Get in touch and share some perspective — give us a call 907-842-2200 or send an email to fish@kdlg.org.
The Skipper Science Program is in its third year in Bristol Bay and fishing crews are taking notice. User numbers are up on the app, and this season, the citizen science initiative could be more consequential than ever. The goal is to find out where exactly King salmon are running, with the Nushagak King mapping project. KDLG's Jack Darrell reports:
'Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay' advocacy group celebrates federal move to block of Pebble Mine
This fishing season is different in many ways compared to last, and one of those is the Biden Administration’s move earlier this year to block the development of Pebble Mine at the headwaters of Bristol Bay. The action was cheered by many Bristol Bay communities, tribal governments and fishing organizations as the removal of the threat of mining contamination harming the one-of-a-kind wild salmon fishery.
One advocacy coalition, Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay, held a potluck celebration at the Dillingham harbor earlier this month. Longtime Dillingham fisherwoman Katherine Carscallen is the director of the organization, which represents over one hundred fishing organizations and businesses dedicated to protecting Bristol Bay.
“So today was really about celebrating the win we saw this winter with the Clean Water Act protections stopping Pebble Mine, and really just launching the next step of our effort which is, ‘Bristol Bay Forever’ is kind of the new slogan," Carscallen said. "And it really represents protecting what we have in a broader way than just stopping Pebble Mine. Really thinking about the long term sustainability of the fishery, and protecting the habitat keeps it going.”
Earlier this year, the Environmental Protection Agency issued an administrative ruling under the Clean Water Act that bans the disposal of mine waste in part of the bay’s watershed, effectively blocking the proposed copper and gold mine. It’s a strong move to protect the headwaters, but not an absolute ban on all other mining projects in the area.
“The Clean Water Act protections at the Pebble site that was a huge win to stop Pebble (mine)," she said. "But because the whole watershed is important to Bristol Bay salmon, it’s a huge ecosystem, and the reason our salmon runs have been so strong is because it’s pristine, it’s been protected for millennia. This Clean Water Act decision that stopped Pebble (mine) is a step in the right direction but what we really need is protections for the whole watershed. People live here, people need to exist, but we can’t have incompatible developments like large scale mining in this region."
Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay is an advocacy coalition working to protect the region from any and all future threats, you can find more information at commercialfishermenforbristolbay.org
It's never too early to think about net recycling
It’s never too early to think about fishing net recycling. The Curyung Tribal Council is spearheading a net and PVC rain gear recycling initiative with drop off locations in Dillingham and Naknek for the commercial fishing community. They estimate 100,000 lbs of net are trashed each year in Bristol Bay, filling up local landfills. They’re partnering with two companies, Net Your Problem and Rugged Seas to recycle and reuse into different plastic products. Curyung Tribal Council’s environmental coordinator Desi Bond, and Nicole Baker, owner of Net Your Program, joined KDLG’s local reporter Christina McDermott in the studios to talk about the initiative.
Salmon donations are headed to Yukon-Kuskokwim and Chigniks communities where residents have seen a disastrous decline in salmon runs over the last few years. The project is one in a long line of Native-led salmon donation and food security initiatives. KDLG's Mark McKewon spoke with Dillingham set-netter Jenny Bennis about the latest local salmon donation project, at her setnet site on Kanakanak beach earlier this week. Jenny talks about the local efforts to establish another great and impactful program, where rural Alaska communities are helping one another.
Fish donations through this project are now closed, but check back for updates later in the season at kdlg.org.
Messages to the fleet
To Capt. Doug Morgan. F/V Miss Emma,
Don't worry about getting back for the Motley Crue concert. Vince Neil has eaten Mick Mars. Repeat, Vince Neil has eaten Mick Mars.
From, Capt. Zip Tie
To Captain Brent Cathey on the F/V Independence:
Hello my Little Razor Clam! Quick message to let you know I love the new riding mower! I hated that orange color though, so I painted it. The paint store manager mixed colors perfectly and we decided it’s definitely a “Champagne Sunset Lilac” vibe. I’m reupholstering the seat as well, and bedazzling the handles. It’s going to be so pretty!
Okay, love and miss you! Happy fishing!
Montana Chick
If you’d like to send a message to the fleet get in touch or give some perspective, give us a call 842-5281 or send an email to fish@kdlg.org.
The numbers
The bay-wide daily catch on Monday was 593,630 fish harvested across all districts. The total run as of yesterday was 1,803,343 sockeye, and cumulative escapement was at 1,940,954.
At the Nushagak River sonar, 251,174 sockeye passed on Monday for a total of 768,872 fish up the river so far.
652 Chinook passed the Nushagak River sonar for a total of 18,690 so far this season.
4,765 chum salmon passed the sonar, for a total of 45,521.
Wood River
430,056 sockeye passed the Wood River counting tower yesterday, for a total escapement that has now breached 1 million, at 1,053,426 fish. About 8 million sockeye are expected to return to the Wood.
Igushik River
The Igushik counting tower crews counted 684 sockeye on Monday, for a total of about 8,274 this season. 624 more swam past the tower as of 6am this morning.
Togiak
Fishermen in Togiak caught 1,108 fish yesterday, and the season’s cumulative catch is 3,350.
Togiak’s forecast is an estimated 700,000 sockeye, and about 500,000 for harvest.
Naknek-Kvichak
No fish were caught in the Naknek and Kvichak Rivers on Monday. The total season harvest is 26,307 fish to date. This season’s total escapement is 34,110 fish. 33,522 of those fish swam upstream yesterday.
The Naknek is forecasted to see a 6.5 million sockeye run, and the Kvichak is expecting to see over 8 million fish. The Alagnak is forecasted to get around 4.2 million, but no Alagnak counts are in yet.
Egegik
Egegik fishing crews caught 58,238 fish yesterday, bringing the season’s total catch to 789,061 with another 1,932 fish swimming upstream, bringing the season’s total escapement to 76,272 fish. The season’s escapement goal is over 800,000.
The total run is now at 867,833 fish, and Egegik is expected to see around 11 million sockeye.
Ugashik
Ugashik fleets caught zero fish on Monday. The season total is 63,518 fish harvested, escapement is at zero, leaving the total run at 63,518.
Vessel Registrations
As of 9am today, in Egegik, there are 440 permits on 336 boats. Permits will increase just to 443 by Thursday, and the number of boats will stay the same. DBoats will increase from 104 to 107.
The Ugashik District has gone up to 60 permits on 47 boats, which will also increase slightly to 61 permits on 48 boats in the next 2 days. DBoats will stay steady at 13.
In the Naknek-Kvichak District, there are now 238 permits on 201 boats. That will increase to 257 permits on 217 boats by Thursday. DBoats will increase from 37 to 40.
In the Nushagak, there are 758 permits on 538 boats. In the next 2 days, that will jump to 760 permits on 540 boats. DBoats will stand at 220.
The Togiak District has 17 permits on 17 boats, which won’t change in the next couple days.
Chignik River weir
At the Chignik River weir, 35,902 sockeye swam through the weir yesterday, for a season total of 190,787.
An estimated 33,837 fish were part of the early run, and about 2,065 fish part of the late run.
Area M
In Area M, North and South Peninsula fleets harvested 113,965 sockeye yesterday for a total of 995,201 fish this season. They caught 178 chinook for a total of 2,349 to date.
20,101 pinks were caught on Monday along with 14,081 chum and 18 cohos.
Most of the season’s fish have been caught on the South Peninsula, with the South Unimak and Shumagin Islands fleets' total harvest now at 799,965 sockeye and 1,578 chinook.
In the North Peninsula, total harvest is at 190,653 sockeye and 770 chinook by fleets in Nelson Lagoon, Port Heiden, and the Northwestern District.
Port Moller Test Fishery
No stock composition to report today. On to the catch numbers.
For Port Moller catches on June 26, no fish were caught at Stations 2, 18, or 20.
At the following test fishery stations, the smaller mesh size is 4 ½ inch and the larger mesh size is 5 ⅛.
Station 4 caught 69 fish in the small net and 65 fish in the big net. That catch index is 251.
Station 6 caught 56 fish in the small net and 41 fish in the big net. That catch index is 166.
Station 8 caught 7 fish in the small net and no fish in the big net. That catch index is 16.
Station 10 caught 34 fish in the big net. That catch index is 66.
Station 12 caught 9 fish in the small net and 13 fish in the big net. That catch index is 43.
Station 14 caught 5 fish in the small net for a catch index of 12.
Station 16 caught just 2 fish in the small net for a catch index of 5.
Get in touch at fish@kdlg.org.
