Commercial trolling for Southeast king salmon in Petersburg has closed for the season, leaving around 15,000 kings left in their yearly allocation. This closure marks the second consecutive year that the trollers have been unable to catch all of their allocation under the Pacific Salmon Treaty. The Alaska Trollers Association, representing the trollers, is outraged by this situation.
The trollers caught 83% of their allocation during the first opener in July, leaving the rest to be caught in a mid-August opening that will not be happening this year. Coincidentally, the Southeast Alaska sport fishery exceeded their allocation by about 14,000 fish, resulting in the closure of the troll season.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game, which manages both fisheries, maintains that this was not a management error and that the plan is designed to have the sport fishery exceed their allocation in some years. Amy Daugherty, Executive Director of the Alaska Trollers Association, expressed concern over the impact of these closures on the troll industry and small communities throughout Southeast Alaska.
The distribution of king salmon among stakeholder groups was decided by a 2022 Board of Fish deal, but the trollers have had to prematurely tie up their boats for two consecutive seasons. The ATA criticized Fish and Game for implementing what they called laissez-faire management to benefit the guided sport fishing industry.
Representatives from the trollers and sport fishermen are working on proposals for a more equitable distribution system, possibly separating the allocation between the sport and troll fisheries, which will be submitted to the Alaska Board of Fish for consideration in January.
Source
Photo credit www.kfsk.org
