NEW FORMAT

The Web site has been updated so the format is compatible with cell, IPAD, or computer formats. Please be patient while we rebuild or provide other ways to access fisheries information links that are important to the fleet. Please feel free to contact the SEAS office if you have some suggested links you would like to see linked.  

More Area Open for Wednesday!!!!!

http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/applications/dcfnewsrelease/862476876.pdf

Click the above to view the additional areas open tomorrow!!

Deep Inlet- Troll fish the day before, please be courteous

Deep Inlet is open to Seiners on Wednesday, August 30^th.  Troll is open the day before Tuesday, August 29^th. Please be courteous and respectful of their opportunity on Tuesday to make their intended drags. Troll is open each Saturday after this first week, so they are always fishing the day before the seine opening on Sunday. Please keep this in mind each week, and allow them to fish unobstructed. Thanks to NSRAA for this opportunity for all gears. Good fishing!

BOF Proposal packet available

BOF proposal books are available on line http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fisheriesboard.proposalbook.

Southeast and Yakutat Finfish & Shellfish

January 11-23, 2018

Harrigan Centennial Hall, Sitka

Comment deadline: December 28, 2017

More Bad News

This just in from Troy after flying yesterday

It looked like the run was going to develop well early on but didn’t. Water levels are low in a lot of the non-mainland smaller systems that don’t have a glacier or snow field above them. Not crisis mode yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised to start seeing some die-offs where fish are already up the system.  As a result of concerns for escapement in just pure number fish, is the reason why I closed all of upper 9-B and portions of District 10. Escapement is lagging and downright poor in a few systems. D10 and upper 9-B are at the tail end of the Chatham Strait corridor and returns to these areas have taken a hit by the harvest in northern Chatham and Icy Straits.

Too Much Sun Is Bad For Fish!!

Weather the weather

So I contacted all the Regional Managers about water levels due to this extended dry spell. Everyone said it was not a concern yet except… today's surveys of lower District 3 showed very low water levels. A few of the Klakas streams had dried up completely. As Scott Walker said in his email, “I guess we now have something else to worry about.” He said Island streams on POW are the first to go dry.
Hopefully we won’t lose a significant number of the early escaped fish in systems that are prone to drying up. I’ll try to keep you updated as information is provided. Love the sun, but love the fish more!!  I don’t see any forecast of rain until Saturday.

Rafting Off

Hey everyone, just a reminder of the educate of rafting off

It's common practice and courtesy to tie up to LIKE vessels; fishing boats to fishing boats, sail boats to sail boats, yachts to yachts. Also to get permission from the vessel you are rafting to. Thanks! 

AMALGA LINES FOR JULY 27TH

These are the lines for Amalga for July 27^th.  There is a personal use Red Crab fishery starting on the 27^th at 5am, so please be considerate of boats trying to exit the launch area; there will likely be a dramatic increase in sports boats in the area. 

GREAT FISHING!

SHA UPDATE

Hidden Falls-

The return forecast has been upgraded to 400,000 or so chum. If sufficient broodstock is collected there may be an opening on Thursday the 27^th.

Amalga-

DIPAC has not done any cost recovery since Tuesday the 18^th at Amalga. The last Seine opening will be at 9am on the 27^th. The portion of the inner bay that was open last week is expected to be open again. The line is expected to be pulled back in toward the shore and not extend to Bird and Gull Island for the final opening. There will be a personal use Red Crab fishery starting at 5am on the 27^th in the area, and heavy use of the Amalga boat launch is expected. If the effort by the seine fleet is similar to last week, the smaller SHA should not be a safety or efficiency concern for the fleet. DIPAC will start Friday to clean up any excess fish at Amalga.

Neets Bay-

 The troll fishery has caught their allowed 200,000+ fish in the SHA and is now restricted to fishing in the Behm. SSRAA is half way to their cost recovery goal so needs about another 4 million pounds. They need about 200,000 fish for broodstock and have put about 50,000 over the barrier net. Neets has a long way to go before any potential rotation could occur. Numbers in the corridor fisheries don’t suggest a super, but rather an average return. 

Plans for a District 4 Opening

From the Desk of Scott Walker Ketchikan Area Management Biologist

 A short discussion on the issues surrounding the District 4 purse seine fishery. This is a snapshot of the present situation which will change continually as the salmon return progresses.

In case you forgot:

The Pacific Salmon Treaty states that the United States shall…Manage the Alaska District 4 purse seine fishery prior to stat week 31 to harvest 2.45 % of the AAH of Nass and Skeena sockeye each year. The AAH is the total return of Nass and Skeena sockeye minus the escapement of 1.1 million fish. For this year where it looks like the treaty escapement won’t be met,  we will be using actual escapement.

SKEENA RIVER

The 2016 Babine Counting Fence jack sockeye count was the worst on record, at less than 0.06% of normal.  In addition, the proportion of 4 year-old sockeye in the 2016 Skeena sockeye aggregate was approximately 20%.  As such, the total Skeena sockeye return (TR)  was forecasted at 595,000.  The latest Total Return To Canada (TRTC) was announced at 434,000 sockeye. We then estimate the Alaskan Catch and add it to the TRTC for a TR of  475,000. The Alaskan catch is based on a host of assumptions, but we have pretty good historical data. So, for District 4 we have around 7,000 Canadian sockeye + Alaskan sockeye for an estimated 11,000 total sockeyes to be harvested during the treaty period. Last year Canadian sockeye composed 59% of the D4 sockeye catch in the treaty period. We would expect it lower this year with the smaller forecast. This is summarized in the table below. The Canadians put out a update each Tuesday.

NASS RIVER

Nass River sockeye returns are forecasted to be slightly below the 20-year average with an expected Total Return to Canada (TRTC) of 454,000. The TRTC was announced yesterday at 262,000 sockeyes.  Add Alaska Sockeye  of 50,000 ? (20% of total return for recent 10 year period) for 310,000 – my guess is that it will eventually be lower.

So, my plan is to open D4 on Sunday for 10 to 15 hours.  We have about 11,000 sockeye to harvest in 4 more potential openings .  We are in continual discussion with our Canadian counterparts and are watching the Tyee Test Fishery closely.  The plan after July 16 will depend on how our AAH performs, Canadian returns and Alaskan Catches.