Salty
2011-04-01 01:59:33
I heard a story today that there will be a substantial, around 50,000, increase in the SE Chinook quota for this year. Has anyone heard anything for certain?
kjwelder
2011-04-01 02:40:28
2011 COMMERCIAL TROLL CHINOOK SALMON QUOTA
Sitka. . The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced today that under management provisions of
the Pacific Salmon Treaty (PST), the 2011 Southeast Alaska abundance index (AI) has been calculated to
be 1.69, which results in an all-gear harvest quota of 294,800 treaty Chinook salmon. This abundance based
quota represents an increase of approximately 73,000 fish when compared with last year’s
preseason estimate of the all-gear quota of 221,800 fish at an AI of 1.35. This results in a commercial troll
fishery preseason Chinook salmon harvest allocation of 218,060 fish for 2011, an increase of 54,178 fish
when compared with last year’s troll allocation.
The all-gear Chinook salmon quota is allocated among commercial and sport fisheries according to
management plans established by the Alaska Board of Fisheries [5 AAC 29.060(b) and 47. 055]. Most
Chinook salmon produced from Alaska hatcheries are not factored into the AI and may be harvested in
addition to the treaty limit.
The allocations to fisheries for 2011 under the management plan are as follows:
2011 Treaty Chinook Salmon Allocations Number of Chinook Salmon
All-gear treaty quota 294,800
Purse seine (4.3% of all-gear) 12,676
Drift gillnet (2.9% of all-gear) 8,549
Set gillnet (1,000) 1,000
Troll (80% after net gear subtracted) 218,060
Sport (20% after net gear subtracted) 54,515
The summer troll quota is calculated by subtracting the winter and spring fishery treaty Chinook salmon
harvest from the annual troll allocation. However, because the final harvest numbers for non-Alaska
hatchery fish (treaty fish) in the winter and spring fisheries will not be known until late June, fishing time
for the summer season will not be set until just prior to the first summer season Chinook salmon opening
on July 1.
The winter fishery is managed to not exceed the guideline harvest level of 45,000 Chinook salmon. While
there is no specific total limit on the number of treaty Chinook salmon that may be harvested in the spring
fishery, the take of treaty Chinook salmon is limited according to the percentage of Alaskan hatchery fish
harvested.
The summer fishery will be managed to harvest 70% of the total summer quota in the first summer
Chinook salmon opening, with the remaining quota available for harvest in a second opening which will
likely be in August. The decision as to whether the first summer opening will be managed in season rather
than for a fixed number of days will be announced just prior to the July 1 opening. The increase in the
troll Chinook salmon allocation is likely to result in greater fishing opportunities in the summer troll
Chinook fishery when compared to those in 2010.