Legislature(2009 - 2010)BETHEL
10/12/2009 01:00 PM House RESOURCES
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Current State of the Arctic/yukon/kuskokwim (ayk) Salmon Fisheries | |
| HB227 | |
| Current State of the Arctic/yukon/kuskokwim (ayk) Salmon Fisheries | |
| Energy Issues Including Transportation Corridor To/from Paimuit/kalskag | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE RESOURCES STANDING COMMITTEE
Bethel, Alaska
October 12, 2009
1:15 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Mark Neuman, Co-Chair
Representative Craig Johnson, Co-Chair
Representative Bryce Edgmon
Representative David Guttenberg
Representative Chris Tuck
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Kurt Olson
Representative Paul Seaton
Representative Peggy Wilson
Representative Scott Kawasaki
OTHER LEGISLATORS PRESENT
Representative Bob Herron
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
OVERVIEW(S):
Current state of the Arctic/Yukon/Kuskokwim (AYK) salmon
fisheries
- HEARD
Informational hearing on HB 227 HOLITNA BASIN RESERVE
- HEARD
Energy issues including transportation corridor to/from
Paimuit/Kalskag
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to report
WITNESS REGISTER
MYRON P. NANENG, SR., President
Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP)
Bethel, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: During the hearing on AYK salmon fisheries,
charged that the government is mismanaging the Yukon River
salmon fishery and urged that the tribes and villages in the
region be included in fisheries management decisions.
KAREN GILLIS, Executive Director
Bering Sea Fishermen's Association (BSFA)
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: During the hearing on AYK salmon fisheries,
testified that despite the salmon declines within the AYK
Region, the state has not appropriated adequate funds to
research and determine the cause.
MARY PETE, Director
Kuskokwim Campus
College of Rural and Community Development
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Bethel, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: During the hearing on AYK salmon fisheries,
spoke from the perspective of an anthropologist as to the
importance of fish, particularly salmon, to Alaska Natives.
NICK TUCKER
Emmonak, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: During the hearing on AYK salmon fisheries,
cited improper management by the government as the cause of the
Yukon River salmon decline and urged that local people be
included in management decisions.
JACK SCHULTHEIS
Emmonak, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: During the hearing on AYK salmon fisheries,
testified that despite the extreme management measures taken on
the Yukon River, things have only gotten worse and the lower
Yukon economy is now in shambles.
NICK ANDREW, JR.
Ohogamiut Traditional Council
Marshall, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: During the hearing on AYK salmon fisheries,
maintained that state and federal management of the lower Yukon
River fisheries is impairing the ability of Native Alaskans to
harvest adequate food supplies.
JULIE RAYMOND-YAKOUBIAN, Social Scientist
Kawerak, Inc.
Nome, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: During the hearing on AYK salmon fisheries,
charged that current state and federal management has resulted
in disaster for the region's salmon resources and crippling of
subsistence activities.
MIKE SMITH
Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC)
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: During the hearing on AYK salmon fisheries,
reviewed TCC's concerns about the viability of Yukon River King
Salmon.
GENE PELTOLA, Refuge Manager
Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
Bethel, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: During the hearing on AYK salmon fisheries,
testified that the Kuskokwim drainage is not in dire straits.
JOHN WHITE, D.D.S.
Bethel, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: During the hearing on AYK salmon fisheries,
urged that the salmon fishery situation in Western Alaska be
addressed now, before the fishery completely collapses.
ROBERT NICK
Nunapitchuk, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: During the hearing on AYK salmon fisheries,
urged there be more reliance on the knowledge of local advisory
committees and elders when management decisions are being made.
JILL KLEIN, Executive Director
Yukon River Drainage Fisheries Association (YRDFA)
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: During the hearing on AYK salmon fisheries,
stressed the importance of subsistence and supported inclusion
of tribal governments in the management of Yukon River salmon.
JOHN HILSINGER, Director
Division of Commercial Fisheries
Alaska Department of Fish & Game (ADF&G)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: During the hearing on AYK salmon fisheries,
answered questions and provided information regarding the
state's management of salmon fisheries within the region.
CRAIG FLEENER, Director
Division of Subsistence
Alaska Department of Fish & Game
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: During the hearing on AYK salmon fisheries,
answered questions regarding subsistence.
MARTIN MOORE
Emmonak, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: During the hearing on AYK salmon fisheries,
provided historical income statistics from commercial fishing
and reported that closures of the subsistence fisheries have
caused hardship to the region's people.
DANI EVENSON, Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim Regional Research
Supervisor
Division of Commercial Fisheries
Alaska Department of Fish & Game (ADF&G)
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: During the hearing on AYK salmon fisheries,
answered questions and provided information regarding the
state's management of salmon fisheries in the region.
JOHN LINDERMAN, Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim Regional Supervisor
Division of Commercial Fisheries
Alaska Department of Fish & Game (ADF&G)
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: During the hearing on AYK salmon fisheries,
answered questions and provided information regarding the
state's management of salmon fisheries in the region.
GREG ROCZICKA, Director
Natural Resource Program
Orutsararmuit Native Council
Bethel, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: During the informational hearing on HB 227,
outlined the importance of the Holitna River drainage for salmon
and wildlife production and its importance as a breadbasket to
the area's subsistence users.
GRANT FAIRBANKS
Bethel, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: During the informational hearing on HB 227,
testified that the Holitna River needs to be protected because
it is a breadbasket for the area's residents.
MIKE HOFFMAN, Executive Vice President
Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP)
Bethel, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: During the hearing on energy issues and the
transportation corridor between Paimuit and Kalskag, urged the
state to be a partner in building a road between the Yukon and
Kuskokwim rivers.
ACTION NARRATIVE
1:15:10 PM
CO-CHAIR MARK NEUMAN called the House Resources Standing
Committee meeting to order at 1:15 p.m. Present at the call to
order were Representatives Edgmon (via teleconference),
Guttenberg (via teleconference), Tuck (via teleconference),
Johnson (via teleconference) and Neuman. Also present was
Representative Herron.
^OVERVIEW(S):
^Current state of the Arctic/Yukon/Kuskokwim (AYK) salmon
fisheries
1:15:10 PM
CO-CHAIR NEUMAN announced that the first order of business is a
review of the current state of the Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim (AYK)
salmon fisheries.
1:15:12 PM
MYRON P. NANENG, SR., President, Association of Village Council
Presidents (AVCP), stated that AVCP represents 56 villages on
the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta and that AVCP's concern regarding
management of the fisheries in the Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim (AYK)
Region has been building over the years. As a former member of
the "Yukon-Canada fish negotiating team," he said he has
attended numerous Board of Fisheries meetings addressing some of
the management plans regarding the Yukon and Kuskokwim river
area. The state's claim of being the best fishery manager
leaves a lot to be desired and the AVCP questions this claim.
"Right now the lower Yukon villages are experiencing economic
genocide," he said. The once thriving salmon economy that ran
from June through September has all but disappeared.
MR. NANENG announced that AVCP has put the Alaska Department of
Fish & Game's (ADF&G) Division of Subsistence and the Yukon
River Drainage Fisheries Association (YRDFA) on notice that any
management plans coming forth from these entities will not be
honored by the AVCP's villages unless there is tribal
consultation. The YRDFA is a membership organization that
represents those people who have paid dues to be members; it
does not represent AVCP's tribal members within the villages.
MR. NANENG pointed out that the region's people are not
consulted by ADF&G and the department is managing the Yukon
River with sonar only, rather than actually getting out on the
water. He recommended the villages be made participants in test
fisheries because the river system has changed while the test
fisheries stay at the same location. He said Commissioner Denby
Lloyd needs to be replaced because ADF&G's management of the
fisheries indicates the department does not care and does not
want AVCP's people to eat or earn money through commercial
fishing. At a time when the need for more research or more
money for the region has been most dire, the money has been re-
allocated elsewhere.
1:20:50 PM
MR. NANENG urged that the Division of Subsistence consult with
the tribes as well as each and every village, especially when
ADF&G identifies a conservation concern and wants to place the
burden of conservation on AVCP's people. The conservation
burden placed on the people of the lower Yukon villages this
past summer was very expensive, he said, both for the lack of
food and the lack of money. This winter the people will once
again have to choose between food and fuel.
1:21:51 PM
MR. NANENG, in response to Co-Chair Neuman, explained that based
on reports and observations made to AVCP [this past summer],
ADF&G relied primarily upon the sonar located at Pilot Station
about 80 miles upriver from the mouth of the river. He related
that according to the person monitoring the sonar, the sonar on
the left side of the river was unreliable and nonfunctional
until June 21. Six days into the subsistence season for the
lower Yukon people, the Chinook salmon fishery was completely
closed for 10 days. However, people in AVCP's villages observed
a strong run of kings prior to the closure and this information
was not incorporated into the management plan. Additionally,
the Marshall Test Fishery, located about the Pilot Station
sonar, was not operational.
1:23:13 PM
MR. NANENG, in response to Representative Herron, argued that
something is wrong with the system when thousands of fish are
thrown away out in the Bering Sea while people on the river
system are barred from getting 100 salmon for food. If this is
continued, then maybe the salmon ought to be listed as
endangered because that would impact the people out in the
Bering Sea as well as AVCP's people on the river system.
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON asked what the difference would be between
including the tribes in management decisions versus the advisory
committees.
MR. NANENG replied that over the years AVCP has seen the
advisory committees provide input to the Board of Fisheries and
the Board of Game only to come away from those meetings with
their information ignored, more often than not, when the two
boards make their ultimate decisions. That is why it would be
better for AVCP's villages, or for ADF&G, or even for the
Division of Subsistence, to go to tribal consultation because
membership in the tribes is inclusive of all the people living
in those communities.
1:25:56 PM
KAREN GILLIS, Executive Director, Bering Sea Fishermen's
Association (BSFA), noted that the AYK Region encompasses over
49 percent of the state. Salmon returns to the AYK have been
subject to 15 state and federal disaster declarations in the
last 15 years, she reported. Today there are seven stocks of
concern around the state and four are in the AYK Region: Norton
Sound Subdistrict 1, Chum Salmon; Norton Sound Subdistricts 2
and 3, Chum Salmon; Norton Sound Subdistricts 5 and 6, Chinook
Salmon; and Yukon River Chinook Salmon.
MS. GILLIS, in reference to the health of the AYK salmon
fisheries, said she thinks the word health is an interesting
word because to some people health means abundance and to others
it means no illnesses. The characterization by ADF&G that all
of Alaska's fisheries are healthy is an overstatement, she
contended. She quoted a statement from a letter in the
publication, Sustaining Alaska's Fisheries: Fifty Years of
Statehood, in which the ADF&G commissioner wrote:
An essential element of our fishing industry is a
management system that uses the best science available
to keep species and stocks healthy while allowing for
harvests sufficient to support local communities and
businesses.
1:29:00 PM
MS. GILLIS said that while people take understandable pride in
the top performing runs in Prince William Sound, Bristol Bay,
and other areas, people in the AYK Region do not share that
sentiment. The dark side of Alaska salmon runs is found in the
rivers of the AYK Region, which have been steadily declining for
nearly two decades. More alarming than the declines themselves
is that there is no explanation for why this is happening, and
it cannot be explained why because there is not enough of the
right information.
MS. GILLIS charged that the commissioner's aforementioned letter
couches ADF&G's use of the term "best science available." To
the Division of Commercial Fisheries, best science available
means allocating only 14 percent of the regional management
budget to a region that encompasses 49 percent of the state. It
means allocating 4 percent of the capital budget to this same
region. It means allocating almost 3 percent of the total ADF&G
budget toward the Division of Subsistence. And it means
allocating more to the commissioner's office and administrative
budgets than the combined budgets of the AYK portion of the
Division of Commercial Fisheries and the Division of
Subsistence. How is ADF&G even attempting to garner the best
science available when it does not allocate resources to the
fisheries that need the most attention? She contended that AYK
is one of the least studied salmon resources in Alaska and, as a
result, managers frequently scramble for information to explain
the decline which underscores the lack of reliable data on
salmon runs.
MS. GILLIS stated that the 15 disaster declarations have cried
out for attention. Given the state's track record in the AYK
Region, BSFA took things into its own hands to undertake a
research and restoration effort unlike anything before. The
Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim Sustainable Salmon Initiative (AYKSSI)
was formed by a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the
Bering Sea Fishermen's Association, the Association of Village
Council Presidents, Tanana Chiefs Conference, Kawerak, Inc., the
Alaska Department of Fish & Game, the National Marine Fisheries
Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).
1:32:57 PM
MS. GILLIS said this initiative is one of the largest,
successful experiments in the co-management of fisheries and
wildlife research in North America. From 2002-2006, the AYKSSI
received a total of $20.5 million from the State of Alaska's
portion of the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund. The funds
were specifically earmarked for use by the collaborative
research program. However, beginning with the federal fiscal
year 2007, all earmarks within that fund were removed and the
ADF&G commissioner's office has since used an in-house process
to allocate the funds among a set of users. Of the nearly $24
million awarded to ADF&G in federal fiscal year 2007/2008, the
department allocated only a token amount - less than $1.5
million - to research funding in the entire AYK Region. As a
result of ADF&G's re-direction of funds, the declines of salmon
utilized by over 70 subsistence communities are not being
addressed. The partnership AYKSSI thought it had with the State
of Alaska has vanished. No serious efforts have been made by
the department to re-establish funds directed at the AYKSSI.
There have been numerous accounts of department personnel
expressing dissatisfaction with the initiative, though no
concerns have been formally brought to the table.
1:35:17 PM
MS. GILLIS said she did not come to this hearing to bash ADF&G;
rather her job is to find solutions. Many current fishery
problems are the legacy of a misplaced belief of the in-
exhaustibility of resources. If the state wants to manage these
fisheries, then it needs to stop pretending there is not a
problem and provide resources to achieve a solution.
1:36:41 PM
MS. GILLIS, in response to Co-Chair Neuman, said that in
addition to the decline of salmon over the years, she has seen a
decline in resources to staff positions in the region as well as
to projects in the waters. The Nome Nugget recently reported
that the state is applying for federal funds for weir sites on
the Unalakleet River and she thinks the Chinook stocks on the
Unalakleet River are the stocks that are in the most trouble in
Alaska. She also pointed out that the Pilgrim River used to
have a lot of Chinook returns, but only had 49 this year.
1:39:31 PM
MS. GILLIS, in further response to Co-Chair Neuman, pointed out
that establishment of the AYKSSI meant tribes and state and
federal leaders were all at the table to collectively decide
where the priorities were within region. It was not the State
of Alaska telling AVCP what was going to happen; rather it was
the state, AVCP, Kawerak, TCC, and BFSA agreeing to where funds
needed to be channeled. The MOU was signed in 2002 and the
funds have been 100 percent obligated and expired in 2007, but
there will still be projects in the water next season.
MS. GILLIS, in response to Representative Herron, replied that
the health of the salmon is in question because the size of
Yukon Chinook has decreased. In regard to this type of pattern,
she said she has never seen a record where there is a recovery
to larger fish, and while she acknowledges that there are
arguments about the validity of this, it is still one of her
biggest concerns.
1:42:56 PM
MARY PETE, Director, Kuskokwim Campus, College of Rural and
Community Development, University of Alaska Fairbanks, noted
that she is trained as an anthropologist and speaks to the
salmon resource from the perspective of the human users of that
resource. She explained that subsistence in general takes in
all manner of resources, including plants, and this goes into
the per capita harvest estimates that the Division of
Subsistence has been doing. The three regions with the highest
pounds per capita production of subsistence are in the AYK
Region: the Arctic region with about 515 pounds; the rural
Interior region with 613 pounds; and Western Alaska, which is
the lower Yukon/lower Kuskokwim region, with about 664 pounds.
The state-wide average for rural Alaska shows that fish
comprises about 60 percent of that production. In Western
Alaska, fish comprises 60-80 percent of the production output
annually. In areas where it is 80 percent, salmon figures a
huge role in that subsistence production. In fact, she added,
the Yupik word for fish is also the word for food. The Yukon
River's special case as a trans-boundary river, subject to
management by a treaty and an international panel, has caused a
lot of strain in the people who use the resource, as well as
managers' relationships with the communities in the region.
1:46:29 PM
MS. PETE said the AYK Region comprises 118, or 52 percent, of
the state's 229 tribes. In 2005 the rural population in AYK
totaled 43,860 people, with 72 percent of that population being
Alaska Native. When Fairbanks and the upper Yukon River are
included, the population is about 131,000 people. Therefore, a
huge portion of the state's population relies on salmon from
that drainage.
1:47:39 PM
CO-CHAIR NEUMAN asked Ms. Pete to describe any changes she has
seen over the past 20-25 years of working either directly or
indirectly with the Division of Subsistence.
MS. PETE responded that she started with the division in 1984
and [since then] there has been a huge change in people's views
about the role of subsistence. There is data demonstrating its
importance and there is real science that demonstrates how it
works. There is no longer any question on how it needs to be
accommodated. She said she thinks managers in both federal and
state government take it seriously and do try to accommodate it
and implement the law as required. In the mid-1980s there were
questions about why these uses cannot be accommodated in either
personal use or sport regulations. They cannot and never can,
she continued, because they need to be more liberal and
culturally-based. They need to accommodate the way of life that
they are supposed to protect. In terms of perspective, there
has been a lot of growth in understanding of this really
important use and growing respect for it. It is very
complicated, especially given that there are situations where
very few people are subsistence-only users anymore. People need
to have other access in other ways, such as commercial fishing,
because this is one of the very few ways that there can be wage
employment.
1:50:42 PM
NICK TUCKER, a subsistence and commercial fisherman, warned that
the lower Yukon communities are on the verge of collapse, and
this collapse is certain if the state, ADF&G, and the people do
not get together. Restoration and rebuilding programs that were
well underway to success were disrupted, he said. He
recommended looking at areas outside the boundaries of ADF&G
management, such as the 122,000 Chinook that were caught as
bycatch in the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands Pollock fishery and
the 2005 bycatch of 700,000 Chums. People must work together on
these issues and these issues must be addressed. There needs to
be a complete review and examination of how ADF&G manages
fisheries. He said he is concerned about the feeding grounds
and habitats in the migratory pathway of the region's Chinook
Salmon. The villages are the hardest hit every time there are
regulations and restrictions. It is getting so bad that many
households are forced to choose between heating fuel and food.
Additionally, villages have not recouped from the unprecedented
2009 flood. The Board of Fisheries and ADF&G must back off
because the communities are already overly depressed, but the
salmon resources can still be protected and preserved.
1:55:07 PM
MR. TUCKER said he is also concerned about over-escapement of
salmon which happened in 2005 with the return of about 1 million
Chums and that return materialized this fall. In some years
there may be a weak run of one species and a healthy run of the
other, so there needs to be a re-examination of state priorities
on escapement, subsistence, and commercial fishing. It may
require a commercial fishery like was done this fall when the
Chums were weak and the Coho Salmon were coming in strong. Both
could have been lost, but in order to save the Cohos, an
emergency order was requested to open up the Coho fishery. He
recommended a re-examination of some of the 50-year practices
and said innovative ideas should be applied in order to save the
salmon for the future.
MR. TUCKER contended that there is a growing over-emphasis on
Alaska's treaty obligations with Canada. He maintained that the
key treaty words are "we shall endeavor," and that this is what
should be done in the fisheries. The minimum border passage of
45,000 Chinook is measured at Eagle, and this fall about 70,000
Chinooks passed through, almost double the minimum. He
recommended that it be started out with 10-15 percent of the
required passage, and then adjusted as the season progresses.
1:57:49 PM
MR. TUCKER pointed out that oftentimes the lower Yukon River is
bombarded with severe regulations, restrictions, closures, and
windows, only to discover the following winter that there had
been good escapements. He said he therefore recommends starting
out with a 10-15 percent harvest of the protected run and then
making adjustments to get some over-escapement. He contended
that the management method of erring on the side of conservation
may have been the cause of the catastrophic impact on lower
Yukon fisheries. It is time to consider co-management with
local people, he continued, because elders and local fishermen
know well about the river conditions and how they change every
year. He urged the replacement or upgrade of the sonar
equipment because of the problem with under-counting.
Additionally, the turnover problem with the personnel who
actually do the sonar counting needs to be looked at.
2:02:07 PM
MR. TUCKER urged that local elders and experienced fishermen
also be involved in the test fisheries to provide better
management. Testing should be moved to other sites when
necessary, he said, given that the Yukon River is always
changing. The ideal way to test fish abundance is to observe
the local fishermen. Fish runs are correlated with the coastal
tides and these tides trigger when to fish during the day and
where to fish at different distances from the coast line. Local
hire is advantageous and can save ADF&G money.
2:03:09 PM
MR. TUCKER, in regard to subsistence, read a statement by Ms.
Ernestine Andrew, now living in Bethel, that was printed in the
October 2009 edition of the Greatlander Bush Mailer. Her
statement was made in response to the question, Are moose,
caribou, and Alaskan fish important to you? He read as follows:
Alaskan food is part of my life, because it is all
natural, organically grown, and kept right in my
backyard which is the land. I know the fish that swim
up the river is fresh, not farmed. The moose is not
injected with growth hormones. The greens and berries
aren't sprayed with chemicals. My food I catch
doesn't go through a laser scanner with a ridiculous
high price tag. It is 100 percent natural. We have a
10,000 year sacred attachment to both our summer
subsistence fishing and other year round subsistence
activities. ... Because we have been forced into
larger communities, it takes money to do all our year
round subsistence activities. Our fish and game
resources are further away due to the noise in the
communities. ... Joblessness is very high in our
villages, so any income that supports our subsistence
activities is both cherished and precious. This is
where our commercial fishing plays a major role.
Today this way of life is threatened. ...
2:05:44 PM
MR. TUCKER, in regard to tribal inclusions, noted that Alaska is
unusually vast with cultures and traditions varying from village
to village. Dialects and languages have to be translated to
other Alaska Natives, he said. It takes years for others to get
a good sense of who Alaska Natives are, what they do, and how
they live. Many Alaska Natives have two cultures and have
learned from their ancestors about tribal law. Alaska Natives
know best who they are, how they should live, and how to
preserve their resources. It is advantageous to include Native
tribes because the knowledge, wisdom, and experience are already
there. Alaska Natives have given their allegiance and loyalty,
and in return are asking for respect and trust. The first 50
years of fish and game management has been one sided, he said,
and that time is past. He continued: "We can think side-by-
side, work together, plan together, and study together. At the
day's end we can look forward to a more responsible and
effective management of our salmon resources and address
together other areas that endanger it. ... It will take both of
us to save these resources and our communities."
2:09:56 PM
JACK SCHULTHEIS first noted that he has been involved with lower
Yukon commercial fisheries since 1974. There has been a
commercial fishery on the lower Yukon since 1950, he said, and
in the 1960s and forward, the Yukon fishery was classified as
one of the most stable fisheries in the state that was under
ADF&G management. About 12 years ago a dramatic shift in fish
runs occurred in all of Western Alaska from Bristol Bay north.
Emergency disasters were declared. The department and other
agencies reacted. Today, Bristol Bay is having spectacular and
reliable runs. The Kuskokwim River, Norton Sound, and Kotzebue
have, for the most part, healed, and most of the fisheries are
having healthy returns as well as viable commercial fisheries.
There is now a record size Coho run in Norton Sound. Chum,
Coho, and King returns in the Kuskokwim are at normal. Kotzebue
is having the highest catch rate in the history of the
commercial fishery. He acknowledged there are some cases in
Western Alaska where there are some issues, but said that for
the most part the runs in Western Alaska are back to normal -
except the Yukon River.
MR. SCHULTHEIS said there is no other way to describe the Yukon
other than to say it is a mess. After years of extreme
conservative management, severe sacrifices forced down people's
throats under the guise of necessary management, and the
constant excuse of meeting Canadian escapement, things have only
gotten worse. The entire economy on the lower Yukon is now in
shambles. At an advisory committee meeting in Marshall last
week, adults actually cried over what has happened out here. He
noted that he is the general manager of Kwik'pak Fisheries, the
last major processor left on the lower Yukon. Ten to fifteen
years ago, this fishery had an ex-vessel value to the fishermen
of $15-$20 million, he said. In 2008, that number shrank to
about $1.5 million. This year, ex-vessel value was $677,000 or
4 percent of what used to be normal.
2:14:27 PM
MR. SCHULTHEIS urged the committee to understand the villagers'
hardship of trying to exist on 4 percent of what they used to
make. The frustration is that despite all the extreme measures,
things are getting worse instead of better, he reiterated.
Additionally, there never seems to be any answers for why this
is happening. Fisheries to the north and south are viable
commercial fisheries, but the Yukon River keeps getting churned
up over and over.
2:15:36 PM
MR. SCHULTHEIS pointed out that at one time there were 14
processors actively working on the Yukon. Many were little
family-run businesses that operated from Black River on the
coast and all the way up through Eagle. Local-hire employment
totaled several hundred residents from the villages all along
the Yukon. There were fisheries, fish processors, and fish
businesses in every district of the Yukon. Payrolls were in the
millions of dollars. The first wholesale price of the catch
exceeded $33 million; this year it will barely exceed $1.3
million. The fishery tied into local commerce - people from the
villages were starting their own businesses, such as taxis,
restaurants, grocery stores. The economy was starting to
flourish and now it is wrapped up in despair. Revenues in these
municipalities are primarily from sales taxes. At one time
Emmonak had such a healthy sales tax revenue that there was
garbage collection, fire protection, and road maintenance.
Those services are now things of the past and today Emmonak can
barely keep its lights on. The best one can hope for is safe
water. Wherever there is poverty there are social problems.
Alcoholism, drug abuse, suicides, burglary, assaults, and
domestic violence have all risen since the fishery collapsed and
the villages are being overwhelmed by this.
MR. SCHULTHEIS said no other fishery in the state is in this
predicament. He related that in 2008, an ADF&G biologist
estimated that the harvest of over 1 million Chum Salmon was
forgone, which would have put $6 million into the area's
economy. There have been extreme surpluses that led to over-
escapement, which in turn led to further run failures.
Unreliable sonar reports have prevented and stopped the
prosecution of both commercial and subsistence fisheries.
2:20:08 PM
MR. SCHULTHEIS reported that even worse was that both the state
and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wrote citations this
season on people who were just trying to get food to eat; people
on the verge of total economic collapse were not allowed to eat.
Despite a budget of millions of dollars and a staff of 32, ADF&G
still cannot at this time say how many salmon came up the river.
Would this level of competency be tolerated in any other
fishery, he asked.
2:22:29 PM
NICK ANDREW, JR., Ohogamiut Traditional Council, first thanked
Mr. Tucker for his eloquence and for bringing up many of the
same points that he wanted to touch on. He also thanked Mr.
Schultheis for his economic perspective of this crisis. People
are going through hard times, he stressed. Elders are asking
when the restrictions on the river will be lifted. He said he
and other council members have walked about the village to talk
with elders and families. By late June in most years, everyone
in the village usually has his or her subsistence King Salmon
needs met, but that did not happen in June 2009. The state and
federal fisheries managers were relying on the sonar at Pilot
Station.
MR. ANDREW related that elders in the village told him and other
Ohogamiut Traditional Council members that a lot of fish were
going by. Additionally, long-time commercial and subsistence
fishermen explained that a fluctuation of the river water up and
down indicates a heavy run is passing by the village - this
happened three times in June. As more people came forward
stating that they did not have any King Salmon, or enough to
sustain themselves for the winter, the Ohogamiut Traditional
Council decided to take action. A protest fishery was
sanctioned and authorized by the council to send a message to
the State of Alaska and the governor that villagers needed fish.
The 2008 energy crisis drove the cost of living to the
stratosphere. Both ADF&G and the USFWS needed to hear that what
they were doing was hurting Marshall and affecting the people's
ability to feed themselves in the coming winter.
2:26:13 PM
MR. ANDREW said the Ohogamiut Traditional Council wants the
[Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands] Pollock Fishery to receive some
attention. This Pollock fishery kills hundreds of thousands of
the villager's salmon resources, he pointed out, and tosses them
as bycatch without penalty. That is an injustice to the Alaska
Native people who have inherent, customary, and traditional
rights to the river and its resources, and these rights are
being ignored. He agreed with Mr. Tucker's portrayal of how
important salmon are to the Native people. Everything in this
day and age needs scientific proof, and Native people have
scientific proof that goes back more than 10,000 years. It is
time that the state and federal government recognize subsistence
priority for rural Alaska Natives, he stressed. This is not an
urban versus rural issue, it is a humanitarian issue. Studies
show that Alaska Natives in this region eat a lot of wild game
and this is scientific fact that cannot be ignored.
2:28:03 PM
REPRESENTATIVE BOB HERRON asked whether ADF&G has talked with
Mr. Andrews about the concerns he just addressed.
MR. ANDREW responded that a delegation came out in late June,
following several of his press releases that included the term
"civil disobedience." This delegation included ADF&G, USFWS, a
state trooper, and several other individuals. There is not a
good dialogue with the fisheries managers, he said, and the only
dialogue he has had is [ADF&G's] email alerts announcing the
openings and closures of subsistence and commercial fishing.
2:30:07 PM
JULIE RAYMOND-YAKOUBIAN, Social Scientist, Kawerak, Inc., stated
she is presenting her testimony on behalf of her organization's
constituents. She testified:
Subsistence users throughout the Norton Sound and
Bering Strait region are gravely concerned about the
continuing decline of our regional salmon stocks. We
are particularly frustrated that our residents bear
the full burden of conservation for these stocks,
while commercial fishermen continue to intercept
salmon bound for our rivers with little or no
regulation. While our subsistence users face severe
restrictions, federal and state-managed commercial
fisheries continue to harvest huge numbers of Chum and
Chinook salmon bound for our region's rivers. Kawerak
supports immediate salmon bycatch limits and other
conservation measures for Bering Sea trawl fisheries
and the South Peninsula/False Pass Sockeye Salmon
fishery to prevent the loss of our important
subsistence salmon resources. We also request that
funds be appropriated to advance salmon research and
restoration efforts in Western Alaska.
As the National Marine Fisheries Service noted in the
Bering Sea salmon bycatch environmental impact
statement prepared last year: "The first priority for
management is to meet spawning escapement goals to
sustain salmon resources for future generations.
Highest priority use is for subsistence under both
state and federal law. Surplus fish beyond escapement
needs and subsistence use are made available for other
uses." While subsistence needs are listed as the
first priority under both state and federal management
systems, our regional subsistence fisheries have been
given the lowest priority by fisheries managers, in
direct conflict with mandated subsistence priority.
Commercial fishing interests have been consistently
favored by government fisheries managers at both state
and federal levels. When did this become acceptable?
Management of Western Alaska salmon falls under the
jurisdiction of the Alaska Department of Fish & Game
and the National Marine Fisheries Service. Salmon are
managed near-shore and in-river by the Alaska
Department of Fish & Game to attempt to meet
escapement goals set for returning salmon runs and
allow subsistence, sport, and commercial fishing to
occur if runs are strong enough. The National Marine
Fisheries Service manages salmon caught incidentally
by off-shore trawl fisheries and they attempt to
minimize the impact on large-scale Pollock fishery
without regard for annual fluctuations and salmon
returns or state management measures. The management
goals of these two agencies are completely
contradictory and these differences have resulted in
disaster for our salmon resources and a crippling of
subsistence activities in our region.
2:33:34 PM
MS. RAYMOND-YAKOUBIAN pointed out that state salmon regulations
are developed by the Board of Fisheries and federal management
regulations are developed by the North Pacific Fishery
Management Council. She continued: "Regulations developed by
these two bodies have placed the future of our declining salmon
runs in severe jeopardy, while perpetuating wasteful practices
by some commercial fisheries to intercept our salmon with
impunity and disregard." The Inupiat, Yupik, and Siberian Yupik
cultures and traditions are based on hunting, fishing, and
living off the land and these needs are no less important than
those of offshore commercial fisheries. Refusal by the existing
management regimes to recognize this and protect the fishery
stocks has severely impacted the people's ability to carry on
their subsistence practices.
MS. RAYMOND-YAKOUBIAN related that the North Pacific Fishery
Management Council's recently adopted Chinook Salmon bycatch
management plan includes a cap of 60,000 King Salmon for the
Bering Sea Pollock fishery. Given that the Pollock industry has
exceeded this bycatch number only three times during its twenty-
year history, these new bycatch regulations lack any real
conservation ethic, she charged. Kawerak supports a bycatch
hard cap for the Pollock fishery of 30,000 Chinook Salmon,
decreasing over time, along with immediate emergency management
measures to protect the region's declining salmon stocks.
MS. RAYMOND-YAKOUBIAN stated that the region's salmon spawning
habitat is some of the most pristine in Alaska. For example,
she said fishermen in Unalakleet have proposed closures for
their own subsistence Chinook fishery to allow for greater
escapement. Subsistence users have sacrificed a great deal to
conserve weak salmon stocks and the burden of salmon
conservation and restoration must be shared between all user
groups, including the Pollock and Sockeye fisheries. She
pointed out that during 2009 the South Peninsula/False Pass
Sockeye fishery harvested as many Chum as it did Sockeye, the
largest amount of Chum Salmon bycatch in 15 years. Yet, this
fishery continues to operate without a bycatch cap. She said
Kawerak supports Chum Salmon bycatch limits and other
conservation measures for the South Peninsula Sockeye Salmon
fishery.
MS. RAYMOND-YAKOUBIAN further noted that the North Pacific
Fishery Management Council is currently preparing a Chum Salmon
bycatch management plan for the Bering Sea Pollock fishery and
one option being considered is a bycatch cap of 488,000 Chum
Salmon. The Pollock industry has only surpassed this enormous
bycatch number once during its 20-year history, she said. It
appears that once again Western Alaska's salmon resources will
be sacrificed to avoid inconveniencing these Seattle-based
fishermen. Kawerak supports a meaningful bycatch cap and other
measures which may actually reduce Chum Salmon bycatch in this
fishery.
MS. RAYMOND-YAKOUBIAN said the Nome Subdistrict currently has no
commercial, sport, or subsistence fisheries that target Chum
Salmon, and other regional salmon fisheries are under severe
restrictions to allow greater Chum escapement. Yet, several of
the rivers failed to meet escapement goals in recent years. The
False Pass Sockeye Salmon fishermen and the federally-managed
Pollock fishery must share the burden of management options.
2:38:49 PM
MS. RAYMOND-YAKOUBIAN moved on to the topic of the Arctic-Yukon-
Kuskokwim Sustainable Salmon Initiative (AYKSSI), noting that
Kawerak supports salmon conservation, restoration, and research
efforts that provide solutions to the region's continuing
subsistence fishery problems. However, one tool that was
available to aide in finding solutions - the AYKSSI - is no
longer an option. She related that U.S. Senator Ted Stevens
thought the AYKSSI was a good idea and in 2002 it was funded
with a $5 million earmark within the State of Alaska's Pacific
Coast Salmon Recovery Fund; but this funding is no longer
available. In 2007 a new process was set in place which
distributed Pacific Coast Salmon Recovery funding to five
states, including Alaska, as well as federally recognized Indian
tribes in Washington, Oregon, California, and Idaho. Alaska
tribes are ineligible to apply. Funding of the AYKSSI as a
program has been wholly curtailed and the ADF&G commissioner is
now using an in-house process, called the Alaska Sustainable
Salmon Fund, for allocating Pacific Coast Salmon Recovery funds
among Alaska regions and specific projects. While ADF&G has
discretion to allocate funds to the AYKSSI, it has not done so.
Additionally, outside of the AYKSSI program, ADF&G has made only
nominal awards - $1.2 million out $23.7 million in 2007/2008 -
to do research in the AYK region. This amount represents about
5 percent of the available funding for an area comprising 49
percent of the state.
2:41:41 PM
MS. RAYMOND-YAKOUBIAN stated that the Bering Strait Region has
experienced drastic fish declines since the 1990s and fish
returns continue to decline. There are no other regions of the
state where regional residents are so dependent on returning
fish resources for subsistence where fish returns have declined
so precipitously for such a long period where ADF&G has
allocated so little research funding.
2:42:12 PM
MS. RAYMOND-YAKOUBIAN reminded members that only 49 Chinook
Salmon were counted at the Pilgrim River weir. Yet, at the
Alaska Sustainable Salmon Fund meeting on September 8, 2009,
ADF&G applied recovery and conservation funds to Chinook stocks
in the Pacific Salmon Treaty region in Southeast Alaska. Does
this mean that the AYK Region's Chinook Salmon returns are not
depressed enough to be addressed? For years ADF&G has treated
subsistence fisheries in the AYK Region as being of lower
priority than commercial fisheries. This can be seen in the
allocation of staff, resources, attention, and research. It can
also be seen in the Board of Fisheries' decision to remove Chum
caps, and the North Pacific Fishery Council's decision to set a
high Chinook cap. Using the criteria developed by the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for the Pacific Coast
Salmon Recovery Fund, the AYK Region has an overwhelming need
for continued research.
MS. RAYMOND-YAKOUBIAN related that Kawerak respectfully requests
the following: that ADF&G be directed to set aside funds
received from the Pacific Coast Salmon Recovery Fund for
administration and awarding by the AYKSSI commensurate with the
research needs of the area to continue needed research within
the AYK Region; that ADF&G set in place processes whereby the
recommendations of rural Alaskans are solicited and incorporated
into plans to address salmon research and restoration needs;
that the House Resources Standing Committee review the unique
collaboration of research, communication, and joint efforts of
the AYKSSI steering committee and resultant research projects
which can and have been used to make fisheries management
decisions; that the legislature and the administration send
letters to the [U.S.] Secretary of Commerce in support of
establishing a 30,000 Chinook hard cap for the Bering Sea
Pollock fishery; that meaningful salmon bycatch limits be
established for the South Peninsula/False Pass Sockeye Salmon
fishery; and that additional research and restoration funds be
made available to address the fishery concerns in Norton Sound.
2:44:58 PM
CO-CHAIR NEUMAN stated he will be requesting the director to
delineate how the $5 million in 2002 and the 5 percent [$1.2
million] in 2007/2008 from the Pacific Salmon Recovery Fund were
appropriated. In response to Representative Guttenberg, said
the testimony of witnesses will be available online.
2:46:57 PM
MIKE SMITH, Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC), noted that the TCC
represents 42 tribes primarily on the tributaries of the Yukon
River. He reiterated that there was an original allocation of
money to the AYKSSI and then subsequent allocations over the
years. When Congress got rid of the congressional earmarks a
couple of years ago, all of the money was rolled into one pot
that came to the State of Alaska. The state, at that time, had
within its discretion to distribute that money to [AYKSSI], and
that is where the less than 5 percent statistic to AYKSSI comes
from.
MR. SMITH began his testimony, stating that TCC has had serious
concerns regarding the continued viability of Yukon River salmon
for quite a few years. The TCC region has been experiencing
steep declines for at least two decades, he said. While TCC
feels for the down-river commercial interests, the TCC region
lost its commercial activities a long time ago and is now losing
its subsistence activities as well.
2:49:42 PM
MR. SMITH offered his opinion that there is no doubt there will
be severe effects upon the yearly return of Yukon River King
Salmon due to the major ecological changes that are occurring in
the environment and the Bering Sea from warming temperatures,
regime shifts, and decline in the Pacific Decadal Oscillation.
While this cannot be controlled, he said fish management
decisions can be. However, subsistence users just cannot
compete against the political pressure of commercial interests.
For example, at the recent North Pacific Fishery Management
Council, about 10 subsistence users, including TCC, were in
attendance, while the commercial interests brought in over 100
people to testify, all of whom had per diem and their travel and
hotel paid for. The AYK Region has one of the most pristine
fisheries in the world - no agricultural runoff, no clear cut
forests, no huge population centers that fish run through - yet,
most of the [15] disaster declarations were made prior to
ecological concerns; so it was management decisions, he charged.
MR. SMITH said ocean productivity goes through oscillations
every 20-30 years and it is now known that ocean productivity is
in its downward spiral. At the same time, approximately 80
million hatchery fish have been released, so the ability of wild
stocks to maintain their equilibrium and population levels in
this type of environment is going to be extremely difficult. He
reported that the Bering-Aleutian Salmon International Survey
(BASIS) has for some time seen very few juvenile salmon in the
Bering Sea, and this equates to low returns in the future.
2:52:19 PM
MR. SMITH pointed out that over the past few years the [Bering
Sea] Pollock fishery has taken record levels of [salmon]
bycatch. This bycatch has been known for 20-plus years and the
department has consistently, although maybe rightfully so,
failed to take that bycatch into account when doing its
projections of assessment work. The excuse for that, he
predicted, will be that the department did not know how many of
those fish were bound for the Yukon River. However, TCC's point
is that the department knew some of them were. He said TCC
opposes the bycatch limits currently in place. At the North
Pacific Fishery Management Council, the State of Alaska pushed
the resolution for a 68,000 bycatch limit which, fortunately,
was reduced to 60,000; however, TCC thought 30,000 was a more
appropriate amount. This shows the state's priority in helping
commercial interests versus the terminal-use fishermen, he
charged.
MR. SMITH concurred that not enough money has been put toward
research. However, he said some of the management decisions
made over the past couple of decades have had as much impact on
the decline of Yukon River salmon as has the Pollock industry.
He related it is now known that the Western Alaska salmon stocks
have been over-exploited over the years. Without the ability to
clearly determine what a run is, it is unknown whether a stock
is being exploited, he continued. He said TCC also believes it
has suffered through low escapement goals and TCC does not
believe any stocks, especially King Salmon, have over-escaped.
Rather, TCC's perception has always been that those escapement
goals need to be higher to fully give the environment its
ability to perpetuate as many fish as it can. He said he has
attended three of the state's escapement-goal meetings and each
time those escapement goals have been lowered. Additionally, he
charged that the state's aerial flyby method for determining how
many fish have escaped is an inaccurate method. The quality of
escapement should also be a consideration, he said. The
department fails to determine whether the escapement is composed
of non-productive jacks or of small females, and such
escapements will not provide any production. Another concern is
that TCC fishermen have been observing a decline in the size of
King Salmon, an observation which ADF&G has largely "pooh-
poohed" and not researched.
2:59:06 PM
MR. SMITH noted that associated with the decline in size of King
Salmon is the declining age structure, which goes back to the
quality of escapement. He said it is now known that the age
structures are declining rapidly: 8-year-old King Salmon are
virtually extinct, 7-year-olds are also virtually gone, and the
4-7-year-olds are going through major fluctuations with
continuing downward trends. It will be very difficult to bring
back 40-60 pound salmon; further, over the last 10 years the
average weight of Yukon River King Salmon has dropped from about
20 pounds to 14. He said large females are no longer seen in
the river and the bigger the fish, the more eggs, the better the
eggs, and the more likely it is to get back big fish.
MR. SMITH addressed TCC's concern about disease in the fish.
Disease has fluctuated over the years from a high of 30 percent
down to about 15 percent, he said. However, ADF&G is no longer
testing for disease. It is the private sector that is providing
most of the research on diseases, but there is no funding from
the state. Another significant issue is that ADF&G has
interpreted the constitutional provision that the state's
resources be used for the maximum benefit of Alaskans to mean
managing for maximum sustained yield of the state's fisheries.
Maximum sustained yield and maximum use of resources to all
Alaskans are two completely different things, he said. While
maximum sustained yield is a wonderful scientific principle, the
problem is that there must be the information to achieve that.
The state does not have this information and, once again, this
goes back to the funding and priorities established by the
department. He charged that there is arrogance on the part of
the department in thinking that it knows what is going on with
this issue.
MR. SMITH said TCC is actively pursuing assessment tools. There
was no commercial opening on the Yukon River this year, he
reported, and it does not look like there will be any openings
in the foreseeable future. He said TCC is in a position now to
take those biological samples and this goes back to the issue of
involving local people, local agencies, and the fishermen in
management and operation of these fisheries. For less than
$150,000 this past year, TCC trained and paid its subsistence
fishermen to be data collectors and they did a great job. This
is the type of cooperation that needs to be done on the Yukon
fishery, rather than being in a constant battle with the state.
Subsistence users oftentimes find themselves fighting the
science behind a lot of these decisions.
CO-CHAIR NEUMAN noted that Mr. Smith is one of the top
contenders for appointment to the Board of Fisheries.
3:05:42 PM
GENE PELTOLA, Refuge Manager, Yukon Delta National Wildlife
Refuge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), summarized the
2009 season on the Kuskokwim River from his office's standpoint.
[Due to poor sound quality, it was difficult to discern much of
Mr. Peltola's testimony.] He said escapement for salmon stocks
in the Kuskokwim drainage is the responsibility of [ADF&G], as
established by the Board of Fisheries. Some of the tools
utilized include aerial surveys conducted by ADF&G and the
USFWS, the test fishery, and a series of weirs and sonar.
Escapement had mixed success with about one-third of the
objectives not being met and some that came in the very bottom
of the suggested range. He said this does not mean the system
is in dire straits; rather, it means there is room for
improvement.
MR. PELTOLA reported that Chinook Salmon escapement, with the
exception of two rivers, appears to be below average. Overall
run timing for all species appears to be fairly normal, he
continued. The USFWS looks at this decline and trend over a
five-year term. Within the Kuskokwim drainage, a total of 16
commercial periods occurred in District 1 with an estimated ex-
vessel value of over half a million dollars. The processor
capacity was expanded in 2009 in the Kuskokwim drainage. The
USFWS works as a co-manager with the state for subsistence
fisheries on the Kuskokwim River, so refuge staff met and spoke
with ADF&G managers on a regular basis throughout the season.
He said ADF&G staff did an excellent job of keeping the refuge
informed of its intentions and provided up-to-date information
for escapement projects. The department sought USFWS input on
the decision-making process. Additionally, the refuge
participated in each of the 15 working group meetings to gain a
broader perspective of how the fisheries were progressing and
hear positions and/or concerns from the public and working group
members.
3:09:14 PM
MR. PELTOLA stated that the Kuskokwim drainage is not in as dire
straits as others, such as the Yukon. He outlined some of the
steps that the refuge feels could improve management of the
drainage. As fuel prices rise, subsistence fishermen are
limiting their fishing activity to periods of peak abundance.
This complicates management decisions since commercial fishing
periods are not supported until subsistence needs are met. With
increased processing capacity, there may be more pressure on
managers to allow for additional commercial fishing periods.
This may increase exploitation rates on some species and could
potentially reduce subsistence fishing opportunities. Recently
there has been a targeted Sockeye Salmon fishery, but there are
no formal escapement guidelines fixed for that fishery.
Exportation of subsistence cod fish from the region seems or
appears to be on the increase. Another tool that could be
considered is gear restrictions on mesh size. He added that
continued funding for current projects is always problematic and
operational costs continually rise. Additional projects are
needed in the Kuskokwim drainage and can be fine-tuned to be
more cost effective and provide potentially better information
for management decisions.
3:13:56 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON, in regard to going to consistent harvests
for subsistence, inquired why wait if it is thought that there
is an impending problem.
MR. PELTOLA responded that there is a large population center on
the Kuskokwim River and any decision [indisc.] ... would be very
controversial. He reiterated that the Kuskokwim is not in dire
straits.
3:15:41 PM
JOHN WHITE, D.D.S., pointed out that while everyone talks about
size and weight reductions on Yukon King Salmon, equally
important is a decrease in fecundity. There just are not as
many eggs, he said. While that can be a product of size and
weight, fisheries research literature indicates that it is also
a hallmark of a long-term declining salmon population. He
addressed Representative Herron's question to Mr. Peltola from
the angle of being a 35-year commercial fisherman, an 8-year
member of the Board of Fisheries, and as chairman of the
governing body of the AYKSSI. Committee members are here as
fact-finders and therefore the committee cannot know the whole
story unless somebody "speaks truth to power," he said. The
truth to power in regard to Representative Herron's question is
that "you don't wait for a stock of fish to collapse so far
before you take action and consideration of how you limit that
resource among users." He explained that the Board of Fisheries
determines subsistence allocations based on sections in state
statute that deal with amounts reasonably necessary. When
allocations cannot be met with Tier I measures - which are time,
area, and year - then the allocations must be met with Tier II
measures. And no one wants to talk about Tier II, he said,
because it tears communities apart.
3:20:05 PM
DR. WHITE recommended that legislators look at the statutes
carefully and work with the policy-makers at ADF&G. Legislators
need to stay abreast with those policy-makers if they are
dodging the question of Tier II. The time to address how to
allocate fish when it is getting to a Tier II situation is to
address it now, before there is a complete collapse and there
are no fish. Do it when there are still enough fish that people
can belly up to the table and take responsibility.
DR. WHITE disagreed with statements that ADF&G could fund AYKSSI
but chose not to. Rather, he said ADF&G is telling people that
it cannot make block grants to the AYKSSI because of a
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) the department has with the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
However, he continued, today there is a different opinion and
NOAA has stated that it was ADF&G who brought that condition to
the MOU. He charged that both the Murkowski and Palin
administrations have systematically high-jacked the AYKSSI into
research under their bailiwick so they make the determination,
and they are not part of the larger cooperative working group.
He alleged that there is now evidence that two people in the
ADF&G commissioner's office went to the Alaska Congressional
Delegation saying that useable research cannot be gotten from
AYKSSI and that this was said even though ADF&G has 2 of 8 seats
on the AYKSSI governing body and the same number of seats on the
science and technical committee. The AYKSSI now has zero
funding. He suggested that what is going on is antagonistic
disregard for Western Alaskans. He said AYKSSI will be
submitting to the committee a copy of its annual report along
with its research plan that was completed with the National
Academy of Sciences.
3:26:00 PM
CO-CHAIR NEUMAN requested that evidence of the aforementioned be
provided to committee members.
DR. WHITE agreed to do so.
3:26:23 PM
DR. WHITE, in response to Representative Herron, stated that he
worked intimately with previous ADF&G commissioners and deputy
commissioners when he was on the Board of Fisheries. When there
are problems of this magnitude, he said he believes it is the
commissioner's and deputy commissioner's job to go to meetings
and hear the people out. Part of this antagonistic disregard is
the commissioner's and deputy commissioner's inability to even
show Western Alaskans the grace of showing up.
3:28:07 PM
ROBERT NICK stated that he writes weekly newspaper articles and
this week, after a five-month break, he wrote an article about
the subsistence issue. He said that if "we are what we eat"
then he is part King Salmon, Chum Salmon, Red Salmon, Silver
Salmon, Whitefish, and Blackfish. He said he learned this from
his parents and has continued this subsistence lifestyle. For
over 50 years he has hunted and fished in a radius of about 125
miles. He can name most of the rivers and lakes and knows where
each species of fish spawns. He said that while he has no
scientific figures to back up his comments, he has a lifetime of
learning how to provide so his family can survive. His
ancestors were astute, scientific, and conservation-minded in
regard to fish and wildlife resources. They harvested what they
needed and no more and that is how he has exercised his own
subsistence activity.
MR. NICK noted that when salmon stocks declined in the mid-
1990s, he thought about the organizations that would have some
input into the co-management of white people and the subsistence
fishermen with ADF&G managers and the North Pacific Fishery
Management Council. He subsequently became a member of the
Lower Kuskokwim Advisory Council as well as the Yukon-Kuskokwim
Delta Subsistence Regional Advisory Council. In those
capacities he has pursued the co-management concept between
state and federal managers and the users on the Yukon and
Kuskokwim rivers. An agreement was made for some cutbacks in
subsistence activities. He said he was hesitant at first
because so many families in the communities depend on salmon
resources and he wondered how his family would have enough to
get through the winter. However, given the alarming salmon
decline, something had to be done.
MR. NICK requested that legislators find ways to minimize the
decline of salmon resources in the Kuskokwim and in particular
the Yukon River. He said any help that can be given to families
enduring this hardship will be appreciated. He urged that more
reliance be given to recommendations made by the various Western
Alaska advisory committees, as well as more reliance given to
elders of the communities. The Yukon, Kuskokwim, and other
rivers have pristine spawning habitat, he added.
3:39:00 PM
CO-CHAIR NEUMAN inquired whether Mr. Nick feels his voice, as a
member of advisory councils and his many life experiences, is
heard by ADF&G staff.
MR. NICK replied yes, the recommendations of the advisory
committees in both rivers are heard. He noted that the federal
regional advisory council's do allow technical elder knowledge
contracts.
3:42:22 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON asked whether, in Mr. Nick's opinion, the
salmon is endangered.
MR. NICK replied yes, due to the current lax management of the
salmon as they migrate to the rivers. In further response, he
said the number one impact is food for the table; some people
were unable to harvest enough to survive this winter. Another
impact and concern that he has is for future generations and
whether there will be salmon. Even if economies fail, the
resources of the land can still provide.
3:44:53 PM
JILL KLEIN, Executive Director, Yukon River Drainage Fisheries
Association (YRDFA), explained that YRDFA has worked for the
past 20 years to bring fishermen together along the Yukon River.
The board is comprised of 30 members and alternates who work
together by consensus. A nonprofit, nongovernmental
organization, YRDFA works to promote healthy wild salmon
fisheries and is the only river-wide fishing organization along
the river. She said YRDFA supports and works with subsistence
and commercial fisheries. She offered YRDFA's belief that in
regard to overall management, the in-season managers are trying
the best they can to manage the fishery with the tools that they
have.
MS. KLEIN stated there is a lot of unreliability in salmon
returns, as well as challenges with the past fisheries and the
tools being relied upon. There is a need for more information
regarding the marine lifecycle of salmon and issues such as the
number, age, and size of salmon needed on the spawning grounds.
She related that YRDFA heard the sonar was not working properly
this past summer; she added that Pilot Station has had numerous
problems over the years. Sonar is an important management tool
and it needs to be addressed both with funds and a review of
best management practices as to how to use this tool to manage
the fishery.
MS. KLEIN said the lower Yukon test fisheries are always
contested by local people. She related that management says the
test fisheries must stay in the same places year after year to
have a more controlled scientific process and long-term data
that can be relied upon. Fishermen, however, change their sites
year after year, fishing in different places when conditions
change to maximize their opportunity. Thus, there is a big
discrepancy between methods of fishers and managers. In her ten
years with YRDFA, she said this issue does not seem to be
getting resolved.
MS. KLEIN noted the importance of subsistence and reported that
right now subsistence is the biggest fishery on the Yukon River.
The fish are needed for both food and culture. Subsistence
activities have been greatly impacted with regulations, such as
the windows and reduced fishing time, and, this year, the
closure of the first pulse. She allowed that meeting
subsistence needs along the river is challenging and upriver
subsistence needs are just as important as lower river
subsistence. One of the greatest challenges is how to let
subsistence users fish the lower Yukon while passing enough fish
upriver for fishing and spawning.
MS. KLEIN conveyed YRDFA's support for including tribes in
management. She noted that YRDFA has been working with
management and includes tribal people in its efforts. The
tribes want government-to-government relationships and to be at
the decision-making table, she said, and YRDFA will work to help
in this process as best it can. True co-management must include
all the government agencies, tribal governments, and
nongovernmental entities working together.
3:49:37 PM
MS. KLEIN said the three top impacts of salmon are: the
potential loss of the salmon, or the amounts necessary for
subsistence; which would then lead to the loss of the people
that rely on the salmon; and the subsequent loss of the cultures
that exist in Alaska and make Alaska, Alaska. To prevent this,
the salmon must be sustained, the people need to be involved and
supportive of the process, and there needs to be the funds to
sustain the process of working together.
3:51:03 PM
JOHN HILSINGER, Director, Division of Commercial Fisheries,
Alaska Department of Fish & Game, first introduced the other
ADF&G staff present and offered the regrets of Commissioner
Lloyd who had a previously scheduled meeting with the Board of
Fisheries. He noted that the commissioner has had meetings in
the region in the last five months. He said today's testimony
indicates how complicated management of these stocks is.
Involvement in this management includes: the North Pacific
Fishery Management Council, Alaska Department of Fish & Game,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Yukon River Panel. They
work together to come up with a set of management plans and
strategies that work and it may not be surprising that it is not
always 100 percent successful.
MR. HILSINGER explained that the Yukon fishery is exceptionally
difficult to manage because of the size of the area and the
time. It takes a salmon about one month to swim from the mouth
of the Yukon River to the border. Then it is several more weeks
before that salmon reaches some of the spawning grounds in
Canada, some of which are as far as British Columbia. The
result of a decision made by a manager in Emmonak is not
apparent until five or six weeks later, which makes managing
with precision a great challenge. This challenge can be seen in
some of the results - in 2007 and 2008, escapement was short in
Canada and many of the Canadian commercial and First Nations
fisheries had to be cut in half. During those years there was
substantial U.S. commercial and subsistence fisheries, so in
2009 managers did not want to be short of the escapement goal in
Canada for the third year in a row.
MR. HILSINGER described the many challenges of managing a mixed-
stock fishery that runs through a gauntlet of fisheries all the
way up the river. The fish spawn in numerous tributaries along
the way; for example, after the fish pass the sonar at Pilot
Station, a large number then go up the Tanana and other
tributaries. It is difficult to assess in-season how many of
those Canadian fish are actually in the run. Great strides have
been made with genetic work in recent years for getting
information on the size of that Canadian run. The run that goes
into Canada represents about half of the total Yukon Chinook
Salmon run, so it is critically important that those fish be
protected. He acknowledged that these fish are vitally
important to everybody along the river. He pointed out that
after the confluence of the Tanana River, the vast majority of
passing fish are the Canadian fish and it is necessary to
protect those stocks.
MR. HILSINGER stated that ADF&G staff met extensively last
winter with the public from all along the river to try to
develop a management strategy to shift the subsistence harvest
from the Canadian portion of the run over to the U.S. stocks
which have been much healthier in recent years. He explained
that next year's management plans will be based on the results
of this year's fisheries and the actions that were taken, of
which many of the actions were unprecedented. He pointed out
that ADF&G staff has done a lot to garner and use public input
to develop management plans - for example, staff works with the
Kuskokwim Working Group and Yukon River Drainage Fisheries
Association, and attends advisory committee meetings and
regional advisory council meetings. He said ADF&G will try to
do even more, as is being requested.
4:00:29 PM
CO-CHAIR NEUMAN inquired whether the $5 million in funding has
been used up.
MR. HILSINGER responded that he thinks much of Dr. White's
description of that process was very accurate. He related his
understanding that there was an initial earmark of $5 million
from the federal government and subsequent earmarks of about
$3.5-$5 million per year for five years, totaling a little over
$20 million. That money has not been completely used up, but it
has been fully allocated to projects, some of which are nearing
completion and at which point that money is gone.
CO-CHAIR NEUMAN asked how much of the $5 million was spent
toward the AYKSSI.
MR. HILSINGER explained there was a total of about $20 million
that was allocated to the AYKSSI over a five-year period, and
virtually all of that has been spent for the purposes of the
initiative. [The AYKSSI] did a research plan and many research
projects have been funded over the years; for example, ADF&G
conducted many of those projects and many were conducted by
federal agencies and universities.
4:02:55 PM
CO-CHAIR NEUMAN inquired how much of that money was used to
ensure there was a collaborative effort between all the user
groups to have meetings in local communities and work together.
MR. HILSINGER related his understanding that all of the funding
was spent on that - all of that money went to the research
program that was developed by the AYKSSI. In further response,
he explained that the AYKSSI had an advisory panel and a
scientific/technical committee. People made proposals for
projects, these were reviewed by the scientific/technical
committee, that committee made recommendations to the panel, and
the panel then decided which projects to fund.
4:04:32 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON asked whether there is a publication that
details the expenditure of those dollars.
MR. HILSINGER replied yes and offered to provide the
publication.
4:04:57 PM
CO-CHAIR NEUMAN inquired whether the department agrees that the
sonar did not work.
MR. HILSINGER answered that ADF&G's programs suffered from the
same things the fishermen suffered from: high water, debris,
and silt. He said news reports were incorrect about the sonar
malfunctioning, rather the sonar reached its limitations because
of the high water and silt, similar to a jet being unable to
land in the fog even though it has instruments. He recognized
the need to do a better job with that project because of its
importance as the in-season management tool along with the test
nets. The test nets also showed very low catches, he continued.
In addition to the normal test nets that operate in a consistent
location from year to year, ADF&G also had a mesh-size study
that used local fishermen who fished in locations of their
choice to see whether ADF&G was missing large numbers of fish in
other areas, and it was learned that this did not seem to be the
case. He said ADF&G knew early on that the sonar was
undercounting due to the high water and silt and was very open
about that. The YRDFA sponsors weekly teleconferences with
people from the mouth of the river to the headwaters at Teslin
Lake in which people receive updates on the run status, all the
projects, as well as updates from the people on their own
subsistence fishing. Throughout this weekly process, ADF&G was
very open with telling people that the early sonar counts were
conservative and this was factored into the department's
decision making.
4:08:07 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON requested Mr. Hilsinger to delineate what
more ADF&G will do to garner a greater amount of public input.
MR. HILSINGER responded that one thing he learned this summer is
that the word does not always get spread very broadly through
the communities. For example, while a lot of people are on the
YRDFA teleconferences and at the various meetings, the word does
not always get passed along to the people not in attendance.
There has been discussion about how to disseminate the word so
those not involved in the meetings will know what is going on.
4:09:38 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON asked what, in Mr. Hilsinger's opinion, is
the number one impact on salmon.
MR. HILSINGER replied that research funded by the AYKSSI and
conducted by ADF&G staff and Dr. Greg Ruggerone ["Retrospective
Analysis of AYK Chinook Salmon Growth" by G.T. Ruggerone, J.L.
Nielsen, and B. Agler], found that over a 15-year period, Yukon
River Chinook Salmon went through consistent and substantial
below-average growth at all the different life stages from fresh
water to marine. However, in Kuskokwim salmon this growth
pattern went up and down between below-average, average, and
above-average. He said this indicates to him that there are
some different conditions in the rearing environments and the
ocean environments of Yukon fish as opposed to Kuskokwim fish,
and this may explain some of the concerns about smaller salmon
and poorer returns on the Yukon relative to the Kuskokwim. He
added that it is a real open question how the ocean environment
is going to treat these fish in the future.
4:12:28 PM
CO-CHAIR NEUMAN understood there were two different funding
programs. There was the money from the Alaska Sustainable
Salmon Fund that went to the AYKSSI program and was used by
2007, and there was the $23.7 million from [fiscal year]
2007/2008 that the state received from the fund, of which about
5 percent, or $1.2 million, was allocated for the AYK Region.
MR. HILSINGER answered that he does not know exact numbers of
the fund because he does not deal with it much, but he knows
there were targets for funding by area and the AYK Region was
around $1.5 million, although perhaps only $1.2 million actually
got funded. A decision was made that changed the allocation of
money from block grants, like that which AYKSSI got, to a
statewide approach. The Kenai River Sportfishing Association
also had a block grant that was switched over, he added. The
proposals now come in directly to the department and the
department's scientific/technical committee reviews the
proposals and decides which ones to fund.
CO-CHAIR NEUMAN pointed out that 51 of the 69 projects funded
through the Alaska Sustainable Salmon Fund were ADF&G projects,
so it can be seen that other projects took a back seat which is
of concern to the people speaking here today.
MR. HILSINGER offered to put together a list of the projects and
the amounts they were funded to show how the money was divided
between the two halves of the state. He explained that the
total statewide funding includes allocations to a number of
department projects in Southeast Alaska, of which only a portion
is allocated for expenditure west of Cape Suckling, which would
be the Central Region, AYK, and westward.
4:16:44 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GUTTENBERG inquired whether there are milestones
that happen if the U.S. misses the escapement for Canada. For
example, is there something that happens the first year,
something else that happens the second year, and so forth, and
when those things happen, is there any ability to influence what
happens on the escapement issue.
MR. HILSINGER explained that the Yukon River Panel meets twice a
year and each year sets the escapement goal. An escapement goal
is actually written into the agreement, but due to the
difficulty over time trying to meet that goal, the panel
annually sets interim escapement goals for each year. Whether
there are milestones toward that in any given year, depends on
how the panel approaches it. For a number of years there was
the approach of a two-cycle or three-cycle rebuilding program
over which to reach specific escapement targets, and management
plans were worked out to achieve those targets. While there is
not necessarily a hard penalty for not reaching that target in
any given year, the goals are taken very seriously by both sides
of the border. It is always a difficult discussion at the panel
meeting about what that escapement goal is going to be and what
will be done to meet it. Under the agreement everyone is bound
to do their very best to maintain adequate escapement in Canada.
Since Canada's escapement is about half the run, it is in
Alaska's best interest to ensure there is adequate escapement
into Canada.
4:20:22 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GUTTENBERG asked whether the determination of
what constitutes half the run is made at the mouth of the river
or is an overall expectation of what will be coming in. He
further asked whether this includes bycatch.
MR. HILSINGER responded that it is not that half of the run
belongs to Canada, it is that the fish that spawn in Canada
produce about half of the run. Therefore, maintaining adequate
escapement in Canada is necessary to continue that same relative
level of production to the extent that it is possible.
Additionally, those Canadian fish are extremely valuable
commercially because of their high oil content. These are the
fish that swim through the entire Alaska portion of the Yukon
River; therefore they are the vast majority of the fish that
Alaskans in the upper Yukon depend upon. He reiterated that
getting adequate escapement is not done because these fish
somehow belong to Canada, but because these fish are such an
important resource. The way this works in practical terms of
harvest is that the agreement includes catch shares. The U.S.
receives about 75 percent of the catch of those Canadian Chinook
and the Canadians get about 25 percent, so the U.S. gets the
lion's share of the benefit of those stocks.
REPRESENTATIVE GUTTENBERG said he would like to hear the
Canadian perspective on what is adequate, what is 25 percent,
and how Canadians view U.S. management, given that Alaska's
people on the river do not believe a good management job is
being done.
4:24:35 PM
CRAIG FLEENER, Director, Division of Subsistence, Alaska
Department of Fish & Game, noted that he is originally from Fort
Yukon, Alaska. He said previous witnesses provided excellent
subsistence information and he will therefore remain available
for questions rather than make a presentation.
4:26:03 PM
REPRESENTATIVE EDGMON inquired where ADF&G is in terms of its
overall budget request relative to today's discussion. He
further asked what the director would like to see in the
department's budget that is not included at this point.
MR. HILSINGER explained that his department works with the
Office of Management & Budget (OMB) to put together the
governor's budget, which will be out in mid-December [2009].
The department has put together its requests and is waiting to
see how they fare against all the other requests. He said ADF&G
rates the needs of the Yukon River very highly. Five increments
were funded by the legislature last year. It is too early to
tell what the governor is going to do, but the department is
hopeful Governor Parnell will look favorably upon the Yukon.
4:27:52 PM
REPRESENTATIVE EDGMON surmised ADF&G is looking for additional
resources to address the lower Yukon situation, but that the
aforementioned is all Mr. Hilsinger can divulge at this time.
MR. HILSINGER answered correct. Once it is known what the
governor has decided to request, there will be the possibility
of taking another shot at it in the governor's amended budget
and sometimes those requests come in through the legislature and
sometimes the governor.
4:29:30 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON asked whether the Division of Subsistence
is allowed to be a strong advocate for subsistence.
MR. FLEENER replied he has a lot of flexibility in working with
Commissioner Lloyd, who has asked a lot of questions of him and
given him the freedom to talk about issues. Therefore, he would
have to say that subsistence is pretty important. However, he
pointed out, the real problem is that there is not a full
understanding by all Alaskans as to what subsistence really is.
Some of the problems faced by the division are that people from
different parts of the state think differently about subsistence
- some do not believe there are subsistence users even though
the state has a priority, potentially, for all Alaskans; some
believe that they are 100 percent subsistence users; and there
is a gradient in between. This makes it really tough when he is
trying to encapsulate the subsistence issue, especially in the
subsistence debate. When he goes into the rural communities,
those residents believe they know what subsistence is. When he
goes into urban communities, those residents have an
understanding of subsistence. The many different ideas about
what subsistence means is very problematic for him, he stressed.
He said he thinks the boards treat it differently as well, and
so does the legislature. The department does place a high value
on subsistence and it has to because it is the priority, he
pointed out.
4:33:47 PM
MARTIN MOORE reported that on September 8, 1968, Mr. Jacob
Johnson and Robert Nick received money from the Economic
Development Administration (EDA) to start an economic stimulus
in the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers. The Yukon Delta Fish
Marketing Cooperative received $775,600 and Kuskokwim
Fishermen's Cooperative received $662,500. Other fish
processing enterprises invested as well, including Mr. Axel
Johnson and various canneries and processors. In regard to
Bering Sea fisheries, he said these past fish processing
companies were multi-million dollar investments and operations,
although he believes it was more like billions of dollars.
However, the above processing plants have closed their doors,
leaving jobless people.
MR. MOORE stated that in 2003 there were 703 permit holders in
"Y 1, 2, and 3." These permit holders are business operators
and have much investment in the fishing industry. In 2003 they
paid fish permit licenses in the amount of $42,900 to the state.
Today they are experiencing the same financial constraints as
the commercial fish processors of the past. Lack of fishing
since the fishery disaster in the year 2000 lingers on. From
1977-1999, the total income value of commercial salmon to
fishermen totaled $158,838,080. This equates to an average
[annual] income for the commercial fishermen in "Y 1, 2, and 3"
of $6,906,003. Lots of income continued in 2003, with an
average income of $3,322 to each of the 570 [fishermen]. In
2004, 607 participated in the fishing industry and the average
income was $4,000 [per participant]. In 2005, average income to
each of the 598 fishermen was $3,000. In 2006, average income
to each of the 594 participants was $4,946. He offered his
opinion that commercial fish processors and private commercial
permit holders should qualify for the same recognition in the
financial packages authorized by President Obama in the
[American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009] that was
received by manufacturing companies in the Lower 48. Finding
new alternatives to business enterprises is the next solution in
addition to escalating energy costs, he added.
MR. MOORE, in reference to the subsistence issue, said two 18-
hour openings per week for Chinook Salmon have not been
acceptable for those whose dependence is the highest. The
closure of fall Chum and Coho salmon was a hindrance to many
people who depend on them for subsistence food in winter.
"Dependence on fisheries of subsistence is the major importance
for many of our people," he said, "especially for those that are
jobless." It was unacceptable to have only two 24-hour openings
for fall Chums and Cohos for subsistence users. [The sonar] at
Pilot Station is not dependable, he continued, otherwise the
fishermen at Wade Hampton census district should not have been
so badly hampered.
4:42:54 PM
DANI EVENSON, Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim Regional Research
Supervisor, Division of Commercial Fisheries, Alaska Department
of Fish & Game, addressed what the department is doing about the
concerns being heard today. Yukon River fisheries are
challenging, she explained. There are three mouths to the river
with numerous side channels and the wind and tides can carry
fish in virtually any direction. Managers are challenged to
quickly and accurately assess the runs. It is a mixed-stock
fishery and it is difficult to prosecute one fishery over
another when certain stocks are weak. The department has
challenges with its assessment projects just from the sheer size
of the river. For that reason, management looks at an aggregate
of projects: the test fishery and Pilot Station sonar, which
are primary in-river projects; age composition of the run,
genetic composition of the run; and subsistence harvest
information. In years like this when the department's projects
are challenged due to high water, it is the subsistence harvest
that identifies this is a problem.
MS. EVENSON said the department recognizes the lower Yukon test
fishery nets are not in good sites. The eddies shifted this
year due to the prolonged flooding and amount of sediment, and
are no longer comparable with historical data. Next year ADF&G
will enter Emmonak earlier to re-evaluate the sites and will be
looking to local people for identifying the most appropriate net
sites. In regard to the Pilot Station sonar, she noted there is
an ongoing study that is independently validating the sonar
estimates using genetics. The data from that study is currently
being analyzed and results should be available within the next
year. The department is looking into the use of side-scanning
sonar to get further off-shore during high water, high silt
events. An evaluation of the test fishing program will occur by
testing larger, longer nets and fishing of different sites
because sonar can only capture numbers of fish, not the species.
The department has already begun looking at alternative sites
for the sonar, she continued, and has done transects both
upriver and downriver from the current location. Additionally,
the department will be looking at its species apportionment
model to see if adjustments can be made there. She cautioned
that no project will ever be perfect as there will always be
high water and low water; however, the department is doing the
best it can.
4:48:00 PM
JOHN LINDERMAN, Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim Regional Supervisor,
Division of Commercial Fisheries, Alaska Department of Fish &
Game, first noted that he oversees both the research management
and administrative programs for the commercial fisheries within
the AYK Region. He said some of the testimony today has been
heard before and some is new information. In regard to how much
the department incorporates and listens to the public with
respect to management actions and strategies, he said
information is solicited from the fishers. Management
strategies cannot be successful without incorporating the
public's knowledge and the department's buy-in, he noted.
MR. LINDERMAN pointed out that this year the department faced a
very difficult situation on the Yukon because it did not feel
that at least a portion of the run was going to be adequate to
provide for all the needs of subsistence fishermen throughout
the drainage. The department tried to take actions through
public input on how to best address that. He acknowledged that
some things could have been done better and there are probably
things the department can do differently in the future.
Information will be evaluated into the winter and there will be
further discussions and outreach to the public as to future
management strategies. He said it is important to listen to the
public and incorporate those ideas with respect to management
actions because the people on the ground know the resource well.
Both parties can learn from each other, he added.
Informational hearing on HB 227 HOLITNA BASIN RESERVE
4:50:30 PM
CO-CHAIR NEUMAN announced that the next order of business is an
informational hearing on HOUSE BILL NO. 227, "An Act
establishing state fish and game reserves; creating the Holitna
River Basin Hunting, Fishing, and Trapping Reserve; and
providing for an effective date."
CO-CHAIR NEUMAN turned over the hearing to Representative
Herron.
4:51:07 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON explained that establishment of the
Holitna River Basin Hunting, Fishing, and Trapping Reserve has
been proposed by the people in this region for several years,
and the legislature is now moving forward with it.
4:52:13 PM
GREG ROCZICKA, Director, Natural Resource Program, Orutsararmuit
Native Council, first noted that Orutsararmuit Native Council is
the tribal governing body in Bethel. He further noted he has
been involved in the front lines of resource management issues
at regional, state, and international levels for over 20 years
and he served two terms on the Board of Game, including serving
as chairman. He said the Holitna drainage has been recognized
for its productive values and contributions to the Kuskokwim as
a whole. It was initially considered for protection under the
Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) as a
National Wildlife Refuge or Wild and Scenic River, but it did
not get included.
MR. ROCZICKA related that area residents have been requesting
the Holitna drainage be established as a refuge since the mid-
1980s. It is an extremely productive area of Western Alaska
that has provided a large diversity of subsistence and other
harvest opportunity ever since statehood. It is the largest
drainage feeding the Kuskokwim watershed and is prime habitat
for moose, bear, caribou, and furbearers. In addition, it is an
important rearing and staging area for all species of salmon,
including a unique species of river spawning and rearing sockeye
not found in any other area of the state. Recent radio
telemetry studies funded by AYKSSI monies - which have now been
decreased by 400 percent - and the federal Office of Subsistence
Management found that one-third of the Chinook Salmon, one-third
of the Chum, two-thirds of the Sockeye, and one-fourth of the
Coho running the Kuskokwim spawn in the Holitna drainage. He
pointed out that the Kuskokwim drainage provides 50 percent of
the total Chinook Salmon subsistence harvest for the entire
state of Alaska.
MR. ROCZICKA specified that the Holitna is also unique in that
its productive habitat encompasses a wide area rather than being
confined to a relatively narrow river corridor. He said the
Holitna drainage is what can be called a breadbasket area. This
concept could be transferred to other sub-regions of the state
that have similar high quality habitat and productivity that
would qualify them for an elevated level of management
protection. He cited Game Management Unit (GMU) 20E and
portions of GMU 13 as examples of other breadbasket subregions.
4:58:13 PM
MR. ROCZICKA reviewed what HB 227 does not do. He said it would
not preclude or prevent any of the activities currently allowed
on state-managed lands. It would not override any existing
management authorities of affected state management agencies.
It would not prevent or preclude any existing access,
conditions, or requirements. It would not change any existing
hunting, fishing, or trapping regulations.
MR. ROCZICKA pointed out that what HB 227 will do is create an
elevated oversight and implementation of Alaska's Intensive
Management Law to ensure maintenance of these activities into
the future and prevent policy and administrative reluctance to
conduct active management such as predator control programs.
The legislation would close the loopholes that animal welfare
organizations have used to stop [predator control] programs. It
would do this by requiring the use of biological science as the
burden of proof rather than political science. For example, he
said the Holitna River used to be one of the most productive
areas in the region for moose hunting and was utilized by 23
villages. However, in 2006, ten years after [Ballot Measure 3]
shut down the [predator control] programs in that area, the
Holitna River was entirely closed to hunting.
5:01:26 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON stated that in a meeting he had with them,
both the Alaska Department of Fish & Game and the Department of
Natural Resources (DNR) supported HB 227.
MR. ROCZICKA added that in 2006 or 2007 a proposal was in front
of the Board of Game to make the Holitna a separate game
management unit. At that same time, initial legislation was
drafted, but due to political complications from other
legislation and ballot initiatives it did not go forward. The
record from that time includes formal statements of support from
the Lower Kuskokwim Advisory Committee, Central Kuskokwim
Advisory Committee, Stony-Holitna Advisory Committee, Anchorage
Advisory Committee, Board of Game, and Kuskokwim River Salmon
Management Working Group. He said "Sleetmute and Orutsararmuit
Native Councils" sponsored resolutions at that time which were
unanimously supported by the Association of Village Council
Presidents and there was also a letter of support from Calista
Corporation.
5:02:51 PM
MR. ROCZICKA pointed out that this proposal has undergone
extensive public and administrative review and that that input
has been incorporated. So far it has received very positive
response, most of which has been primarily from the wildlife
conservation side, but state agencies cannot officially support
it until the administration does. Right now, there is formal
support from the Board of Game. The Board of Fisheries has
referred the issue to its habitat committee until such time as
legislation is actually on the table. He will speak to the
Board of Fisheries tomorrow during its work session, he noted.
5:04:37 PM
GRANT FAIRBANKS stated he has lived on and worked on the Holitna
River for 36 years. He said he has worked, as well, with the
Sleetmute Traditional Council for 36 years trying to get the
Holitna River the recognition it deserves.
MR. FAIRBANKS, in response to Co-Chair Neuman, said the mouth of
the Holitna River is located 250 miles upriver from Bethel. He
recalled that in 1978 or 1979 the Alaska National Interest Lands
Conservation Act (ANILCA) included the Holitna River for
designation as a Wild and Scenic River because studies showed it
was a very unique part of the United States. At that time the
State of Alaska and the federal government were battling over
ownership of the Holitna River. The state took over ownership
and since then the Village of Sleetmute and other people have
been trying to get the state to recognize the Holitna for what
it is and give it the protection it needs. He related that the
Holitna River is a spawning area for all species of salmon, and
that one-third to one-half of all the salmon spawn in the
Holitna.
MR. FAIRBANKS added that he has attended 11 hearings and 30
meetings over the last 30-some years trying to garner some type
of protection for the Holitna River. He thanked Representative
Herron for sponsoring HB 227 and Mr. Roczicka for writing the
bill. This is not just about salmon, he pointed out. It is
about moose. Many years ago when the state was writing the
Kuskokwim Area Plan, a gigantic overlay was taken to all the
villages in this area. Twenty-five villages indicated that
their residents hunted moose up the Holitna. He recalled
counting boats and moose hunters in the early 1980s and cited
one hunting season in which there were 600 moose hunters and 300
boats, and the hunter success rate was 60 percent. There is no
hunting there now, he continued, but the stocks are being built
back up. This legislation is about salmon, moose, furbearers,
and all the animals up there. He concluded, "We are just trying
to get a bill passed that will give it some protection so that
people in the state of Alaska will see that the highest and best
use of that area is a ... breadbasket; it is a place where
people can hunt and fish and trap and we need some type of
protection for that so that we can quit going to all these
hearings...."
5:08:38 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON described the Kuskokwim-Holitna area as
being a piece of heaven. He said he will be requesting that HB
227 be scheduled as early as possible in January [2010] and the
House Special Committee on Fisheries will be the first committee
of hearing and the House Resources Standing Committee will be
the second.
^Current state of the Arctic/Yukon/Kuskokwim (AYK) salmon
fisheries
5:09:41 PM
CO-CHAIR NEUMAN announced that the next order of business is a
return to the topic of AYK salmon fisheries.
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON asked whether the salmon in any of the
main river systems of the AYK Region are threatened.
MS. EVENSON responded that threatened is not the term she would
use to describe it. She said extreme volatility has been seen
in the runs, particularly in the Yukon River. While there have
been low runs, there have also been a couple of good runs, such
as the 2005 run. Although it is not great and not the sustained
level that was seen in the 1980s, it is reasonable. Escapements
were met, subsistence uses were met, and there were reasonable
commercial fishing opportunities. She said that right now Yukon
Chinook are listed as a stock of concern, as is Norton Sound
[fall Chum Salmon], and the department is using conservative
management to address that.
5:11:36 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON inquired whether consistent subsistence
harvest should be implemented now rather than later.
MR. LINDERMAN replied his primary concern with taking such a
tact is that once there are tiered-type fisheries, it becomes
extremely difficult to get out of those fisheries. The impact
that it would have on subsistence fishers in regard to
opportunity and ability to utilize those resources would be
substantial. He said he thinks that everyone - the public, the
departments, federal agencies - would want to ensure that going
in that direction is absolutely necessary before such a step is
taken.
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON asked whether that is not what is being
done now even though it is being called windows instead of
tiers.
MR. LINDERMAN said he thinks the department would need to see
similar actions taken over a much longer time period than what
has been seen so far. He acknowledged that the level of
unprecedented action taken for management this year on the Yukon
is "certainly maybe pushing that envelope with respect to
tiers." However, he said that question cannot yet be answered
because the department still needs to get its subsistence
harvest estimates and see whether or not subsistence fishers had
the ability to catch everything they needed for the season. He
said that testimony today, as well as testimony from the public
in general, shows that many people had a lot of difficulty in
achieving their needs. Once the department has its subsistence
harvest estimates, he continued, it will have a much better idea
of how that compares to previous years. The subsistence fishing
schedule, which was one of the actions implemented in 2001 when
the stock of concern designation was placed on Chinook Salmon,
was designed to still provide adequate opportunity for
subsistence fishers while trying to spread that harvest out over
a larger portion of the run and meet upriver needs, as well as
to achieve the treaty obligations into Canada for Chinook. It
is not at the level of a tiered fishery as long as that
opportunity is being provided for subsistence fishers to meet
their needs. Although some folks may feel that ADF&G is not
doing that, the amounts necessary or reasonably necessary for
subsistence have been achieved in the years since the schedule
was put in place.
CO-CHAIR NEUMAN allowed members of the audience to ask
questions.
5:16:28 PM
DR. WHITE inquired why not discuss with a rational public how to
limit a fishery before it completely collapses, rather than
waiting until it does collapse and trying to hold that same
discussion, which is what happened when Nome was placed under
Tier II.
MR. LINDERMAN answered that it comes down to the resiliency that
is inherent to salmon populations in general - it is not just a
single year. He pointed out that in 2009 it was not the entire
Yukon River stock that was of concern, it was specifically the
Canadian portion of the stock for which there was concern in
achieving adequate escapement. The resiliency of populations to
rebound from negative conditions that result in poor runs is
significant within salmon populations. The department would
need to see [poor runs] for more than a single year before it
would feel the need for a Tier II-type fishery.
DR. WHITE said his question was not answered because he is not
saying to go to Tier II, rather he is saying to discuss with the
public what elements should be included in a Tier II fishery
should the stock collapse in the future.
MR. LINDERMAN said he questions the necessity of discussing
"what-if scenarios" with the public because this could cause
unnecessary worry and alarm in the public.
5:19:55 PM
CO-CHAIR NEUMAN interjected that the department has acknowledged
it is trying to continue with an outreach program to discuss
things with local people and that it is probably time to talk
about possibilities.
DR. WHITE suggested talking with people and having transparency
prior to stock collapse, as opposed to having the same
discussion when there is all the emotional turbulence after a
collapse.
5:21:10 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON asked whether the department is extremely
concerned about where the fish stocks are at.
MR. LINDERMAN replied yes. He said this is reflected in the
current processes the state has in place with respect to stock-
of-concern designations for Yukon Chinook as well as fall Chum
within Norton Sound. He said the Kuskokwim is a good example of
where he was coming from in answer to Dr. White's question.
Five years ago, these same questions were being asked in regard
to both Chinook and Chum salmon on the Kuskokwim, but since then
there has been a remarkable turnaround and the Kuskokwim has
seen tremendous runs, especially with Chum. The Tier II
question was raised at that time and this is where his concern
comes from with respect to creating unnecessary alarm in the
public.
5:23:21 PM
CO-CHAIR NEUMAN observed that when it comes to fisheries the
issues are similar regardless of location within the state. He
asked Mr. Hilsinger to share what discussions managers might
have amongst themselves when making management decisions.
MR. HILSINGER agreed and said that many times over the last 20
years he has thought about how similar the upper Cook Inlet and
the Yukon actually are. Both are mixed-stock, mixed-species,
gauntlet-style fisheries with a long time lag between the
fisheries at one end and the fisheries at the other. At 2000
miles long, the Yukon's problems are multiplied dramatically, he
added. Managers go through the process every year of thinking
how the management can be adapted. One example is the analysis
that staff did on the Canadian escapement goal. It was
discovered that the means by which the Canadians were assessing
the escapement into Canada was flawed, and there was actually
about twice as many fish crossing the border as was thought.
Things were re-analyzed and adjustments were made in the
escapement goal that will be of benefit to people on both sides
of the border. The work to better assess those escapement goals
will continue.
MR. HILSINGER explained that managers will look closely at the
actions taken this year, such as the closure on the first pulse
to shift harvest off the Canadian fish. Decisions will be made
when managers have next year's forecast and after sitting down
with people along the river to get their ideas as well. He said
it is important to him that the department do a better job and
try to improve the precision in management. He pointed out that
on one hand the department is criticized for being too
restrictive while at the same time there is concern about the
viability of the run.
MR. HILSINGER noted that many of the management actions have
significant implications for people. For example, a Tier II
fishery would basically mean the end of the commercial fishery
on the Yukon, and testimony was given as to what that would mean
to people on the lower river. The impacts can be vastly
different at different places along the river, he pointed out,
so managers want to be extremely careful when considering
actions. Managers do want to work more on Pilot Station and
there are ideas for projects to try to improve that and get a
better understanding of how the fish move through there as well
as a better understanding of species apportionment. It is
difficult to be specific at this point until next year's
forecasts are received and staff has met with the public.
5:31:10 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON thanked witnesses and stated that the
committee needs to take this information and move forward.
CO-CHAIR NEUMAN said everyone loses when there is not enough
escapement and Alaskans are in this together. The government
should be working with the people; the people should not have to
worry about administration of the fisheries and should be able
to feed their families. Work will continue on these problems
and it will be a cooperative effort.
^Energy issues including transportation corridor to/from
Paimuit/Kalskag
5:35:40 PM
CO-CHAIR NEUMAN announced that the final order of business is
the transportation corridor between Paimuit and Kalskag.
5:36:15 PM
MIKE HOFFMAN, Executive Vice President, Association of Village
Council Presidents (AVCP), stated he is on the Denali
Commission's Transportation Advisory Committee, as well as
several other boards in the region. He explained that the
proposed transportation corridor is a road connecting the
closest points between the Kuskokwim River and the Yukon River,
a distance of 32 miles. He said he likes to think of it as
connecting the two lifelines to rural Alaska that is much
needed. This road would help with the region's energy problems
and would also help the lower Yukon fishing disaster.
MR. HOFFMAN noted that in 1931 the "road commission" agreed to
build two tramways connecting 72 miles between the Kuskokwim and
the Yukon at Kalskag and Russian Mission. In 1969 the villages
of Kalskag and Russian Mission wanted to fix this up, but did
not have means or the money to do so. To illustrate that things
have not changed over the decades, he read the following
excerpts from the summary report of a 1981 State of Alaska
feasibility study for putting in a canal:
Many young people are finding it necessary to leave
the smaller villages for Bethel, Fairbanks, and
Anchorage in search of jobs. Potential exists for
jobs and income at the local level from a renewable to
nonrenewable resource development. This development
cannot take place without adequate transportation
needs. Also needed are lower transportation rates for
refined petroleum products and alternatively low
energy cost for the availability of propane, coal,
wood, and hydropower. The connection between the
Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers can play a major role in
Alaska's evolving energy plan by means of supplying
Alaska-produced fuel and fuel products to lower Yukon
and Kuskokwim river districts into Western Alaska
coasts. Without such a connection Western Alaskan
heating oil needs will continue to be supplied by the
U.S. West Coast at a heavy economic drain to the
state. Interior-produced coal and the benefits of
abundant, less expensive North Slope-produced propane
would be excluded for Western Alaska use. The best
means for providing the Yukon-Kuskokwim crossing is a
heavy-duty gravel road with a dock at each end. The
best location is a 33-mile route extending from
Kalskag Airport on the Kuskokwim River to a point on
Paimuit Slough. This selected means and route is the
least environmentally intrusive than any other
proposed joining of the two rivers. It is the most
efficient to operate and maintain and it serves the
greatest number of people. It will also be the least
expensive inter-connection.
5:41:28 PM
MR. HOFFMAN related that the 1981 project goal was "to
facilitate transportation, lower costs of living, spur resource
development and local employment, and provide basic improvements
that could lead to a wider market for Alaska's suppliers." He
pointed out that this remains the same today and that because
general cargo and heating fuel supplies for Western Alaska must
presently be ordered almost exclusively from the Lower 48,
Western Alaska feels more closely tied to Seattle than the rest
of Alaska. Even if the proposed Yukon-Kuskokwim crossing did
not lower prices for Western Alaska, the eventual realization of
the alternative marketplace would stem from the flow of outgoing
dollars and help draw the state together by allowing purchases
and delivery from within. Bringing together the two halves of
Alaska is more important than immediately achieving a positive
cost/benefit ratio.
MR. HOFFMAN said AVCP obtained funds from the Denali Commission
and matched them through its own transportation department to do
another feasibility study - a route reconnaissance that started
this fall and will continue into spring 2010. Mapping will take
place in May 2010 and at that time the report will be reviewed
and the cost estimates on the road will be updated.
5:43:54 PM
MR. HOFFMAN recalled that last year "ARCO" and "BP" had a
meeting in Fairbanks at which a gasline was discussed that would
come down to a point on the lower Yukon River where a bullet
line would be built across to the Kuskokwim. It was further
indicated in this discussion that the cost of propane and
natural to Western Alaska would be reduced to 50 cents per
gallon. He related that the state's transportation mission
statement says the state will put funds where they will affect
the most people. However, he argued, at some point the state
needs to step up an effort to reduce energy costs in rural
Alaska. Cost of fuel is outrageous in this region and any help
from the state would be much appreciated.
5:46:01 PM
CO-CHAIR NEUMAN recounted that on September 15, 2009, Harry
Noah, Project Manager for the In-State Gas Project, included in
his proposal a 10-inch or 12-inch natural gas spur pipeline
running from Nenana to Southwest Alaska. The goal for an Alaska
stand-alone pipeline is flow by 2015, with eventual expansion to
assist in the development of Donlin Creek Mine and other mineral
sites between Bethel and Nenana. The pipeline would be built
via a winter road over three seasons and would include
suspending the pipeline over the rivers. This could very well
be the start of a pioneer road to Western Alaska that could
reduce the cost of living, create jobs, and provide economic
diversity. He related a discussion in which Representative
Herron said to him that some people in Western Alaska like
living in the region because it is not connected and some look
at a connection as an opportunity for jobs, schools, and
economic development. He asked for Mr. Hoffman's viewpoint in
this regard.
MR. HOFFMAN responded that AVCP has committed through compacting
with 56 villages and about 20 villages have compacted with
AVCP's transportation. He said AVCP is going to build up the
infrastructure in all of the compacted villages. He
acknowledged that would not lower the cost of fuel and food in
those villages, and said he believes what is needed is a
connection between rural Alaska and urban Alaska. One such
connection could be from Nenana downriver to his proposed road.
This 32-mile road would be one of the first connections that he
is talking about for the region. None of the region's 56
villages is connected by road - all transportation is via air,
and the cost of aviation here is outrageous.
5:51:07 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON surmised that Mr. Hoffman is suggesting
that Representative Neuman, as co-chair of the House Resources
Standing Committee, get behind a 32-mile road between the two
largest river systems in Alaska, given that former Governor
Palin's suggested project for a transportation corridor from
Fairbanks to Nome will take a long time to happen.
MR. HOFFMAN added that he is not asking the state to do this on
its own, rather AVCP has already started this process and is
looking for the state to partner with it.
5:53:00 PM
CO-CHAIR NEUMAN opined that this is doable and that the
probability of shipping propane down the Yukon River from a
gasline is very real. He urged Mr. Hoffman to not give up. He
thanked everyone for participating in the hearing.
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON offered his thanks to participants.
5:55:17 PM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Resources Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 5:55 p.m.
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