Vol. 40 No. 1 SPAWNING March 2018 SOUTHERN SOUTHEAST REGIONAL NEWS AQUACULTURE ASSOCIATION 14 Borch Street Ketchikan, AK 99901 www.ssraa.org The history of allocations in Southeast hatchery fish is a tale of plans, catches and practical adjustments By DAVID LANDIS 2017. Gillnetters have SSRAA General Manager been above their range in he plan for allocating enhanced salmon among recent years, and that trend T gear groups started as a request from the Alaska continued in 2017. Board of Fisheries in 1991. The chairman of the Of the individual fisheries board asked SSRAA and NSRAA to coordinate enhancement organiza- development of a Southeast-wide strategy to assign the tions, SSRAA has most harvest percentages of hatchery-produced salmon, by often come closest to value and species, among the three commercial gear achieving the allocation groups. It certainly made sense for the Board of Fish ranges, when considered to ask for help and a consensus recommendation from by itself—but of course industry on this topic. The board had been unable to the ranges according Allocation goals are moving targets. With troll catches of enhanced salmon trending resolve the considerable to regulation are below allocation goals, SSRAA is likely to adjust future production of chinook and differences among gear figured Southeast- coho to move trollers’ harvests into the intended range. PHOTO BY GREGG POPPEN groups and regional areas. wide, not by The task force that How can changes be made aquaculture association. For the 2017 season, the tackled this assignment to balance allocation? combined totals were approximately 47 percent produced a report that of enhanced value to the gillnet fleet, 39 percent IN THIS ISSUE was presented to the The tools which can be to seiners and 14 percent to trollers. ■ Board of Fisheries used are generally the How, exactly, does SSRAA rate historically Fishing votes | Gear during the 1994 board in terms of “holding up our end” of the allocation groups elect board of directors meeting in Ketchikan. following: adjustments in plan? In most years, the relative harvest value members | 2 The regulation which management of terminal proportions are close to the plan ranges (see ■ Net benefits | SSRAA resulted is now found in TABLE 2 on page 8). One of the primary reasons and special harvest areas; personnel deploy a new the Alaska Administrative for this is that SSRAA enhancement programs rearing pen array for coho and Code (5AAC 33.364) new production of enhanced are generally located inside of traditional chum at Port Asumcion off the and is formally called common property harvest areas in both gillnet western side of Prince of the Southeastern Alaska salmon; and modification and seine districts. For example, in districts Wales Island | 3 Area Enhanced Salmon of enhancement project 1, 6, and 8, the mixed-stock gillnet fisheries Allocation Management intercept salmon from Neets Bay, Neck Lake, ■ Decades in finfish | Plan. production. Anita Bay and now Burnett Inlet. The seine SSRAA sees off a career The agreed-upon fisheries in districts 1, 2, and 4 also catch returns culturist who was present percentage values are from these programs. There is also a more equal from the founding | 4 expressed in ranges; the values are for all of Southeast balance in terms of the troll permits and effort on the ■ Financials | Summary and include all salmon hatchery production—not just south end, with a high percentage of open area and of SSRAA’s financial from the regional associations. Since the plan also calls traditional inside troll drags. In some years, there is also status for 2016-2017 | 5 for its percentage goals to be figured long-term, relative an effective chum troll fishery in the outer portion of to the time it takes for management and production Neets Bay. In 2017, for instance, you can see in TABLE ■ Outbound | Profiles of decisions to affect harvest value, rolling five-year 1 (page 8) that the largest proportion of troll value was departing policy-makers with averages are used to generate each year’s number. from chum—substantially more than either enhanced long service to SSRAA | 6 The established value percentage ranges, reached by chinook or coho. Of course, there were good prices in ■ Icebound | February freeze consensus and unchanged since 1994, are by gear group: 2017, and the chum bit troll gear well. Unfortunately, besets Nakat Inlet chum | 5 purse seine at 44-49 percent; troll at 27-32 percent and; this is not the case every year. drift gillnet at 24-29 percent. In terms of dollar value for SSRAA, the common ■ Cost recovery harvest | Among Southeast gear groups, trollers have most property harvest of enhanced fish was worth an RFPs for 2018 salmon licensing often been below their agreed allocation range since the estimated ex-vessel preliminary value of almost $19.2 will be out in March | 8 inception of the regulation. Seiners were once the group million in 2017. The total Southeast estimated ex-vessel furthest above their range, but in recent years they have preliminary value of enhanced fish in 2017 is about gone below their range, and the trend continued through See ‘Allocations’ on 8 ssraa.org March 2018 2 Ballots and appointments fill SSRAA board One new gear group representative and three incumbents took seats on the SSRAA Board of Directors in January as a result of 2017 balloting. SSRAA calendar Seiner Nyle Thomas was newly elected to the board. Gillnetters returned David Klepser to a seat and seiners awarded Leif Dobszinsky with reelection. Brant Widness joined the board as a newly elected member in a troll seat. March 15 SSRAA issues the request for proposals (RFP) Craig Ring retained his hand troll seat. Board members filled out gear group for cost recovery in 2018 slates by appointing Garrett Vincentz to the remainder of Brad Haynes’ seine term; Haynes had resigned. Gear group seats are three-year terms. April 4 Spring Regional Planning Team (RPT) meeting in Juneau SSRAA enjoyed a good showing of interest in appointive board seats. Russell Thomas of Alaska Sportfishing Expeditions was chosen for the sport April 17 Cost recovery RFP responses due back to SSRAA fish seat. Dennis Nickerson of Klawock took the vacant Native corporation seat. Mike Painter, a longtime appointee representing municipalities, moved to a public-at-large seat and the municipal seat was taken by newcomer David SSRAA Staff Powell of Wrangell. Appointees serve two-year terms. ADMINISTRATION AND OPERATIONS Dave Landis General Manager NOMINEES INVITED FOR NEXT BOARD BALLOT Bret Hiatt Operations Manager Nominations are open for three-year seats on the SSRAA Board of Directors. Bill Gass Production Manager SSRAA is encouraging salmon fishers to turn in nominations for four gear Steve Reid Assistant Production Manager seats on the board. One seine seat, two gillnet seats and one power troll seat will Cindy Walters Executive Administrative Assistant come open in January 2019. Nominations are due Oct. 17, 2018. Liz Jones Administrative Assistant Nominations must be in writing and must include the permit holder’s name; Jay Johnson LLC Accounting Services address; vessel name; and phone number. Include a brief statement of interest with self-nominations; if you’re nominating another fisher, provide a short sum- RESEARCH & EVALUATION mary of the nominee’s background. Limited-entry permit holders nominate only John Holt Research & Evaluation Manager people in their gear groups. Nominees must be active southern Southeast com- Stephanie Sanguinetti Lab Supervisor mercial salmon permit holders. Alan Murray Lead Research Technician If you’re interested in serving on the SSRAA Board of Directors, or want to Whitney Crittenden Lead Research Technician nominate a fellow gear-group fisher, please submit nominations to SSRAA, Attn: Taylor Pearson Research Technician Liz Jones, at 14 Borch St., Ketchikan, Alaska 99901 or email: [email protected]. WHITMAN LAKE HATCHERY For more information, call the association at 907-225-9605. Jay Creasy Hatchery Manager Vacant Assistant Hatchery Manager Cody Pederson Lead Fish Culturist SSRAA Board of Directors Mike Moreno Fish Culturist SEINERS Erik Mattek Maintenance Technician / Fish Culturist Dan Castle Ketchikan F/V Little Lady NEETS BAY HATCHERY Leif Dobszinsky (secretary) Port Townsend, Wash. F/V Chasina Craig Parry Hatchery Manager Nyle Thomas Petersburg F/V Barbara Justin Rose Assistant Hatchery Manager Garret Vincentz Ketchikan F/V Lady Jane Dale Wainscott Lead Fish Culturist GILLNETTERS Stan Rice Fish Culturist Brennon Eagle Wrangell F/V Danegeld Ryan Patten Fish Culturist Chris Guggenbickler (president) Wrangell F/V Noelani Andy Gilsdorf Fish Culturist (10 month) David Klepser Ketchikan F/V Hannah Point Andrew Pung Fish Culturist (10 month) Bob Martin Petersburg F/V Sumner Richard Flagg Maintenance Supervisor POWER TROLLERS Daniel Perry Lead Maintenance Technician Tom Fisher (vice president) Ketchikan F/V Aquarius James Adams Maintenance Technician (10 month) Pat Tyner Craig F/V Rauma BURNETT INLET HATCHERY Brian Warmuth Ketchikan F/V Shannon Hope Jon Thorington Hatchery Manager Brant Widness Ketchikan AK-5755-AM Cain DePriest Assistant Manager HAND TROLLER Tony Belback Fish Culturist Craig Ring Ketchikan Vacant Fish Culturist (10 month) APPOINTEES CRYSTAL LAKE HATCHERY Russell Thomas Ketchikan Sport Fish Loren Thompson Hatchery Manager Paul Cyr (treasurer) Ketchikan Processor Kevin Chase Assistant Hatchery Manager Dennis Nickerson Klawock Native Corp. Wesley Malcom Lead Fish Culturist Mike Painter Ketchikan