WESTERN INTERIOR ALASKA SUBSISTENCE REGIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL Meeting Materials October 10 - 11, 2017 Fairbanks What’s Inside Page 1 Agenda 4 Roster 5 Draft Minutes Winter 2017 Council Meeting 16 Council Presentation Procedure for Proposals 17 Fisheries Resource Monitoring Program Overview 25 Fisheries Resource Monitoring Program Kuskokwim Region Overview 51 Fisheries Resource Monitoring Program Yukon Region Overview 78 Fisheries Resource Monitoring Program Multi-Regional Overview 87 Annual Report Briefing 89 FY 2016 Annual Report Reply 101 Draft Delegation of Authority Letter for Kuskokwim In-Season Manager 106 Fall 2017 Regional Advisory Council Meeting Calendar 107 Winter 2018 Regional Advisory Council Meeting Calendar 108 Region 6 Western Interior Alaska Map 109 Council Charter On the cover... Caribou in the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve NPS photo by Zak Richter Zak by NPS photo This page was intentionally left blank Agenda WESTERN INTERIOR ALASKA SUBSISTENCE REGIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL Pike’s Waterfront Lodge Fairbanks October 10-11, 2017 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily TELECONFERENCE: call the toll free number: 1-877-638-8165, then when prompted enter the passcode: 9060609. PUBLIC COMMENTS: Public comments are welcome for each agenda item and for regional concerns not included on the agenda. The Council appreciates hearing your concerns and knowledge. Please fill out a comment form to be recognized by the Council chair. Time limits may be set to provide opportunity for all to testify and keep the meeting on schedule. PLEASE NOTE: These are estimated times and the agenda is subject to change. Contact staff for the current schedule. Evening sessions are at the call of the chair. AGENDA *Asterisk identifies action item. 1. Invocation 2. Call to Order (Chair) 3. Roll Call and Establish Quorum (Secretary) ..........................................................................4 4. Welcome and Introductions (Chair) 5. Review and Adopt Agenda* (Chair) ......................................................................................1 6. Review and Approve Previous Meeting Minutes* (Chair) ...................................................5 7. Reports Council Member Reports Chair’s Report 8. Service Awards 9. Public and Tribal Comment on Non-Agenda Items (available each morning) 10. Old Business (Chair) a. Caribou WorkingDRAFT Group (DFO) b. Kuskokwim Partnership Project – Status Update 11. New Business (Chair) a. Wildlife Proposals* (OSM Wildlife/Anthropology) ....................................... Supplemental Western Interior Alaska Subsistence Regional Advisory Council Meeting 1 Agenda Regional Proposals WP18-32: Modify season dates to align with State for caribou in Units 21D, 22, 23, 24, 25A (west), 26A, and 26B WP18-33/36: Shorten season date to align with State and requite State registration permit for moose in Unit 21E WP18-34: Extend trapping season by one month for lynx in Unit 24 WP18-35: Align hunt boundaries and season with State, and remove Federal permit requirement for moose in Unit 24B Crossover Proposals WP18-21: Change harvest limit to 2 caribou throughout the Mulchatna caribou herd’s range and consolidate hunt areas for caribou in Units 9A, 9B, 9C in the Alagnak drainage, 17A drainages west of Right Hand Point, 17B, 17C east of Wood River, 19A, and 19B WP18-22: Rescind Federal lands closure for caribou on the Nushagak Peninsula in Units 17A, 17C, Nushagak Peninsula WP18-28: Addition of winter may-be-announced season for moose in Unit 18, Goodnews WP18-43: Increase harvest limit and make season year-round for brown bear in Unit 23. WP18-44: Allow sale of skulls/hides and or skulls for brown bear in Unit 23 WP18-45: Decrease harvest limit from 5 to 3 caribou per day in Unit 23 WP18-46/47: Close hunt to non-Federally qualified users for caribou in Unit 23 WP18-48/49: Establish registration permit hunt for caribou in Units 22, 23, and 26A WP18-57: Close the caribou hunt to non-Federally qualified users in Units 25A and 26B Statewide Proposals WP18-51: Align bear baiting restrictions with State regulations b. 2018 Fisheries Resource Monitoring Program (OSM Fisheries/Anthropology) ............17 c. Identify IssuesDRAFT for FY2017 Annual Report* (DFO) .......................................................87 d. Revised Delegation of Authority Letter for Kuskokwim In-Season Manager (Frank Harris) ...............................................................................................................................101 12. Agency Reports (Time limit of 15 minutes unless approved in advance) 2 Western Interior Alaska Subsistence Regional Advisory Council Meeting Agenda Tribal Governments Native Organizations Yukon River Drainage Fisheries Association (Wayne Jenkins) Pew Charitable Trusts (Suzanne Little) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service a. Kanuti, Arctic, and Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuges (Vince Matthews) b. Koyukuk, Nowitna, and Innoko National Wildlife Refuges (Jeremy Havener) c. Yukon Salmon Season Overview (Gerald Maschmann and Fred Bue) Alaska Department of Fish and Game a. Yukon Summer Season Summary b. Salmon Plan Update Bureau of Land Management a. Central Yukon Field Office (Tim LaMarr) National Park Service a. Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve Subsistence Update (Marcy Okada) b. Subsistence Study on Ambler Access Project (Anette Watson) North Pacific Fishery Management Council a. Report on Bering Sea Fishery bycatch Office of Subsistence Management a. Special Actions 13. Future Meeting Dates* Confirm Winter 2018 meeting date and location ............................................................106 Select Fall 2018 meeting date and location ....................................................................107 14. Closing Comments 15. Adjourn (Chair) To teleconference into the meeting, call the toll free number: 1-877-638-8165, then when prompted enter the passcode: 9060609. Reasonable Accommodations The Federal Subsistence Board is committed to providing access to this meeting for all participants. Please direct all requests for sign language interpreting services, closed captioning, or other accommodation needs to Zach Stevenson, 907-786-3674, [email protected], or 800-877-8339 (TTY), by close of business on September 22, 2017. Western Interior Alaska Subsistence Regional Advisory Council Meeting 3 Roster REGION 6 Western Interior Subsistence Regional Advisory Council Seat Year Appointed Member Name and Community Term Expires 1 2016 Shirley J. Clark 2019 Grayling 2 2004 Donald V. Honea Jr. 2019 Ruby 3 1993 Pollock Simon Sr. 2019 Allakaket 4 1993 Raymond L. Collins Vice-Chair 2017 McGrath 5 1993 Jack L. Reakoff Chair 2017 Wiseman 6 2014 Darrel M. Vent, Sr. 2017 Huslia 7 2008 Timothy P. Gervais 2017 Ruby 8 2015 Dennis R. Thomas, Sr. 2018 Crooked Creek 9 2006 Jenny K. Pelkola Secretary 2018 Galena 10 2015 Fred W. Alexie 2018 Kaltag 4 Western Interior Alaska Subsistence Regional Advisory Council Meeting Draft Minutes Winter 2017 Council Meeting WESTERN INTERIOR ALASKA SUBSISTENCE REGIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL Meeting Minutes February 21-22, 2017 Westmark Fairbanks Hotel and Conference Center, Fairbanks Call to Order The winter meeting of the Western Interior Alaska Subsistence Regional Advisory Council was called to order on 21 February 2017 at 0900 AKST. Roll Call A roll call was conducted, with the following members present: Jack Reakoff, Fred Alexie, Shirley Clark, Raymond Collins, Timothy Gervais, Don Honea (telephonic), Jenny Pelkola, Pollock Simon, Sr., Dennis Thomas, Sr., and Darrel Vent, Sr. Additional Participants Additional participants attended some portion of the Western Interior Subsistence Regional Advisory Council meeting either in person, or by teleconference (indicated with an asterix “*”). The following abbreviations are used including ADFG (Alaska Department of Fish and Game); BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs); BLM (Bureau of Land Management); and USFWS (U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service). The additional participants included: Name, Title (Where stated on the record) Agency Deena Jallen, Summer Season Assistant Manager for the Yukon River* ADF&G Holly Carroll, Summer Season Manager for the Yukon Area* Jeff Ensten, Fall Season Manager for the Yukon Area* Jill Klein, Anchorage* Dr. Glenn Chen, Fisheries Biologist and Subsistence Branch Chief BIA Bruce Seppi, Anchorage BLM Dan Sharp, Anchorage* Erin Julianus, Field Biologist, Central Yukon Field Office Mark Spencer, Anchorage District Manager Tim LaMarr, Field Manager Aaron Poe, Science Coordinator, Aleutian and Bering Sea Islands Landscape USFWS Conservation Cooperative, Region 7* Frank Harris, Fish Biologist, OSM Fred Bue, Yukon River Inseason Manager and Subsistence Fisheries Branch Chief Gary Decosas, Kuskokwim Area Fish Biologist, OSM* Gene Peltola, Jr., Assistant Regional Director, OSM Gerald Maschmann, Assistant Federal In-Season Mgr., Fairbanks Subsistence Office Jeremy Havener, Refuge Subsistence Coordinator, Koyukuk/Nowitna/Innoko NWR Joanne Bryant, Tribal Communication and Outreach Specialist, Arctic NWR Hollis Twitchell, Assistant Refuge Manager, Arctic NWR Western Interior Alaska Subsistence Regional Advisory Council Meeting 5 Draft Minutes Winter 2017 Council Meeting Kenton Moos, Refuge Manager for Koyukuk, Nowitna, and Innoko Refuges Matt Keyse, Subsistence Branch Mike Spindler, Refuge Manager, Kanuti NWR Palma Ingles, OSM* Stewart Cogswell, Acting Deputy Assistant Regional Director, OSM* Tina Moran, Deputy Manager, Kanuti NWR Tom Kron, Office of Subsistence Management Vince