SitNews - Stories in the News - Ketchikan, Alaska

Federal subsistence fishery for eulachon closed in Federal waters within District 1

 

March 03, 2017
Friday PM


(SitNews) Ketchikan, Alaska - Ketchikan-Misty Fiords District Ranger Jeff DeFreest, under authority delegated by the Federal Subsistence Board, is closing the Federal public waters that flow into District 1 to the taking of eulachon from 12:01 a.m., Monday, March 6, 2017 until May 4, 2017, 11:59 p.m. due to anticipated low eulachon returns. Any eulachon caught in this area must be immediately returned into the water unharmed. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) closed the State managed eulachon fisheries in District 1 on February 24.

Few eulachon have returned to the Burroughs Bay area since 2005. Similar closures have been issued by the USDA Forest Service for eulachon within the Burroughs Bay area from 2005 through 2016.

The eulachon life cycle is typically a five year period. Based on returns observed the last three years it is not likely a harvestable surplus will be present in 2017. It is anticipated that all eulachon returning to District 1 during 2017 will be needed for spawning to rebuild area eulachon populations.

The Ketchikan-Misty Fiords Ranger District, in cooperation with ADF&G, will continue to monitor returns to the District 1 systems and will provide a further update in the event that a change in the situation occurs.

 

 

Editing by Mary Kauffman, SitNews

 

Source of News:

US Forest Service
www.fs.fed.gov

 

 

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