The Peninsula Clarion reports that on Thursday, the Alaska Board of Fisheries will conduct an emergency meeting on the Cook Inlet set net closure. The Board will determine whether to open Cook Inlet to set net fishing to "help keep the Kenai River late-run red salmon escapement within the range set by regulation," according to the meeting agenda.
The meeting was called after an emergency petition was filed by Lance Alldrin on July 18. The petition states in part:
"Due to the recent implementation of 5 AAC 21.359 (c)(4) in which the Kenai River was closed to king salmon fishing therefore closing the east side Cook Inlet set net fishery, the Kenai River is in danger of sockeye salmon over-escapement. This potentially huge, unexpected over-escapement not only burdens the ecosystem now but also jeopardizes the strength of future returns.
The only "tool" currently available to local management is the Cook Inlet drift fleet which has a low king to sockeye harvest record. While this fishery can be partially successful in a situation such as this, it is not capable of stopping a estimated run of 4.0-6.0 million fish by itself, especially once the fish hit the beaches..."
By opening the area to set nets, management will have another "tool at their disposal", the petition states.
The board will convene at 8:30 a.m. Thursday and will take public testimony.
Meeting documents can be found at the Alaska Board of Fisheries site. The public may also call Monica Wellard or Kristy Tibbles at 907-465-4110 for information.
More from the Clarion, here.