ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME STAFF COMMENTS ON ALASKA PENINSULA / ALEUTIANS ISLANDS GROUNDFISH, HERRING, AND SALMON PROPOSALS ALASKA BOARD OF FISHERIES MEETING ANCHORAGE, ALASKA FEBRUARY 6-11, 2007 The following staff comments were prepared by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game for use at the Alaska Board of Fisheries meeting, February 6-11, 2007 in Anchorage, Alaska and are prepared to assist the public and board. The stated staff comments should be considered preliminary and subject to change, if or when new information becomes available. Final Department positions will be formulated after review of written and oral testimony presented to the Board of Fisheries. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) administers all programs and activities free from discrimination based on race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, marital status, pregnancy, parenthood, or disability. The department administers all programs and activities in compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. If you believe you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility please write: ADF&G ADA Coordinator, P.O. Box 115526, Juneau AK 99811-5526 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4040 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 300 Webb, Arlington VA 22203 Office of Equal Opportunity, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington DC 20240 The department’s ADA Coordinator can be reached via phone at the following numbers: (VOICE) 907-465-6077, (Statewide Telecommunication Device for the Deaf) 1-800-478-3648, (Juneau TDD) 907-465-3646, or (FAX) 907-465-6078 For information on alternative formats and questions on this publication, please contact: ADF&G, Division of Commercial Fisheries, P.O. Box 115526, Juneau AK 99811 (907)465-4210. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Summary of Department Positions on 2006/2007 Ak Pen/AI proposals..........................iii COMMITTEE A – South Alaska Peninsula Groundfish (8 Proposals).............................5 PROPOSAL 178 - 5 AAC 28.577......................................................................................6 PROPOSAL 179 - 5 AAC 28.XXX....................................................................................8 PROPOSAL 180 - 5 AAC 28.58X...................................................................................10 PROPOSAL 181 - 5 AAC 28.577....................................................................................13 PROPOSAL 182 - 5 AAC 28.577....................................................................................15 PROPOSAL 183 - 5 AAC 28.577....................................................................................17 PROPOSAL 184 - 5 AAC 28.556....................................................................................19 PROPOSAL 185 - 5 AAC 28.577....................................................................................21 COMMITTEE B – Salmon: June Fishery (10 Proposals)................................................23 PROPOSAL 186 - 5 AAC 09.200 (c)(2)(3)......................................................................24 PROPOSAL 187 - 5 AAC 09.350....................................................................................26 PROPOSAL 188 - 5 AAC 09.365....................................................................................28 PROPOSAL 189 - 5 AAC 09.365....................................................................................34 PROPOSAL 190 - 5 AAC 09.365....................................................................................37 PROPOSAL 191 - 5 AAC 09.365....................................................................................38 PROPOSAL 192 - 5 AAC 09.365....................................................................................40 PROPOSAL 193 - 5 AAC 09.365....................................................................................42 PROPOSAL 194 - 5 AAC 09.331(a)(3)...........................................................................44 PROPOSAL 195 - 5 AAC 09.330(d), (e), (f)...................................................................45 COMMITTEE C – Salmon: Post June Fishery (5 Proposals)..........................................47 PROPOSAL 196 - 5 AAC 09.366(f)(2)............................................................................48 PROPOSAL 197 - 5 AAC 09.366(d)................................................................................50 PROPOSAL 198 - 5 AAC 09.366....................................................................................52 PROPOSAL 199 - 5 AAC 09.3XX...................................................................................54 PROPOSAL 200 - 5 AAC 09.366....................................................................................59 COMMITTEE D – Salmon: Southeastern District Mainland (6 Proposals)....................61 PROPOSAL 201- 5 AAC 09.360.....................................................................................62 PROPOSAL 202 - 5 AAC 09.360....................................................................................67 PROPOSAL 203 - 5 AAC 09.360....................................................................................70 PROPOSAL 204 - 5 AAC 09.360....................................................................................71 PROPOSAL 205 - 5 AAC 09.360....................................................................................74 PROPOSAL 206 - 5 AAC 09.360....................................................................................77 i TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cont.) Page COMMITTEE E – Salmon: North Peninsula (8 Proposals).............................................79 PROPOSAL 207 - 5 AAC 09.369(j)(1)............................................................................80 PROPOSAL 208 - 5 AAC 09.320(a)(3)...........................................................................83 PROPOSAL 209 - 5 AAC 09.369 (j)(3)...........................................................................85 PROPOSAL 210 - 5 AAC 09.200....................................................................................87 PROPOSAL 211 - 5 AAC 09.310....................................................................................89 PROPOSAL 212 - 5 AAC 09.310....................................................................................91 PROPOSAL 213 - 5 AAC 09.369....................................................................................93 PROPOSAL 214 - 5 AAC 09.310....................................................................................96 COMMITTEE F – Herring and Salmon: Miscellaneous (11 Proposals)..........................99 PROPOSAL 215 - 5 AAC 27.6XX.................................................................................100 PROPOSAL 216 - 5 AAC 27.6XX.................................................................................103 PROPOSAL 217 - 5 AAC 01.350..................................................................................105 PROPOSAL 218 - 5 AAC 01.360..................................................................................107 PROPOSAL 219 - 5 AAC 12.3XX.................................................................................109 PROPOSAL 220 - 5 AAC 12.3XX.................................................................................110 PROPOSAL 221 - 5 AAC 11.3XX.................................................................................112 PROPOSAL 222 - 5 AAC 09.3XX.................................................................................114 PROPOSAL 223 - 5 AAC 09.330..................................................................................116 PROPOSAL 224 - 5 AAC 12.XXX................................................................................117 PROPOSAL 225 - 5 AAC 65.020..................................................................................121 ii Summary of Department Positions on Alaska Peninsula/Aleutian Islands proposals Committee and Dept Proposal # Position * Issue Committee A 178 N Establish set opening date for statewide Pacific cod season. 179 N Delay cod openings as needed for weather. 180 S Adopt reporting requirement 181 O Require season extension if 10 percent of Pacific cod GHL unharvested. 182 N Increase Pacific cod GHL for South Alaska Peninsula Area. 183 N Modify GHL for Pacific cod in state waters season. 184 S Restrict simultaneous vessel registration. 185 N Prohibit vessels greater than 58 feet. Committee B 186 S Change Sanak Island and Otter Cove descriptions. 187 S/NA Close Sanak Island Section during June. 188 N Reinstate pre-2001 South Unimak and Shumagin Island salmon management plan 189 N Return to regulations in effect prior to 2001 BOF meeting. 190 N Change South Peninsula June Management to 2001-2003 plan. 191 N/O Reinstate sockeye allocation based on 8.3 percent. 192 N Eliminate early June salmon fishery in Area M. 193 N Open portions of South Central District in June. 194 N Modify allowable drift gillnet depth. 195 N Allow drift gillnets in Southwestern, Southcentral, and Southeastern districts. Committee C 196 N/O Allow earlier openings for pink and chum salmon. 197 N Allow earlier openings for pink and chum salmon. 198 N Change Post-June fishing schedule. 199 N/O Adopt new South Peninsula management plan to protect non-local sockeye. 200 O Eliminate immature salmon seine test fishery. Committee D 201 N/O Link open periods to Orzinski Lake sockeye escapement. 202 N/O Allow harvest of Orzinski Lake sockeye. 203 N Change estimate of Chignik sockeye caught in Southeastern Mainland District. 204 N Modify Southeastern District Mainland plan allocation. 205 N/O Modify management plan for Southeastern District Mainland. 206 N/O Modify fishing periods for Southeastern District Mainland. Committee E 207 N/S Modify opening of Ilnik Section salmon fishery. 208 S/NA Modify opening of Ilnik Lagoon salmon fishery. 209 S Modify Northern District to protect Bear River sockeye stocks. 210 N/O Change boundary for sockeye season in Northern District. 211 N/O Modify Northern District season. 212 N Modify Northern District season. 213 N/O Reinstate 100,000 sockeye salmon cap in Northern District 214 S Modify Northwestern District and Urilia Bay fishing periods. Committee F 215 S Allow use of herring pounds in Alaska Peninsula-Aleutian Islands Area. 216 S Require vessel registration for seine and gillnet herring fishery. 217 S Change description of Aleutian Islands area. 218 S Amend subsistence seine net season in Aleutians 219 S Adopt vessel registration requirement in Aleutians. 220 S Regulate use of net pens in Aleutian Islands area. 221 S Regulate use of net pens in Atka-Amlia area. 222 S Regulate use of net pens in Alaska Peninsula area. 223 N/O Allow two CFEC permit holders aboard vessels. 224 N/O Establish Krenitzin Island super-exclusive registration area. 225 N Modify king salmon bag and possession limit for Aleutian Islands Area. *Position - N=Neutral, S=Support, O=Oppose, NA=No Action, N/S=Neutral on Allocation-but Support, N/O Neutral on Allocation-but Oppose iii iv COMMITTEE A – South Alaska Peninsula Groundfish (8 Proposals 5 COMMITTEE A – South Alaska Peninsula Groundfish (8 Proposals) PROPOSAL 178 - 5 AAC 28.577. South Alaska Peninsula Area Pacific Cod Management Plan. PROPOSED BY: Sand Point Advisory Committee WHAT WOULD THE PROPOSAL DO? This proposal would amend the existing starting date for the South Alaska Peninsula Area state-waters Pacific cod season from seven days after the closure of the federal Western Gulf of Alaska Area (WGOA) to March 15 or seven days after the closure of the federal WGOA, which ever comes later. WHAT ARE THE CURRENT REGULATIONS? The commissioner shall open, by emergency order, a state-waters Pacific cod season in the South Alaska Peninsula Area seven days following the closure of the directed federal Pacific cod season in the WGOA. WHAT WOULD BE THE EFFECT IF THE PROPOSAL WERE ADOPTED? The South Alaska Peninsula Area state-waters Pacific cod pot and jig fisheries would open on March 15 or seven days following the closure of the WGOA federal fishery, which ever comes later. Over the past 10 years, the average number of days between the close of the WGOA fishery and the opening of the state-waters fishery would have increased from 7- days to 14.8 days (Table 1). BACKGROUND: The South Alaska Peninsula Area Pacific Cod Management Plan states that the state-waters season will open seven days following the closure of the directed federal season in the WGOA. Since 1997, the earliest start date for the state- waters season was in 2003, when the season opened on February 24. The latest the state- waters fishery has opened is April 4, in 1997, the first year of the state-waters fishery. In eight of the last ten years, the state-waters season opened between March 1 and March 15. Table 1. WGOA Pacific cod closure date, state-waters opening date, effect of Proposal 178 and number of days between WGOA closure and state-waters opening if Proposal 178 were in effect, 1997- 2006. Effect of Days between Date Proposal 178 WGOA closure & Year WGOA Closure State-waters Opening on Opening State-waters opening a 1997 March 28 April 4 April 4 7 1998 March 3 March 10 March 15 12 1999 March 8 March 15 March 15 7 2000 March 4 March 11 March 15 11 2001 February 27 March 6 March 15 16 2002 February 26 March 5 March 15 17 2003 February 17 February 24 March 15 26 2004 February 23 March 2 March 15 20 2005 February 24 March 3 March 15 19 2006 March 2 March 9 March 15 13 Average March 2 March 9 March 17 14.8 a if Proposal 178 were adopted. 6 Pacific cod form spawning aggregations in the Gulf of Alaska between January and April. This is when the fish are most concentrated and harvest rates are greatest. The percentage of Pacific cod that had spawned in samples of commercial landings reached 50% by early April in 2003 and late March in 2004 and 2005, data analysis for 2006 has not been completed (Figure 1). After spawning, Pacific cod tend to disperse from the spawning aggregations and harvest rates tend to decrease. South Alaska Peninsula 100 od 90 c c 80 acifi 70 P d 60 ne 2005 w 50 pa 2004 s 40 of 2003 e 30 g nta 20 e c 10 r e P 0 Feb Feb Mar Mar Mar Mar Mar Apr Apr Apr Apr May May 16- 23- 1- 8- 15- 22- 29- 5- 12- 19- 26- 3- 10- Week End Date Figure 1. Percentage of spawned Pacific cod from the South Alaska Peninsula pot and jig fisheries, 2003-2005. DEPARTMENT COMMENTS: The department is NEUTRAL on this proposal. The department could manage the state-waters Pacific cod season opening on March 15 or seven days after the close of the WGOA federal fishery. However, if this proposal is accepted, the pot storage requirements (5 AAC 28.571) would need to be modified. Currently groundfish pots can be stored at depths greater than 25 fathoms, with all bait and bait containers removed and all doors secured fully open for no more than seven days following the closure of the parallel season. If the state-waters season did not open seven days after the parallel-season closure, vessel operators would have to move their pots to shallow water storage within that seven day time period. If this proposal had been in effect during the last ten years, the fishery would have opened on March 15 in nine of those ten years, with the time between the federal closure and the state-waters season opening ranging from seven to 26 days. COST ANALYSIS: The department believes that approval of this proposal could result in a direct cost for a private person to participate in this fishery. There may be increased costs associated with moving and storage of pots between the closure of the parallel season and the opening of the state-waters season. 7 PROPOSAL 179 - 5 AAC 28.XXX. Establish a new regulation as follows: The start of the Area M state-waters Pacific cod season opening shall be delayed for 24 hours if the 4:00 a.m. National Weather Service 48-hour forecast, for Area M, contains gale force wind warnings for the opening date. The season opening delays may continue on a rolling 24-hour basis until weather forecast permits. PROPOSED BY: Sand Point Advisory Committee WHAT WOULD THE PROPOSAL DO? This proposal would provide marine weather criteria for delaying the start of the South Alaska Peninsula Area state-waters Pacific cod season. WHAT ARE THE CURRENT REGULATIONS? The season opens seven days after the closure of the federal Western Gulf of Alaska Area, regardless of the weather forecast. WHAT WOULD BE THE EFFECT IF THE PROPOSAL WERE ADOPTED? The Board of Fisheries would establish criteria for a weather-related delay of the fishery opening, based on the National Weather Service (NWS) 48-hour forecast. The opening of the state-waters fishery could be delayed if, on the morning of the scheduled fishery opening, the 4 a.m. NWS 48-hour forecast contained gale force or stronger wind warnings from any direction for the marine forecast zone applicable to Area M. Staff would issue a news release delaying the fishery opening for 24-hours. This process would be repeated until the 48-hour forecast did not contain gale force or stronger wind warnings. BACKGROUND: Weather at the beginning of the state-waters Pacific cod fishery can hinder the ability of vessels to participate. Vessel length during the state-waters Pacific cod fishery is restricted to vessels less than or equal to 58-feet (Table 1). Table 1. Number of vessels participating in the South Alaska Peninsula state-waters Pacific cod fishery by size and gear type 2004-2006. 2004 2005 2006 Vessel length pot jig pot jig pot jig < 32' 0 1 0 2 0 1 32-39' 0 23 0 19 1 12 40-49' 10 23 8 17 10 9 50-58' 24 3 27 2 32 1 Total 34 50 35 40 43 23 The National Weather Service area 155 best approximates the majority of Pacific cod fishing areas, but does not cover the entire Area M. Currently there is a weather delay regulation for the Kodiak District Tanner crab fishery (5 AAC 35.510 (a)(2)), that has the 8