Togiak fishermen have petitioned the state to extend the time period during which fishing in their district is limited to those who haven't fished elsewhere in the bay.
UPDATE, 3:40 p.m.: The state Board of Fisheries will meet from 2 - 4 p.m. Friday by teleconference to consider limiting participation in the Togiak District through August 15. The meeting will be streamed online, with call-in sites around the state:
Dillingham, Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation Office, 411 First Avenue East
Togiak, Traditional Council of Togiak, Meeting Room, 310 Main Street
Twin Hills, North Pacific Fisheries, Business Office, 1 Cannery Road
Juneau, ADF&G Office, 1255 W. 8th Street, Caribou Conference Room
Anchorage, ADF&G, 333 Raspberry Road, Aerie Conference Room
DILLINGHAM: Togiak fishermen are asking the state to limit participation in their district in August, in case the run shows up late. KDLG’s Molly Dischner has more:
By regulation, the Togiak District opens to fishermen who have registered to other districts on July 27. This year, the Togiak fleet is asking to have that date extended through August 15.
The 2015 sockeye return to Togaik was the lowest in more than a decade, and the run so far come in frustratingly small. Fish and Game has had to restrict fishing time already this year due to low catch and escapement.
But fishermen are hopeful that the Togiak run is just coming late, like happened in the other four districts this summer. The fleet in Togiak has now asked the state's Board of Fish to give them more days of exclusive fishing time this year before others transfer into the district.
They submitted a petition to the state Board of Fisheries yesterday with 68 signatures. As of July 20, 54 permits were registered to drift in the district. According to the petition, set netters also signed it.
The Board’s Executive Director Glenn Haight said the board will have to first make a decision on whether or not there is an emergency. That criteria is in state statute.
“Is there going to be a harm to a resource, or is there the potential that an allowable harvest might not occur, and is it unforeseen," Haight said. "So those are the general criteria that the board looks at.”
Then, if there is an emergency, the board will decide how to address the issue, and whether to extend the exclusive deadline for the fishery.
“Well, they’re going to go quickly, ‘cause they’re looking at the 27. So we should hear hopefully the next couple days," Haight said.
A little more than 200,000 sockeye have been counted as catch and escapement through Thursday. The preseason forecast for the Togiak estimated a total return of about 610,000 sockeye.
UPDATE: The Board of Fish announced Thursday that it will meet Friday to consider the petition. That meeting can be streamed online, with additional access available at call-in sites. For the Bristol Bay area, those sites are: BBEDC's office in Dillingham, the traditional council building in Togiak, and the North Pacific Fisheries business office in Togiak.