Commercial & sport fishermen

debate details of new fishery

Klas Stolpe

March 3, 2005.

Meetings by the Wrangell Fish & Game Advisory Committee and Petersburg Fish & Game Advisory Committee with fishermen in those communities last week gave Fish & Game management personnel feedback to take to the Alaska Board of Fisheries meeting March 7-13 at the Millennium Hotel in Anchorage.

“These are just suggestions, not law,” commented ADF&G Petersburg Area Management Biologist William Bergmann. “The board likes to have the participation of the advisory committees, that is what committees are for… to advise the board what to do. They rely heavily on advice as long as it is sound conservation, number one, and also who sacrifices what and what is given up. We’ll have the final direction on how to manage the fishery.”

The Petersburg committee supported closures at Greys Pass, Banana Point, Coney Island, and supported a closure for Point Frederick to Beacon Point. The Point Frederick closure was not voted on as it is already a fixture in controlling various fishery escapements at Petersburg Creek. The closures are to give exclusive areas inside the boundaries to sport fishermen.

Not all fishermen found favor with the closures, even when told an area was un-fishable.

“I’m not giving up any of my fishing grounds,” Carl Crome stated at the meeting. “I can catch fish anywhere. They can run but they can’t hide. I can even catch them on the beach. I can set my net on the sand and when the tide comes in I can catch them all…”

Greys Pass boundaries run from Greys Island to Sokolof Island and back to Rynda Island. Banana Point boundaries run from the marker east of Blind Slough to Wilson Island and Blaquiere Point Light. Coney Island boundaries run from the existing closure line on the shore from Mitkof Island out to Coney Island, then northwest to two miles north of Bear Creek. The Point Frederick boundaries run from Pt. Frederick to Sukoi Islets Light to a mile off Beacon Point at the District 10 boundary.

A boundary at Woodpecker Cove, running from west of the Station Island Light along the shoreline; and from Station Island Light to Port Pt. Howe; and to a point east of Port Alexander was not approved.

Wrangell agreed on three area closures: the Babbler Point area on the mainland east of Wrangell; the area directly in front of Wrangell; and the ‘nose’ or ‘elephants nose’ on the northern tip of Woronkofski Island. These closures would be a quarter-mile off the beach and would be in effect until the sockeye fishery started.

The Petersburg committee agreed to a two-day fishery time starting at 8 AM Monday the week of the Petersburg Salmon Derby. They would start fishing again the Tuesday following the derby over Memorial Day weekend. This was done so they would not interfere with the tagging of the derby prize fish. Since the Wrangell salmon derby runs May 14-June 12 they did not vote on any derby closures. The Stikine River King salmon fishery will begin May 2. Petersburg’s closures would be in affect until June 1.

“I think we will probably start fishing four days a week,” Bergmann, “until we see the preseason forecast and get a feeling of how many boats are participating and how the catch is going. It’s all new. We haven’t done this since 1977.”

The Petersburg Advisory Committee also proposed that trollers be permitted to fish only in the hatchery access areas of District 8 seven days a week. Marilyn George gave insightful testimony on the historical background of trollers near the Stikine River and drew applause with her speech. George first fished the area in 1946 on a troller from Puget Sound.

Another concern by fishermen was the protection of the steelhead runs. Closures at the mouth of the Wrangell Narrows (Pt. Frederick to Sukoi) and at Coney Island will give the steelhead streams there significant protection.

“I was pleased with how it went,” Bergmann said. “It was the type of thing that nobody goes away smiling, but in reality and theoretically, all sides will get more fish. The first few years will be trying because people are fishing areas they haven’t fished and there will be conflicts with other gear types. It will be interesting. I’ve tried to impress on the advisory committees that it is not too smart to put things into stone this first year before we even had a fishery. It’s easy enough to put their suggested closure areas into emergency order and then see how they work out. It’s nice to go ahead and have the fishery and see where there are conflicts and problems and adjust the lines accordingly.”