If state layoffs begin July 1, how will Alaska manage its multimillion-dollar fisheries?

Alaska's salmon industry is bracing for the possibility that state lawmakers may not pass a budget.

Close to 10,000 state workers are bracing for 30-day layoff notices, meaning they might be off the job when the new fiscal year starts July 1. The timing couldn't be worse for Alaska's salmon managers, who by then will be nearing the peak of a season that could set records.

"There is some budget, about 27 percent of our normal amount, for us to work in the field," said Jeff Regnart, director of commercial fisheries at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. "But how we proceed from July 1 is what we're working on."

"This year has some record forecasts, and Alaska salmon is a multimillion-dollar industry. That means we are going to be out there managing these fisheries," Regnart said. "We might have to make some changes based on the fiscal climate, but we're going to make sure that we do our very best to have the tools to maximize the opportunity in these fisheries." Alaska's 2015 salmon catch is projected at 221 million fish, totaling 1 billion pounds, a bulk weight that has been topped only once (in 2013), according to the Seafood Market Bulletin by the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute.

Regnart said the major management focus would be on "significant" salmon fisheries, such as pink salmon in Southeast Alaska and sockeyes at Bristol Bay, where a harvest of 40 million fish is expected, a 41 percent increase from last year. Statewide, the sockeye salmon forecast of nearly 60 million is the largest since 1995.

"The salmon fishery is short," Regnart said. "In the next three months, it will all be over. It is compressed, and we need to be able to respond to that. It might be different from past years, but we'll do our darnedest to make sure we can make the calls necessary to provide access to that resource."

Other salmon fishing regions could feel a greater pinch.

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"Kodiak, South and North Peninsula, Cook Inlet, Prince William Sound, all those are significant fisheries and our plan is to put them in the water," Regnart said. "We might have fewer enumeration programs, fewer aerial surveys, and fewer people at the front counters in some offices. But the essential function of allowing access to that resource in a sustainable way, we will try to preserve."

"I have no idea which department employees, if any, would be prioritized over others," said James Jackson, a regional salmon manager for Fish and Game in Kodiak, where the fishery opens June 1.

"Reliable, in season, salmon escapement and catch data is the hallmark of a well-managed fishery," he added. "Without department employees counting fish and keeping track of catch, it is very difficult to manage a commercial salmon fishery, especially one as large as Kodiak's."

Of course, lots of other fishing is going on besides salmon, including cod, shrimp, rockfish and Dungeness crab.

"I think there will be an impact across the board," Regnart said. "We're just going to put our resources where they make the most sense. With salmon, if you miss it, you're done until next summer.

"The situation is changing every day," Regnart added. "We're going to do everything we can to make this work and try and pull a rabbit out of the hat."

Cracking down on pirate fishing

The U.S. is getting tougher on fisheries that are illegal, unreported and unregulated -- or more simply, pirated by rogue fleets.

In March, a presidential task force released a plan that outlines aggressive steps federal agencies will take to stop pirate fishing. The public is being asked to weigh in on the criteria used to determine which species are at risk.

"We as consumers and as Americans don't want to contribute to the depletion or extinction of any species, and so we need to figure out what are those species coming to our borders, and what are the red flags we should be watching out for," said Mark Gleason, executive director of Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers.

Alaska king crab is the global poster child for pirate fishing by Russian fleets. Trade data show that 40 percent of the king crab sold in world markets in 2012 was illegally harvested. Other estimates peg the illegal crab harvest two years ago at 100 million pounds.

"One of the reasons there is so much Russian crab is that they don't have strong governance in place, or good enforcement, or the ability to differentiate between legal or illegal crab," Gleason explained.

The U.S. will develop a list of protocols and species eligible for a tough traceability program from harvest to U.S. markets. Along with king crab, that might include grouper being tapped by Mexican or South American pirates or tuna taken on the high seas.

Gleason said it is the first time the U.S. is developing measurable objectives to make global governments accountable for pirate fishing fleets. He credits Alaska's congressional delegation for relentlessly pushing for protections.

"And I applaud President Obama and the folks that work with him," Gleason said. "They seem to really get this issue. The crabbers have been yelling about it for 20-some years and no one seems to have listened. But in recent years, it's gotten the attention of policymakers."

Public comments will be accepted by NOAA Fisheries through June 8. Draft principles and a list of at-risk species will be published in July, when the task force will detail how it will expand the program to all seafood entering the U.S., beginning next December.

Iditarod of the Sea

Kayaks, paddleboards, sailboats and other human-powered watercraft are gearing up for a Race to Alaska, dubbed the Iditarod of the Sea. On June 4 more than 30 teams will leave Port Townsend, Washington, and head north 750 miles to Ketchikan.

"It's an adventure endurance race with very few rules," said Joe Bersch, president of Premier Pacific Seafoods, a race entrant with partner Dalton Bergen on a 24-foot sailing outrigger called Pure & Wild.

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"Our team is centered on promoting pure and wild, sustainable Alaska seafood along the race route," Bersch said.

The race is expected to take seven to 10 days. If the Pure & Wild team wins, it will donate the $10,000 earnings to SeaShare, a nonprofit that has provided seafood for U.S. hunger relief since 1994.

"The reach of this race is international, and it is a good opportunity to broaden awareness of SeaShare," Bersch said. "We want people to see the benefits of sustainable fisheries management in Alaska, and ... that the industry gives back by providing seafood meals to hungry people across the nation."

Track the race at www.racetoalaska.com.

Lanie Welch is a Kodiak-based fisheries journalist. Contact her at msfish@alaska.com.

Laine Welch | Fish Factor

Laine Welch is a Kodiak-based journalist who writes a weekly column, Fish Factor, that appears in newspapers and websites around Alaska and nationally. Contact her at msfish@alaskan.com.

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