HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution No. 2024-42KENAI
CITY OF KENAI
RESOLUTION NO. 2024-42
Sponsored by: Knackstedt
A RESOLUTION SUPPORTING AGENDA CHANGE REQUEST 8 AT THE UPCOMING ALASKA
BOARD OF FISHERIES WORK SESSION TO ALLOW SET BEACH SEINE NETS AS AN
ALTERNATIVE GEAR TYPE FOR THE EASTSIDE SETNET FISHERY WHILE IN THE KENAI RIVER
LATE -RUN KING SALMON STOCK OF CONCERN MANAGEMENT PLAN.
WHEREAS, the City benefits from well -managed salmon runs as a central part of its economy, culture
and quality of life for residents and visitors; and,
WHEREAS, all user groups in the City: sport; personal use; subsistence; and commercial benefit from
healthy, sustainable salmon runs in the Kenai River and Kasilof Rivers; and,
WHEREAS, the City supports a well -managed fishery based on sound scientific research -based decision
making allowing for diversified harvest opportunities and maximum sustainable yield; and,
WHEREAS, the Upper Subdistrict Eastside set gillnet fishery (ESSN) has been completely closed or
severely limited in recent years to protect late -run king salmon which are designated as a stock of
concern; and,
WHEREAS, while all other user groups have continued to have harvest opportunity for sockeye salmon
under the Kenai River late -run king salmon stock of concern management plan, the Upper Subdistrict
Eastside set gillnet fishery has been completely shut out, or allowed only minimal opportunity, to protect
late run king salmon; and,
WHEREAS, to address this issue for the 2024 season, the Board of Fish allowed commercial dipnets in
the ESSN, which allowed for some harvest of sockeye salmon while continuing to protect king salmon,
but harvest was far from historic allocation harvest and participation was limited; and,
WHEREAS, testing of set beach seine nets under an ADFG Commissioner's Permit during the 2024
season showed that they can be an effective economically viable method of harvesting sockeye salmon
within the ESSN while allowing for live release of every king salmon incidentally caught; and,
WHEREAS, Agenda Change Request 8 (ACR 8) presented at the Alaska Board of Fisheries Work
Session scheduled for October 29-30, 2024 requests the consideration as an agenda item at a future
board of fish meeting prior to the 2025 Upper Cook Inlet salmon season for the addition of set beach
seine nets as legal gear under the Kenai River late -run king salmon stock of concern management plan;
and,
WHEREAS, ACR 8 meets two of the three criteria considerations required for Board approval including
a fishery conservation purpose or reason and new information that the board must consider to approve
agenda change requests; and,
WHEREAS, unless ACR 8 is considered, which would allow the Board of Fisheries to act on the
requested change prior to the 2025 salmon season, set beach seine nets would not be allowed within
the ESSN starting with the 2025 season and while under the Kenai River late run king salmon stock of
concern management plan, the ESSN fishery would largely be shut out again; and,
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Resolution No. 2024-42
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WHEREAS, the City supports ACR 8, as allowing ESSN permit holders to once again meaningfully
participate in the fishery with a gear type that allows for live release of every king salmon, meets the
City's goals of a well -managed salmon runs while allowing for diversified harvest opportunities by
historical users.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF KENAI, ALASKA:
Section 1. That the Kenai City Council Respectfully requests the State of Alaska Board of Fisheries,
at its October 29-30 Work Session, to approve ACR 8 based on the criteria of conservation and new
information and add as an agenda item, set beach seine nets as legal gear under the Kenai River late -
run king salmon stock of concern management plan at a future meeting prior to the 2025 Upper Cook
Inlet Salmon Season.
Section 2. That a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the State of Alaska Commissioner of Fish
and Game, all members of the Board of Fisheries, Governor Mike Dunleavy, State Representative Ben
Carpenter, State Representative Justin Ruffridge, State Representative Sarah Vance, State Senator
Gary Stevens and State Senator Jessie Bjorkman.
Section 3. That this Resolution takes effect immediately upon passage.
PASSED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF KENAI, ALASKA, THJS! dD DAY O
erlfy Knack dt, Vice Mayor
ATTEST:
Michelle . Sae C, City Clerk
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City of Kenai 1 210 Fidalgo Ave, Kenai, AK 99611-7794 1907.283.75351 www.kenai.city
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor Gabriel and Council Members
FROM: Henry Knackstedt, Council Member
DATE: September 26, 2024
SUBJECT: Resolution 2024-42 - Supporting Agenda Change Request 8 at the
Upcoming Alaska Board of Fisheries Work Session to Allow Set Beach Seine
Nets as an Alternative Gear Type for the Eastside Setnet Fishery While in
the Kenai River Late -Run King Salmon Stock of Concern Management Plan.
The City has consistently advocated for well managed salmon runs based on sound scientific -
decision making and supported all user groups of the resource. In recent years all user groups
have enjoyed opportunity to harvest sockeye salmon except the Upper Eastside Set Gillnet
Fishery (ESSN) which has been completely closed or extremely limited to protect late run king
salmon which have been designated as a stock of concern. For the 2024 season, the Board of
Fisheries allowed commercial dip netting in ESSN which provided a limited sockeye harvest
opportunity for some ESSN permit holders. Also during the 2024 season, set beach seine nets
were tested in the ESSN fishery under a ADFG Commissioner's Permit. The testing showed that
beach seine nets can be an economically viable method of harvesting sockeye without killing King
salmon, which can be live released while the nets remain in the water.
Agenda Change Request 8 (ACR 8 (Attached)), which is attached, requests the Board of
Fisheries to consider allowing beach seine nets as legal gear in the ESSN under the late -run king
salmon stock of concern management plan. ACR 8 which will be presented at the October Board
of Fisheries work session requests a change to the Board's Agenda at a future meeting to
consider allowing this new gear type. Consideration by the Board of Fisheries of ACR 8 at the
upcoming work session is the only avenue to approve beach seine nets within the ESSN under
the late -run king salmon stock of concern management plan in time for the 2025 season.
Your consideration is appreciated.
ACR 8
Add set beach seine nets as legal gear under the Kenai River late -run king salmon stock of
concern managementplan (5AAC 21.382).
CITE THE REGULATION THAT WILL BE CHANGED IF THIS ACR IS HEARD.
5 AAC 21.382. Kenai River late -run king salmon stock of concern management plan.
WHAT IS THE PROBLEM YOU WOULD LIKE THE BOARD TO ADDRESS? STATE
IN DETAIL THE NATURE OF THE CURRENT PROBLEM. The Upper Subdistrict
Eastside set gillnet fishery (ESSN) has been completely closed for two consecutive years for
king salmon conservation and because an economically viable live release gear type was not
available. The closures have resulted in the loss of their historical allocation of sockeye salmon,
surplus sockeye salmon above escapement goals in the Kenai and Kasilof rivers, and significant
economic loss to the local community that was partially supported by the ESSN fishery. The
Board of Fish (BOF) added dipnets as a gear type in 2024, while some beaches experienced
success at times during the season this gear type alone is not enough to approach historical levels
of harvest and economic stability.
WHAT SOLUTION DO YOU PREFER?
Add set beach seine nets as an alternative gear type in the ESSN as follows:
5 AAC 21.382 (g)
(6) From June 20 through August 15:
(A) allow for the use of one set beach seine net as an alternative gear type for holders of a SO4H
commercial set gillnet CFEC permit; for use with shore based setnet infrastructure.
(B) if set beach seine nets are operated when commercial fishing in the Upper Subdistrict of the
Central District is open to SO4H permit holders for set gillnet gear, the CFEC permit holder
operating the set beach seine net will not be allowed to fish gillnet gear for that CFEC permit.
(D) openings will be three days per week and may occur outside of specified openings in this
section based on abundance of sockeye salmon, as announced by emergency order.
(E) fishing with a set beach seine net may occur only from shore; fishing from shore must occur
at the location of a shore fishery tract identified in the recorded plat for that AS 38.05.082 lease or
a City of Kenai issued lease; or historic beach staked gillnet locations, nothing in this subsection
affects or changes the terms or conditions of an AS 38.05.02 or City of Kenai lease and its lessee.
(F)set beach seine nets may be up to 100 fathoms in length, 215 mesh deep including border and
chaffing strips, up to 10 lb lead lines and maximum 3 %Z inch mesh size.
STATE IN DETAIL HOW THIS ACR MEETS THE CRITERIA STATED BELOW.
for a fishery conservation purpose or reason: The data from the successful testing of the set
beach seine nets was not available during the 2024 Board of Fisheries meeting. The method has
now been proven as a successful ethical harvest method of sockeye salmon while successfully
releasing all king salmon in excellent condition during times of king salmon conservation.
to correct an error in regulation: N/A
to correct an effect on a fishery that was unforeseen when a regulation was adopted: When
the board of fish enacted the Stock of Concern in Upper Cook Inlet at its 2024 UCI meeting,
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dipnets were added as an alternative gear type in the new regulation. The board did not have the
set beach seine net testing data at the 2024 meeting and therefore did not discuss it.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF THIS PROBLEM IS NOT SOLVED PRIOR TO THE
REGULAR CYCLE? The harvestable surplus of sockeye in both the Kasilof and Kenai Rivers
will continue to be unharvested and wasted and the Eastside Setnet beach fishermen will be left
with the possibility of only dipnet opportunity, which resulted in a fraction of the harvest of their
historical allocation of sockeye by the Eastside Setnet fishery in 2024.
STATE WHY YOUR ACR IS NOT PREDOMINANTLY ALLOCATIVE. The Eastside
Setnet fishery had an allocation in a fully allocated fishery before they were closed or severely
restricted for King Conservation for the past several years. The selective harvest set beach seine
nets will allow the capture of sockeye while allowing the release of every king salmon in
excellent condition, thus enabling the Eastside Setnet fishermen to harvest sockeye at historically
allocated levels.
IF THIS REQUEST IS ALLOCATIVE, STATE THE NEW INFORMATION THAT
COMPELS THE BOARD TO CONSIDER AN ALLOCATIVE PROPOSAL OUTSIDE
OF THE REGULAR CYCLE. The new information is that set beach seine nets were tested by
commissioners permit numbers UCI-2024-01 and UCI-2024-03 and successfully released all
king salmon alive and in excellent condition, harvested enough sockeye to make it economically
viable, the set beach seine net worked on many beaches and fishermen will be able to use their
existing lead lines, cork lines, corks, and infrastructure to prosecute the fishery without
substantial expense.
STATE YOUR INVOLVEMENT IN THE FISHERY THAT IS THE SUBJECT OF THIS
ACR. Commercial setnet fishermen who tested the Set Beach Seine nets with Commissioners
Permit Number UCI-2024-01-Experimental Use of Beach Seines in the Upper Subdistrict of
Upper Cook Inlet.
STATE WHETHER THIS ACR HAS BEEN CONSIDERED BEFORE, EITHER AS A
PROPOSAL OR AS AN ACR, AND IF SO, DURING WHICH BOARD OF FISHERIES
MEETING? Set beach seine nets have never been considered as a gear type at a board of
fisheries meeting.
SUBMITTED BY: Brian G. Gabriel Sr. and Lisa Gabriel
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