SE-RAC – Ketchikan Meeting

The Southeast Regional Advisory Council (SERAC) to the Federal Subsistence Board met late October to discuss proposals and make recommendations affecting Southeast Alaska.
Rural/Non-Rural
The bulk of the meeting was centered on rescinding Ketchikan’s non-rural status. Rural residents of Alaska are awarded a priority status in hunting and fishing regulations and opportunities. Allowing Ketchikan to be “Rural” would enable their 13,000+ residents similar hunting rights as residents of other small, rural communities, such as ours.
For nearly three days the council heard public testimony from Ketchikan residents and Tribes and residents of nearby Prince of Wales island communities, who were concerned of increased competition on PoW deer populations. A population already struggling under significant pressure from extreme wolf predation.

The SERAC recognized the importance of traditional hunting and fishing practices to the Ketchikan Indian Community (KIC) and hope something can be done to give KIC members priority access, but in 9-4 vote, did not support awarding that designation to all Ketchikan residents, which includes hundreds of transient Coast Guard staff, retired down-souther’s, etc. Their recommendation has been forwarded to the Federal Subsistence Board, who will meet in February to make the final determination.

BoF proposals, working group
With Alaska Department of Fish & Game’s Board of Fish meeting soon to vote on hundreds of proposals that affect commercial, sport, and subsistence fishing statewide, the SERAC split into three working groups to review and support or oppose proposals. I was invited to participate in the group that went over the majority of proposals and was happy to weigh in on any that would directly affect Hoonah users, including the two proposals I submitted through the SERAC and directly to BoF to increase subsistence sockeye fishing efficiency in Basket Bay. There were also proposals seeking to remove our subsistence only Dungeness crab fishing areas, and reduce the size limit on commercial caught Dungeness in the area. Which we all opposed. The SERAC members were receptive to my reasoning, even thanking me personally when back in session, and I was happy with the opportunity and SERAC’s consideration of my input for Hoonah and Southeast users.

<FRMP
US Forest Service gave an update on the future of the Fisheries Research Monitoring program, which funds our weir at Neva Lake among others. As it stands now, all current projects should be able to receive further funding. With some uncertainty of the budget for future projects however, the SERAC identified data gaps in key subsistence fishing areas of priority including Hoktaheen which will be used in consideration for future Fisheries Monitoring projects.
Due to lack of time, multiple items had to be removed from the meeting agenda.. I was not able to present my news to the SERAC, but I am happy to share that because of this uncertainty for future funding, I went looking for other means to build a Fish Monitoring project that addresses information needs at Hoktaheen, Hoonah’s main sockeye resource. Through a Tribal Wildlife Grant by the US Fish & Wildlife Services, HIA has secured the means to begin monitoring Hoktaheen and will be starting this work shortly.

There have been multiple factors putting pressure on Hoktaheen since the last short stock assessment was done over twenty years ago. Most significantly an explosion of charter boats and non-resident fishing pressure, some of it illegal, on the system. HIA-Environmental will be at the forefront of stewarding and protecting this resource for Hoonah.

-Jackson Combs
HIA-Environmental