A resolution requesting the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to declare a commercial fishery resource disaster due to the 2020 failure of the Upper Cook Inlet (UCI) Commercial Sockeye Salmon Fishery was discussed at the most recent Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly meeting. Their request is based on low returns, harvests, and the reduced size of sockeye salmon in the commercial drift and set net gillnet commercial salmon fishing industry.
Vice President Brent Johnson, “Bottom line is that last season was a disaster for set netters in the east side of Cook Inlet. So, this piece of legislation will ask for the federal government to declare it a disaster. Legislation will be sent to the United States Secretary of Commerce, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan, U.S. Representative Don Young and Governor Michael Dunleavy.”
According to the Kenai Peninsula Borough, Resolution 2021-008 states that 959,802 fish were commercially harvested, which is the lowest harvest of commercial salmon for that region since 1971 and approximately 59.6 percent less than the recent 10-year average of 2,814,926 fish. The total gross revenue for these fisheries in 2020 was 83% less than the most recent 10-year annual average.
In 2020, the combined drift and set net commercial sockeye harvest of 579,068 fish was 77% less than the average annual harvest of 2,525,662 fish for the years 2010 to 2019 and the lowest Upper Cook Inlet sockeye harvest since 1975.
The commercial drift gill net sockeye harvest in the Upper Cook Inlet was 283,727 individual fish, 81% less than the previous 10-year annual average harvest of 1,518,615, not including the disastrous 2018 harvest. The 2020 commercial set net sockeye harvest in the Upper Cook Inlet was 295,341 individual fish, which is 67.5% less than the previous 10-year annual average harvest of 909,213, excluding 2018.
The 2020 individual sockeye salmon weight at age was, on average, one pound less than 10 years ago, and the 579,068 harvested in UCI were worth 86% less than the previous 10-year average ex-vessel value. During 2020, the majority of the Kenai River Late-Run sockeye salmon returned during the month of August which is reportedly weeks later than normal returns.
The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly says that the low harvest was below the level necessary to cover the cost of operating and maintaining the commercial drift and set net gillnet fisheries, including the harvesting, processing and marketing businesses in the Kenai Peninsula Borough. The United cook Inlet Drift Association and the Kenai Peninsula Fishermen’s Association have urged the Kenai Peninsula Borough and others to request the Secretary of Commerce to declare an economic disaster for the Upper Cook Inlet sockeye salmon commercial fisheries due to the failure of the 2020 season.
Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Charlie Pierce shed insight on the resolution, “Really what we’re looking for is two things look at the size that we’re doing, hopefully, and secondly give some dollars relief to these folks that make a living in the fisheries. We sent a disaster declaration request to our governor and we had yet to hear any response from our governor. In the code, the federal regulation, there is a provision and an avenue for communities like ours to bypass the governor and send it directly to Washington for consideration.”
Upon the adoption of the resolution, copies were sent to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan, and U.S. Representative Don Young and Governor Michael Dunleavy.
