Board Of Fisheries Sets Feb. 20-25 Meeting To Discuss Finfish Management

The following is courtesy of the Alaska Board of Fisheries:

Alaska Board of Fisheries to meet in Anchorage for Alaska Peninsula, Aleutian Islands and Chignik Areas Finfish Issues for February 20–25, 2023

The Alaska Board of Fisheries (board) will meet in Anchorage, to consider proposed regulatory changes to finfish management in the Alaska Peninsula/Aleutian Islands and Chignik management areas, February 20–25, 2023, at the Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center located at 600 West 7th Avenue. During this 6-day public meeting, the board will consider 55 proposals regarding finfish issues for the Alaska Peninsula/Aleutian Islands and Chignik areas. Proposals have been submitted by the general public, fishing organizations, local Fish and Game Advisory Committees, and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The proposals can be found on the board’s website at http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fisheriesboard.proposalbook

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 www.boardoffisheries.adfg.alaska.gov.

In addition to submitting written public comments for the board’s consideration, the public is invited to give in-person oral testimony during the meeting, beginning on February 20. Any person intending to testify must sign up at the meeting site in Anchorage no later than 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, February 21 Public testimony will continue until members of the public who signed up before the deadline and are present have been given an opportunity to testify.

All documents relating to this meeting, including the agenda, roadmap, agency reports, and public and advisory committee comments will be available on the meeting website at: http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fisheriesboard.meetinginfo&date=02-20-2023&meeting=anchorage or by contacting Boards Support Section at 907-465-4110. 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 directly above. Comments submitted during the meeting must not exceed 10 single-sided or 5 double-sided pages in length from any one individual or group. Once deliberations on specific proposals begins, 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. Individuals not in attendance can also submit written comments by fax to (907) 465-6094.

Following public testimony, the board will hold multiple sessions of their “Committee of the Whole” and meeting attendees can participate in this committee process to bring additional information before the board. The meeting roadmap and agenda show which proposals are grouped into each of the committee sessions. The agenda and roadmap can be found on the meeting website listed above.

The Department of Fish and Game and the board are pleased this important meeting is open to the public. However, the COVID-19 virus still poses a serious risk to certain segments of the population and could potentially halt the meeting. To help minimize the spread of COVID-19, any person who is experiencing flu-like symptoms is encouraged to stream the meeting online.

Learn More about the Board of Fisheries Process: The Boards Support Section will host a training course How to Navigate the Board Process followed by a question & answer session, to begin roughly ten minutes following the lunch adjournment in the main meeting room on the first day of the meeting (February 20, 2023). While the training is designed to help new participants to the board process, all are welcome to join.