The Federal Subsistence Board has received a record number of public comments and requests for reconsideration of the decision to allow gillnet subsistence fishing on the Kenai River.
The previous number of requests for board action had been six; so far they have received over one hundred on this topic.
The Kenai River Sportfishing Association has begun a campaign to increase awareness of the decision which was made in January.
Gease: “To allow gillnets in the federally managed fisheries on the upper reaches of the Kenai River below Skilak and in the upper reaches of the Kasilof River below Tustumena Lake. The use of gillnets was passed by the Federal Subsistence Board against the recommendations by the federal and state biologists, there was very little public testimony as few people knew that the board was going to allow gillnets in the upper Kenai and Kasilof Rivers.”
KRSA Executive Director Ricky Gease said although the gillnets would be targeting sockeye salmon, there are concerns for other species like rainbow trout and king salmon.
Gease: “This is especially head scratching during this time of special concern with king salmon with the low returns that we’ve had over the past few years here, in light of all that we’ve started a campaign to educate Alaskans on the fishery conservation concerns. We have designed a letter writing campaign to let the FSB and other officials know the negative effects of this decision.”
KRSA is urging people to ask the board for reconsideration and also to reopen the public comment period.
The Ninilchik Traditional Council created the two proposals that were approved by the board.
The subsistence gillnetting on the Kenai River would last from June 15 – August 15 and on Kasilof River it would be from July 1 to July 31.
Calls to the Council were not returned.