April 12, 2018

As the days grow longer, our thoughts naturally drift toward planning for salmon fishing this summer.

The summer of 2017 was unusually challenging with the extremely low water in the Kuskokwim watershed, and warm water temperatures in May and June. The king salmon run timing was the latest most of us have ever seen. And, the kings were running so deeply that their presence was difficult to detect. When the kings finally began showing up in real numbers, the chums and reds were already running, the best drying weather had already past, and the rainy days had set in.

While escapement goals were met last summer in most of the Kuskokwim tributaries, the Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission understands that users were unhappy with the extreme restrictions. This year, the Fish Commission is deeply committed to providing opportunities to harvest kings, but also remains committed to rebuilding our king stocks.

Changes and Updates

During the summer of 2018, the Fish Commission plans on trying some new approaches to in-season management and communication.
Beginning on May 21, the Fish Commission will host a Monday morning (10:30 a.m.-noon) teleconference for Kuskokwim residents to share information and concerns. It will be a toll-free number, so you can call in and get the latest information from neighbors along the river and managers with information about dates and times to fish.

Both the Fish Commission’s Executive Council and the State’s Working Group agreed to shorten the “Front-End Closure” by beginning the closure on May 25 rather than May 20 (like last year). The end of the Front-End Closure remains June 11 to allow kings from the headwaters to spawn.

There is also a growing interest in having at least one day a week to fish starting June 12. The day of the week and the number of hours of fishing has not yet been established.

Last summer, community-based harvest monitors were active in six villages (Akiak, Kwethluk, Napakiak, Napaskiak, Nunapitchuk, and Tuntutuliak). In 2018, the Fish Commission wants to include one or two more villages in this harvest monitoring program. The information gathered last year by our harvest monitors was critical to help in-season managers understand that the king run was both late and not as strong as usual.

Another proposed change is to add another in-season manager. Since 2015, the Fish Commission has had three in-season managers, representing the Upper, Middle and Lower portions of the Kuskokwim. At the Fish Commission’s annual meeting at the Bethel Cultural Center on May 7-8, the Fish Commission will consider a resolution to let Bethel’s commissioner serve as a fourth in-season manager.

Pending Management Actions

There are currently two separate Special Action Requests (referred to as SARs) being considered by the Federal Subsistence Board (FSB).

One SAR was submitted by the Refuge Manager at the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge (YDNWR), and the other SAR was submitted by the Akiak Native Community. Both SARs are similar in that they both ask for Federal management of Federal waters on the Kuskokwim River. But, the SARs ask for Federal management to take effect on different dates. What this means is that the question before the FSB is not when to fish, but when federal management of the Kuskokwim River would begin, if the FSB chooses to impose federal management.

This is important because when federal management is implemented, all state regulations are superseded. The KRITFC is being engaged by the FSB and federal managers in the process of deciding when and how fishing opportunities would be provided.

The YDNWR SAR (FSA 18-01) asks the FSB to only allow federally-qualified subsistence users of the Kuskokwim River drainage to harvest king salmon from June 12 through August 30, 2018. On March 14, there was a public hearing on this request in Bethel at the AVCP Regional Housing Authority Conference Room. The FSB has not decided on this request yet.

On March 28, Akiak Native Community filed another SAR (FSA 18-03) with the FSB, asking the board to do three things:

Only allow federally qualified subsistence users in possession of a community harvest permit to harvest king salmon on the Federal public waters of the Kuskokwim River drainage between May 20 and July 1, 2018.
Reduce the pool of eligible federally-qualified subsistence harvesters based on a Section 804 subsistence user prioritization analysis; and
Establish a harvest allocation for kings similar to what was implemented in 2015.

Because Akiak Native Community’s request includes actions not proposed in the Refuge Manager’s request, there will be another public hearing on this request 6-8 p.m., April 19, at the Bethel Cultural Center. This request will be analyzed by the Federal Subsistence Board’s Inter Agency Review Committee in conjunction with FSA 18-01.

We are looking forward to this summer and the bounty God provides.

If you have questions or concerns you would like to share, please reach out to your community’s commissioner or Mary Peltola.