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Fish and Game wants to operate counting projects, test fisheries regardless of shut down

Alaska’s Department of Fish and Game is planning to continue running major commercial fisheries, like Bristol Bay, regardless of a potential government shutdown.

Commercial Fisheries Director Jeff Regnart said the plan right now, pending approval by the Department of Administration, is to keep managers and tools in place to run Bristol Bay salmon fisheries this summer.

“Like counting towers in Bristol Bay, that’s a great example, those enumeration projects are the base to that management system, and so, they would stay in the water if we’re allowed to proceed that way, along with some of the test fish programs that we use for management, they would be in the water,” Regnart said. “Nushagak sonar is a big one. That’s the most significant tool on the westside, for enumerating salmon both chinook and sockeye. So our vision is to keep all of those running.”

That’s not to say it would necessarily be business as usual. Regnart said Fish and Game may have to adjust normal operations, such as curtailing how long some projects like counting towers and sonar typically last.

“We might be pulling them a little earlier than we necessarily would in a normal year, to try to save some money,” Regnart said. “Once the counts drop off you might see us move more quickly to try to get crews out of the field. I think that’s a likely event if this continues, you know in this fiscal climate, but our plan is to run those significant enumeration projects.”

Regnart said Monday that Fish and Game hadn’t heard whether or not its plan was approved, and didn't have a timeline for when it might be.

It's also unknown whether or not the shutdown plan will have to be enacted.

Alaska’s legislators have not yet agreed on how to fully fund this year’s operating budget. All state agencies have been directed to plan for reduced operations if state government begins to shut down next month, but those plans may not be used if the legislature reaches an agreement on the budget before the new fiscal year starts July 1.