Board Of Fisheries Taking Proposals About 2021-22 Fishing Regulations Until May 10

The following is courtesy of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game:

A Message from the Alaska Board of Fisheries

Alaska Board of Fisheries
THE ALASKA BOARD OF FISHERIES CALLS FOR PROPOSED CHANGES IN THE SUBSISTENCE, PERSONAL USE, SPORT, GUIDED SPORT, AND COMMERCIAL FISHING REGULATIONS FOR THE BRISTOL BAY FINFISH, ARCTIC, YUKON, KUSKOKWIM FINFISH, ALASKA PENINSULA, BERING SEA, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS AND CHIGNIK FINFISH AREAS, and STATEWIDE FINFISH AREAS.

REVISED PROPOSAL DEADLINE – MONDAY, MAY 10, 2021 In consideration of the uncertainty of the Alaska Board of Fisheries (board) 2021/2022 meeting schedule, and the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the ability of the public and advisory committees to meeting and formulate proposals, the board is revising the proposal deadline to accept proposed changes to the subsistence, personal use, sport, guided sport, and commercial fishing regulations for the Bristol Bay; Arctic, Yukon, Kuskokwim; Alaska Peninsula, Aleutian Islands, Bering Sea, Chignik; and Statewide finfish management areas.
Finfish includes salmon, herring, trout, other freshwater finfishes, and groundfish, including Pacific cod, for consideration by the board in its 2021–2022 meeting cycle. The board may also consider subsistence proposals for other topics (including other areas) under the subsistence proposal policy, 5 AAC 96.615, if proposals are submitted within this deadline and the board determines they meet the criteria in either 5 AAC 96.615(a)(1) or (2). To ensure the proposal book is finished in advance of the board meetings, the board sets Monday, May 10, 2021, as the proposal deadline.                                                                  

Proposals may be submitted online, email, mail or fax at: 
Online:          http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fisheriesboard.forms 
Email:            dfg.bof.comments@alaska.gov 
Mail:               ADF&G, Boards Support SectionP.O. Box 115526Juneau, AK 99811-5526 
Fax:                (907) 465-6094 
Proposals must be received by Monday, May 10, 2021 at the
Boards Support Section office in Juneau. A postmark is NOT sufficient for timely receipt. Interested parties are encouraged to submit proposals at the earliest possible date. The Board of Fisheries proposal form, including the on-line proposal form, is available at the Boards Support website, http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fisheriesboard.forms. Proposal forms are also available at any Boards Support office. Proposals must be submitted on the current approved form.

Any additional information provided with the form, such as tables, Internet web links, or charts, will not be included in the proposal book. The completed proposal form must contain a contact telephone number and address. Email addresses are appreciated. Please print or type the individual’s or organization’s name as appropriate. All proposals are reviewed prior to publication. Language that is emotionally charged detracts from the substance of the proposal and may draw opposition not germane to the element(s) of the proposal. Such language may be edited or deleted prior to publication. 

Proposals that do not meet the call will not be accepted. Proposals must pertain to the region, species, and uses in this call. If duplicative proposals are received by the same individual or group only one will be included in the proposal book. Proposals published in the proposal book will be referenced with the appropriate Alaska Administrative Code citation and include a brief description of the action requested. Proposal books are sent to advisory committees and the public for review and comment.

Proposals are online at http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fisheriesboard.proposalbook.
Those submitting proposals are encouraged to review the proposal book at their earliest convenience to ensure proposals are included and accurate. Noted errors and omissions should be reported to Boards Support immediately. The public is encouraged to visit the Board of Fisheries website frequently for news and information regarding the upcoming cycle. Responsive proposals received by the proposal deadline will be considered by the Board of Fisheries during the October 2021 through March 2022 meeting schedule. 

NOTEThe Alaska Board of Fisheries is not reopening its 2020/2021 call for proposals for the Southeast, Yakutat, and Prince Williams Sound finfish and shellfish, and statewide shellfish all other regions. This proposal deadline closed in April 2020. Issues related to these regions and fisheries may be presented as an agenda change request, due August 23, 2021, to the board for consideration at its 2021 Work Session.

For more information, please contact the Alaska Board of Fisheries Executive Director, (907) 465-4110.