(SitNews) Ketchikan, Alaska - Under provisions of the Pacific Salmon Treaty, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) announced that the preseason Chinook salmon all-gear harvest quota for Southeast Alaska in 2013 is 176,000 fish. This year’s quota is 90,000 fish lower than the 2012 allowable preseason Chinook all-gear harvest level of 266,800.

The annual all-gear quota for Southeast Alaska is determined by the Chinook Technical Committee of the Pacific Salmon Commission. The quota is based on the forecast of an aggregate abundance of Pacific Coast Chinook salmon stocks subject to management under the treaty. Most Chinook salmon produced in Alaska hatcheries may be harvested in addition to the annual treaty limit.

According to the Alaska Department of Fish & Game, the Chinook harvest in Southeast is allocated to sport, commercial troll, and commercial net fisheries under management plans specified by the Alaska Board of Fisheries.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced Thursday that under Chinook salmon management provisions of the Pacific Salmon Treaty (PST), the 2013 abundance index (AI) for Southeast Alaska has been calculated to be 1.20, which results in the all-gear harvest quota of 176,000 treaty Chinook salmon. This all-gear abundance-based quota represents a decrease of 90,800 fish when compared with last year’s preseason estimate of 266,800 fish at an abundance index (AI) of 1.52.

The commercial troll fishery preseason Chinook salmon harvest allocation for 2013 is 129,862 fish, a decrease of 67,410 Chinook when compared with last year’s troll allocation of 197,272 fish.

The all-gear Chinook salmon quota is allocated among commercial and sport fisheries according to management plans established in regulation by the Alaska Board of Fisheries [5 AAC 29.060(b) and 47. 055]. Most Chinook salmon produced from Alaska hatcheries are not factored into the abundance index (AI) and may be harvested in addition to the treaty limit, according to ADF&G.

The ADF&G allocations to fisheries for 2013 under the regulatory management plan are as follows:

Chart coutesy ADF&G

According to an Alaska Department of Fish & Game news release, the summer commercial troll quota is calculated by subtracting the treaty Chinook salmon harvested in the winter and spring troll fisheries from the annual troll allocation. The winter fishery is managed to not exceed the guideline harvest level of 45,000 non-Alaska hatchery-produced Chinook salmon, with a guideline harvest range of 43,000−47,000 fish, plus the number of Alaska hatchery fish harvested during the winter fishery.

While there is no specific total limit on the number of treaty Chinook salmon that may be harvested in the spring fishery, the goal of the spring fishery is the harvest of Alaska hatchery fish and fisheries are managed to limit the harvest of treaty Chinook. Since spring fisheries will be in progress through June 30, preliminary harvest estimates for non-Alaska hatchery fish (treaty fish) in the spring fisheries will not be determined until late June.

The summer fishery will be managed to target the harvest of 70% of the total summer quota in the first summer Chinook salmon opening in July, with the remaining quota available for harvest in a second opening which will likely be in August. The decision as to whether the first summer opening will be managed in season rather than for a fixed number of days will be announced just prior to the July 1 opening.

Edited by Mary Kauffman, SitNews

Source of News: 

ADF&G
www.adfg.state.ak.us

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Ketchikan, Alaska

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