Tanana Rampart Manley Advisory Committee Minutes of Meeting - November 12, 2014

Transcription

1 Tanana Rampart Manley Advisory Committee Minutes of Meeting - November 12, Call to Order at 11:00 am 2. Board Roll Call: Stan Zuray - Chairman, Kathleen Zuray - Tanana Tribal Seat, Gerald Nicholia - Tanana, Ruth Altoff - Tanana, Charlie Wright - Rampart, Cliff Wiehl - Rampart, Aaron Kozevnikoff - Tanana, Shannon Erhart Manley, James Roberts Tanana Guests: Tom Roberts, Chris Grant, Jackie Edwin, Patty Elias, Faith Peters, Mike Carlo, Russ Folger ADF&G (Stephanie Schmidt, Jeff Estensen, Tony Hollis, Kristy Gleason, Sabrina Garcia). 3. Aaron K. moved to approve minutes of Oct 22, 2013-Ruth A. second-approved unanimously 4. Aaron K. moved to approve agenda of Nov. 12, 2014-Cliff W. second-approved unanimously 5. Chair report (SZ): presented papers on Fair Daily News Miner King article, History of Lowered Canadian border escapement numbers, 2 seine netting effects reports and Rapids Student Data Collection Project data chart. Premise was to support AC proposals on agenda to be passed before Board of Fisheries. Suggested a continued King problem and need for continued fishing restrictions. 6. Board comments: Gerald N. talked about king being a 30 year old problem in the making. Shannon E. talked about CDQ groups and high seas pollack intercept. Charlie Wright talked about need to do something now and kings could go on endangered species list if not. Tom R. would only like 5 kings no more. James R. spoke of problems with 5A fishing closure and late start of Fall Chum run. Said he was on Yukon Advisory Board (YAG) and would like to hear from anyone with fishing concerns. 7. Board asked Tony H., Stephanie S. and Jeff E. to give an ADF&G report Tony H. Went over TRM proposals passed at BOF and state land rules for all residents. Moose density in different areas. Predator control implications. Jeff E. went over some history and last year s run of fall chum. Heard concerns of fishers and answered lots of questions on escapement, commercial fishing and management plans. Stephanie S. Gave full report on King salmon and heard many concerns of people s desire to make fishing gear and times and options fair for all sections of the river. Much concern over 4 mesh closure last summer as punishing just one section of river. She asked for help identifying gear and ways to allow fishing without catching king. TRM AC as a whole made it very clear to her that no section of river should be impacting kings while catching other species subsistence and especially for commercial fishing. Priority was to get king run back and our trust in ADF&G on this matter was very low.

2 Proposals, Supports and Board Directives 1. National Park Service Rule - Hunting and Trapping in National Preserves 2014:20881 Papers presented: AFN fact sheet, ANP News Release (John Quinley), Herbert Frost to Com. Cora Campbell, Doug Vincent-Lang to Herbert Frost, Eastern Interior RAC to Sally Jewell, and Fairbanks AC to NPS Regional Director. Motion to Back Fair. AC and Eastern Interior RAC s position and letters and directive to Gerald to write similar TRM AC letters also (attached at end of minutes). Gerald motion - Aaron second passed unanimous. Send to NPS, Fair. AC, and Eastern Interior RAC etc. 2. BOF proposal - Ban all driftnet fishing on entire Yukon River for king salmon. Kathleen motion Aaron second - passed unanimous. Basic premise that if kings ever come back a sustainable, fair fishery cannot exist with the current situation of allowing drifting in the areas easiest to catch kings and banning it in some of the hardest the catch king areas (biased politics). Driftnet fishing goes against the elders principle of not targeting other peoples fish. It is generally believed that drift netting gives fishers access to those going the farthest upriver (Canadian bound the kings in most trouble) that would not otherwise be caught as frequently. Proposal history should include set net use prior to 1970 s in lower river and discussion of limited access to set net sites river wide not just in the lower river as frequently noted. Support this king salmon part of the Fairbanks AC anti driftnet proposal. Send to Fair. AC plus Submit full proposal. 3. BOF proposal - Ban beach seines on Yukon River as a way of releasing king salmon bycatch. Aaron motion - Gerald second - passed unanimous. Multiple seine net study papers brought up submitted with proposal and reasoning given. Submit full proposal. 4. BOF proposal Fishing gear allowed in one section of river should be allowed for subsistence in whole river (especially when allowed for commercial subsistence should be 1 st priority and is not). Ruth moved Aaron second passed unanimous. Example of dip netting should be used and explained. 5. BOF proposal Fishwheels must be manned at all times when any catch and release of King salmon or other species is required. Absolutely no livebox holding and/or release of species required to be released river wide. Gerald motion Aaron second passed unanimous. All livebox studies submitted to BOF. Submit full proposal. 6. BOF proposal Once a run is deemed good enough to have commercial openings on it then no subsistence restrictions should be placed on it. Gerald motion Ruth second passed unanimous. Waiting on additions of caveats that would make proposal supportable by Dept. as directed by TRM AC. Submit full proposal. 7. BOF proposal No commercial openings on summer chum run in Yukon River as a means of protecting king run. Kathleen moved Ruth second passed with 1 no vote (Stan Z.) and 1

3 abstain (Ruth A). Should include reasoning that management and BOF have proven they cannot reasonably protect kings with constant bowing to intense pressure to consider things such as drift seining and passing of beach seining and livebox fishing for summer chum while releasing kings caught in same gear. Commercials are mismanaged and unfair to many river districts etc. Submit full proposal. 8. ACR 9 Allow drift gillnet subsistence fishery 4A for summer chum after July 15 th. Gerald motion Kathleen second motion failed - unanimous. We simply do not support king retention until king problem has improved. For all districts cannot start making inroads on this. Submit comment at appropriate time. 9. ACR 10 Allow fishwheel fishermen in Yukon to retain king salmon when some harvest is justified based on in season run assessment. Ruth moved Charlie W. second passed unanimous. Much discussion to understand but TRM AC is not opposed to subsistence fishing for kings and even commercials in times of sufficient abundance that escapement goals and run quality issues such as size/female rates will be met. Restrictions placed only on fishwheels recently (and not nets) that prohibited this were unreasonable due to fact that fishwheels catch a smaller average size king than even 6 mesh driftnets in lower river com. fishery each year (ADF&G data). Noted that shift in use of fishwheels riverwide to large mesh gillnets has been considered by many in our AC to be one of the major factors in the declining size of king salmon. If anything fishwheels should be promoted not restricted as a usable gear for that reason. Submit comment at appropriate time. 10. FP15-03 Change driftnet fisheries to set nets for Chinook salmon in Yukon River Districts 1-6. Ruth motion Kathleen second passed unanimous. For all the reasons we submitted our anti driftnet proposal to BOF. Send to EIRAC to show support and note BOF similar proposal submittion. 11. Ruth motion to adjourn - Gerald second passed at 4:28 pm

4 Tanana Rampart Manley Fish and Game Advisory Committee Stan Zuray Chairman PO Box 172 Tanana, AK Interior Region Fish and Game Advisory Committees Central Delta Junction Eagle Fairbanks GASH Koyukuk River McGrath Middle Nenana River Middle Yukon River Minto-Nenana Ruby Tanana-Rampart-Manley Upper Tanana/Fortymile Yukon Flats November 14, 2014 Sally Jewell Secretary of the Interior Department of the Interior 1849 C Street, N.W. Washington, DC Dear Secretary Jewell: On behalf of the Tanana Rampart Manley (TRM) Advisory Committee (AC) I would like to thank you for the opportunity to comment on the National Park Service proposed regulations ID # RIN 1024-AE 21 for hunting and trapping in Alaska. The recommendation of the TRM AC is for the withdrawal of the entire regulations package. The proposal of the regulations package is way out of line, within the frame work of both the state and federal public process for proposing regulations of fish and game in Alaska, and the process the service is using to propose this regulation package defies the public process utilized in Alaska for regulating hunting and trapping. The TRM AC also supports the Fairbanks Advisory Committee s letter to National Park Service Regional Director, Bert Frost, dated November 12, The TRM AC supports the Eastern Interior Regional Advisory Committee of opposing these regulations package. The TRM AC also agrees with and supports the "Fact Sheet for the Alaska Federation of Natives 2014 Annual Convention: National Park Service (NPS) Proposed Rule for Alaska; Hunting and Trapping in National Reserves, Federal Register number: 2014:29881, CFR: 36 CFR Part 13, Posted September 4, The fact that the NPS is proposing to adopt and put in place regulations that would adversely affect Alaskans and Alaska natives alike, and the traditional and cultural native way of life, and the overall life of living on the last frontier as other Alaskans do is unconstitutional without their input. The input of all and the input of Alaska organizations and other Alaska management agencies have to be heard. The NPS cannot put into place regulations that would be detrimental to the people that has utilized Alaska NPS land since time immemorial.

5 Your response to this letter is appreciated by the TRM AC, again, thank you for letting our opinion on the proposed regulations be heard. Respectively, Stan Zuray, Chairman Tanana Rampart Manley, Advisory Committee

6 Tanana Rampart Manley (TRM) Fish & Game Advisory Committee (AC) 1300 College Rd Fairbanks, AK Regional Coordinator: Nissa Pilcher November 13, 2014 Regional Director National Park Service (NPS) Alaska Regional Office 240 West 5 th Avenue Anchorage, AK Re: NPS Reg. ID # RIN 1024-AE 21 Dear Director Frost On behalf of the TRM Advisory Committee I would like to thank you for the opportunity to comment on the National Park Service proposed regulations for hunting and trapping in Alaska s National Preserves. The recommendation of the TRM Advisory Committee is for the withdrawal of entire regulations package. The proposal of this regulations package is way out of line of the frame work of both the state and federal public processes for the regulation of fish and game in Alaska, and the process the service is using to propose this regulation package defies the public process utilized in Alaska for regulating hunting and trapping. The TRM AC also supports the Fairbanks Advisory Committee s letter to you dated November 12, 2014, and the position the Eastern Interior Regional Advisory Council has taken. The TRM AC also agrees with and supports the Fact Sheet for the Alaska Federation of Natives 2014 Annual Convention: National Park Service (NPS) Proposed Rule for Alaska; Hunting and Trapping in National Reserves, Federal Register number: 2014:29881, CFR: 36 CFR Part 13, Posted: September 4, The fact that NPS is proposing to adopted and put in place regulations that would adversely affect Alaskans and Alaska natives, alike, and the traditional and cultural native way of life and the overall life of living on the last Frontier as other Alaskans do is unconstitutional without their input. The input of all and the input of organizations and other management agencies have to be heard also. Your response to this letter is appreciated by the TRM AC, again thank you letting our opinion on the proposed regulation be heard. Respectively, Stan Zuray, Chair Tanana Rampart Manley, AC

7 Cc: Senator Murkowski Tanana Tribal Council, Executive Director, Shannon Erhart Alaska Dept. of Fish & Game, Commissioner, Cora Campbell Tanana Chiefs Conference, President, Victor Joseph Eastern Interior Regional Advisory Council, Regional Coordinator Encl: Letter from Fairbanks, AC, dated 11/12/2014