Togiak's Advisory Committee is looking for more protection for the local fleet --- and to continue protecting kings.
At their meeting Monday to discuss the Bristol Bay fishery changes that’ll be considered by Board of Fish next month, Togiak’s Advisory Committee didn’t discuss all of the major issues other committees have taken up. But they had lengthy discussions about two proposals of their own, including one that they say closes a loophole in current regulations.
Togiak AC chair Jonathan Forsling said the committee unanimously supported its own proposal addressing transfer regulations for the Togiak District.
That’s all we’re doing, we’re just making it so when you’re transferring to Togiak, the vessel is also tied to the permit, as far as the exclusivity.
Right now, a permit that’s been used in another district can’t fish Togiak until after July 27. Proposal 44 would tie that registration to a vessel too. Togiak is a small fishery and runs late. The mostly local fleet wants as much opportunity to fish before bigger boats wrap up their season elsewhere and head to Togiak. They say their proposal will help do that by keeping some boats out.
Forsling said the next step may be to propose making Togiak a super-exclusive district.
“There’s a lot of justifications, a lot of reasons why we could and should be super exclusive," he said. "I think we just wanted to start off with the smaller stuff first, and once we can make some progress on that, then try to take off a bigger chunk and get more of what we actually need.”
The committee had also drafted a proposal that would reduce the time period during which a certain portion of the district was closed to protect king salmon. At Monday’s meeting, they decided not to support it.
Forsling said the committee has been frustrated by the closure, but is more frustrated by declining numbers of chinooks in the area.
“To the user groups out here, it looks as though nobody’s concerned about our chinooks," he said. "The commercial fishery has to be the one to suffer and you know the kings are still declining and it’s, we really don’t want to end up without kings here. It seems like we’re the only ones trying.”
Forsling said the proposal doesn’t address other issues with kings, such as the number caught by setnetters and sport fishermen, and the lack of a tower count next summer --- the committee may look at those in the future.
The AC didn’t discuss all the proposals before the board this winter, including when blue cards are dropped and registration changes in other districts. It did oppose setnet permit stacking, as most of the ACs around the bay have done.
