months before the closure, “blindsiding Northern District set netters.”

“Commercial fishermen were not aware that closure was being discussed, yet sports fish representatives were present during these talks were able to present their case,” the petition states. “We feel it was unfair that we were not given opportunity voice our concerns, while sport fish representatives were able to negotiate catch and release on the Deshka and Yentna, instead of total closure.”

Usually, setnetters in the Northern District of Upper Cook Inlet get four openings to directly target king salmon, though the overall take is relatively small — between 1,000 and 2,000 fish. The management plan for the commercial fishery pairs closures in the sportfishery on the Deshka River with restrictions in the commercial fishery.

The Tyonek advisory committee asked for the department to open the commercial fishery and monitor the run carefully, using data from the commercial fishery inseason to gauge the run. However, Upper Cook Inlet Commercial Fisheries Manager Pat Shields told the board that the inseason data available fron the northern district setnet fishery is not ideal for gauging run strength.

“It’s a very poor relationship,” he said. “The tides and weather really affect the commercial fishery. There could be a lot of king salmon out there and we open the commercial fishery on a Monday, and their catches are very poor. It’s been a very poor source of data inseason.”

Ruffner said though he understands the group’s concerns that by the time Fish and Game can evaluate the run using the Deshka River weir, the fish are already past the commercial fishery, he couldn’t support the petition because everyone is being restricted in the fishery this year. Payton agreed, saying the department should take precautions.

“Certainly (the forecasts) may (be wrong), but we do have some real-time inseason data that can indicate if the forecasts are wrong,” he said.

Reach Elizabeth Earl at eearl@peninsulaclarion.com.

More in News

The deadline for the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend, which comes from the fund managed by the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation, is coming up fast, landing on March 31, 2022. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire)
PFD application deadline is Friday

Today is the deadline for Alaskans to file for their 2022 Alaska… Continue reading

Jonathan Parducho, a pharmacist, removes a tray of vials of of the Jynneos vaccine for monkeypox from a box containing 20 doses, in the vaccine hub at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital on Friday, July 29, 2022, in San Francisco. (Lea Suzuki/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Only 5 cases of mpox detected in Alaska

An epidemiology bulletin released by the State Department of Health on Wednesday… Continue reading

Owners Suwannasa Piwon and Phatcharin Apaipak sit for a photo at the new location of their Siam Noodles and Food in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo provided by Siam Noodles and Food)
Siam Noodles and Food to hold Grand Opening of new location

Siam Noodles and Food will open in its new location next weekend,… Continue reading

Signs direct visitors at Seward City Hall on Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021 in Seward, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Seward mulls sale of electric utility to HEA

Voters will get the final say during a special election on May 2

A spectator throws a ball lost in the snow back down to Bridger Beck during a soccer game at Ed Hollier Field in Kenai, Alaska, on Thursday, March 30, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Clear it, and they will come

Photos by Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion Above, a spectator passes a ball back… Continue reading

The 11th Annual Alaskans Choose Respect Awareness Event proceeds down Frontage Road in Kenai, Alaska on Wednesday, March 29, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Alaskans Choose Respect returns, LeeShore Center focuses on prevention

Nearly 40 people gathered and walked together down Frontage Road from Leif… Continue reading

Alaska Gubernatorial candidate Charlie Pierce speaks at a campaign event at Paradisos restaurant in Kenai on Saturday, March 5, 2022. (Camille Botello/Peninsula Clarion)
Borough assembly to discuss Pierce harassment lawsuit

The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly will meet Tuesday in executive session to… Continue reading

The Kenai Peninsula Borough administration building is seen on Tuesday, March 17, 2020, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)
Borough looks to mitigate flooding around Big Eddy Road

The Kenai Peninsula Borough wants to better mitigate flooding around Big Eddy… Continue reading

The Homer Spit is evacuated during the July 28 tsunami warning at about 10:50 p.m. (Photo by Sarah Knapp/Homer News)
Tsunami warning test scheduled for Wednesday morning

The National Weather Service will conduct a statewide test of the tsunami… Continue reading

Most Read