Disaster declaration suggests bycatch decision will standPublished on January 22nd, 2010 By ALEX DEMARBAN
Commerce Secretary Gary Locke's long-awaited announcement declaring a fisheries disaster on the Yukon River suggests that he will not reject a decision by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council on king salmon bycatch. The Alaska Federation of Natives and other groups want Locke to reject the NPFMC's April 2009 recommendation that would allow the Pollock fishing industry an overall king salmon cap of 68,392 and a performance cap of 47,951. Many have criticized the decision, saying the council should have set a lower cap on the king salmon accidentally caught by the pollock fleet. This salmon are caught in the Bering Sea, before the fish can return to their birth rivers to spawn. The council's recommendation wouldn't go into effect until 2011. Many blame high bycatch levels in recent years for declining king salmon runs on the Yukon. AFN, in a resolution passed this fall, said about half of the bycatch comes from Western Alaska rivers like the Yukon. The issue of bycatch was downplayed in the written statement from the U.S. Commerce Department announcing Locke's decision. Noting that the reason for the salmon run's decline is not fully understood, the statement said "scientists believe they are predominantly natural." "Changes in ocean and river conditions, including unfavorable shifts in temperatures and food sources, likely caused poor survival of Chinook salmon," it read. The contribution of bycatch is "expected to be small compared to natural causes," it continued. The statement referred to the NPFMC's April decision, saying the NPFMC has made recommendations to "minimize" the bycatch. The statement added that federal fishery regulators are reviewing the council's "recommendations and are developing proposed regulations." Alex Demarban can be reached at alex@alaskanewspapers.com, or by phone at 907-348-2444 |
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