Comment HERE before January 2, 2019, to tell the Board of Fisheries (BOF) whether Proposal 176 works for your business.? Proposal 176 is the first step in adjusting the Southeast Alaska King Salmon Management Plan to comply with changes to the Pacific Salmon Treaty chapters.? These changes include:
- Replacing the pre-season Abundance Index (AI) with the Early Winter Troll Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE).
- Possible benefit: the troll CPUE has been more strongly aligned with the post-season AI used to determine treaty harvest, so Alaska might be less likely to exceed its allocation.
- Possible benefit: the troll CPUE should be available before February, so management measures can be set earlier in the year.
- Creating seven harvest limit tiers to replace the AI harvest ranges, and reducing the harvest at a graduated scale, with larger reductions taken during times of lower abundance.
- Possible benefit: in times of high abundance, Alaska fisheries take a significantly smaller cut in harvest.
- CONCERN: what the management measures look like at each tier.
Proposal 176 proposes new management measures and the BOF needs to know if they work best for YOUR business.? The measures can be adjusted by the BOF so long as they meet the new treaty harvest numbers.? The proposed measures for non-resident anglers include:
- At higher levels of abundance, a reduction to annual limits from 5-6 fish to 3-5 fish
- At higher levels of abundance, a reduction or adjustment in bag limits from 2 fish in May or June to 2 fish in May or 1 fish all year.
- At lower levels of abundance:
- AI of 1.2 to 1.5 / CPUE of 3.8 to 6.0
- Prior: 1 fish bag limit, annual limit of 3 fish
- Proposed: 1 fish bag limit
- January 1 ? June 15: annual harvest limit of 3 fish
- June 16 ? December 31: annual harvest limit of 1 fish
- AI of 1.0 to 1.2 / CPUE of 2.6 to 3.8
- Prior: 1 fish bag limit, 3 fish annual limit from January 1 ? June 30, 2 fish annual limit from July 1-15, 1 fish annual limit from July 16 ? December 31
- Proposed:
- 1 fish bag limit, non-retention July 1-31
- 3 fish annual limit from January 1 ? June 15
- 1 fish annual limit June 16 ? December 31
- AI of 0.875 to 1.0 / CPUE of 2.0 to 2.6
- Prior: 1 fish bag limit, 3 fish annual limit from May 1 ? June 30, 1 fish annual limit July 1 ? December 31
- Proposed:
- 1 fish bag limit, non-retention July 1 ? August 15
- 2 fish annual limit January 1 ? June 15
- 1 fish annual harvest limit June 16 ? December 31
- AI of 1.2 to 1.5 / CPUE of 3.8 to 6.0
The proposal and public comments will be reviewed at the Board of Fisheries meeting in Anchorage, January 15-19.? The deadline for public comments is January 2, 2019.