Board Of Fisheries Ketchikan Finfish, Shellfish Meeting Begins On Jan. 28

The following is courtesy of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s Board of Fisheries:

Alaska Board of Fisheries to meet in Ketchikan for Southeast Alaska & Yakutat Finfish and Shellfish January 28-February 9, 2025

The Alaska Board of Fisheries (board) will meet in Ketchikan, January 28-February 9, 2025, at the Ted Ferry Civic Center located at 888 Venetia Avenue. At this meeting, the board will consider 159 proposals regarding finfish and shellfish in the Southeast and Yakutat Management Areas. Additionally, the board will consider action plans relating to three stock of concern determinations. Proposals have been submitted by the general public, fishing organizations, local Fish and Game Advisory Committees, and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

All portions of the meeting are open to the public and a live video stream is intended to be available on the board’s website at https://boardoffisheries.adfg.alaska.gov.

This meeting is being held in two sessions, the first session, beginning on January 28 will cover groundfish and shellfish proposals. The second session, tentatively expected to begin on February 2 will cover finfish proposals. The public is invited to give oral testimony during the meeting. Any person intending to testify must sign up at the meeting site in Ketchikan. The deadline to sign up for public testimony for the first session is 10:00 am on January 29. The deadline to sign up for public testimony for the second session is 10:00 am on February 4.

Also at this meeting: following staff reports, the board will be receiving Traditional Knowledge reports from the public. There are specific criteria to be qualified to provide a Traditional Knowledge report to the board, this information can be found in the board’s November 3, 2024 Legal Notice and in board finding 2024-205-FB. Anyone interested in providing a Traditional Knowledge report to the board must contact Art Nelson, Executive Director for the Board of Fisheries at art.nelson@alaska.gov or (907) 267-2292. The deadline to sign up for Traditional Knowledge reports is NOON on January 24 for the first session (groundfish and shellfish) or NOON on January 31 for the second session (finfish).

All meeting information including the agenda, roadmap, proposals, agency reports, draft stock of concern action plans, and public and advisory committee comments will be available on the meeting website at: https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fisheriesboard.meetinginfo&date=01-28-2025&meeting=ketchikan. Documents submitted to the board during the meeting will be posted online throughout the meeting.

Written comments on specific proposals will be accepted during the meeting and can be submitted online through the meeting website provided above. Comments must not exceed 10 single-sided or five double-sided pages in length from any one individual or group. Once proposal deliberations begin, the board will ONLY accept written public comments not more than five single-sided pages, or the equivalent double-sided pages. The board may relax this requirement if specific information is requested by the board requiring more pages than allowed under this standard.

For more information about the meeting, contact Art Nelson, Executive Director for the Board of Fisheries at art.nelson@alaska.gov or (907) 267-2292. If you are a person with a disability who needs a special accommodation in order to participate in this public meeting, please contact Art Nelson at art.nelson@alaska.gov or (907) 267-2292 no later than Friday, January 24, 2025 to make any necessary arrangements.