The North Pacific Fishery Management Council, along with its Advisory Panel (AP) and Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC), are currently holding their October meetings to discuss federal fishery management in Alaska. This includes the Bering Sea Aleutian Island (BSAI) management area and the commercial pollock fishery that takes place there. The Council, AP, and SSC are responsible for setting salmon bycatch limits and caps, setting catch limits, and monitoring the Bering Sea ecosystem, among other things.

It is critical that the Council understand how BSAI salmon bycatch affects subsistence fishing families in the Kuskokwim, Yukon, and Norton Sound regions. We urge every subsistence fisherman and woman on our river to provide a 3-minute testimony to the Council and/or AP by sharing your experiences with Chinook and chum salmon collapses on the Kuskokwim.

WHEN TO TESTIFY:

• Wednesday, October 6, 2021, morning or early afternoon: During Council agenda item B9: Public Comment – this is the most important time for public testimony!

• Friday, October 8, 2021, time TBD: During AP Staff Tasking

• Friday, October 15, 2021, time TBD: During Council Staff Tasking

You must sign up online on the NPFMC’s agenda ahead of time to testify. Note: You can sign up to testify only on the day you wish to speak.

You can testify online via Adobe Connect linked to your phone (instructions to doing that here), or via your phone only at the following numbers:

• Council meeting: Dial toll-free: 1-888-947-3989, code: 160722#

• AP meeting: Dial toll-free: 1-888-947-3989, code: 405991#

More information can be found in the talking points above. Contact Terese Schomogyi (terese@kritfc.org, 907-545-7388) with questions or for help signing up to testify. Terese can also notify you when your time to testify is coming up; please contact her to set this up.