Salmon notes

• The statewide, all-species commercial salmon harvest now stands at more than 155 million fish, with catches continuing. The total harvest is expected to exceed 200 million once fisheries finish up this fall.

• Gov. Mike Dunleavy, you'll recall, offered legislation this year to allow limited finfish farming in Alaska. The bill is still pending. The governor, in a recent post on X, had this to say: "Alaska is a leader in fresh caught wild salmon. We could also be a leader in the farmed salmon industry. Why not do both instead of importing farmed salmon from Scotland?"

• Fraser River sockeye are coming in much stronger than expected. "The total Fraser sockeye adopted run size is now 10,175,000," says the latest Fraser River Panel regulatory announcement.

The governor's fish vetoes

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy yesterday signed the new state budget, but vetoed some significant spending.

A couple of fish-related items were affected.

First, Dunleavy chopped a $10 million appropriation for the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute to $5 million.

He also nixed $800,000 for completion of the South Peninsula king salmon genetics study.

A fishy fundraiser

Here's something interesting we spotted on social media.

Please help?

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy is seeking federal disaster relief for several 2024 salmon fisheries:

• Alaska Peninsula sockeye and South Peninsula pink salmon fisheries

• Chignik salmon fishery

• Kodiak pink salmon fishery

• Lower Cook Inlet pink salmon fishery

• Prince William Sound pink and chum salmon fisheries

• Kotzebue District salmon fishery

The governor has written to the U.S. Department of Commerce requesting disaster determinations for the fisheries. His letters are available here.

'Creating a new fish farming industry'

Gov. Mike Dunleavy is offering legislation to allow limited finfish farming in Alaska.

The bill would authorize "the cultivation and sale of certain finfish in natural or artificial inland, closed-system bodies of water," said a letter from the governor to House Speaker Bryce Edgmon.

It would prohibit farming pink, chum, sockeye, coho, Chinook and Atlantic salmon.

Bycatch task force report is out!

Gov. Mike Dunleavy just announced the release of the final report from his Alaska Bycatch Review Task Force.

This just in

Gov. Mike Dunleavy is requesting a federal fishery disaster declaration for Alaska's crab crash.

Crab industry's cry for help

Crab harvesters, processors and communities staggered by the closure of Being Sea king and snow crab fisheries want Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy to request federal disaster relief.

Look out, Area M!

The nonprofit Yukon River Drainage Fisheries Association posted the following on Facebook:

A meeting with Governor Dunleavy is scheduled for Monday, August 29, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. Leaders from the Bristol Bay, Kuskokwim, Yukon, and Norton Sound regions will be putting forth solutions to the intercept fishery in Area M. This is a closed meeting, but a report will be given during the In-Season teleconference on August 30, 2022 at 1:00 p.m. AKST and 2:00 p.m. PDTC. To listen to the teleconference you can dial in at 1-800-315-6338 pin: 98566#.

Canadian conservationists write Gov. Dunleavy

Here's the letter.

Alaska's very own submarine?

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy is urging the Navy to select an Alaska homeport for a submarine, and also reopen the Adak naval base.

Bycatch in the spotlight

Gov. Mike Dunleavy's newly appointed Alaska Bycatch Review Task Force is set to hold its first meeting at 9 a.m. Friday.

Alaska's bycatch review

Gov. Mike Dunleavy today named members of his Alaska Bycatch Review Task Force.

Governor orders bycatch task force

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy has issued an administrative order to establish an Alaska Bycatch Review Task Force.

"It's imperative that the state's fisheries are managed in a way that ensures their success for future generations," Dunleavy said in a press release. "By bringing together stakeholders, to include sport and commercial fishermen, federal and state fisheries managers, lawmakers, and the general public, this task force will provide valuable recommendations to help better understand and address the issues of bycatch."

Recent declines in halibut, crab, and certain salmon stocks have "focused attention on the issue of bycatch," the press release said.

The task force will have 13 voting members appointed by the governor, and two nonvoting members of the Legislature.

A boost for ASMI

Gov. Mike Dunleavy today announced $3 million for the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute.

"The grant is intended to mitigate unanticipated COVID-19 costs including response to the pandemic and meeting COVID-19 safety precautions," the governor's office said in a press release.

The amount is well short of ASMI's request for $20 million.

Coronavirus and fishing vessels

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy has issued Health Mandate 017: Protective Measures for Independent Commercial Fishing Vessels.

Bristol Bay coronavirus update

The city of Dillingham and the Curyung Tribal Council have submitted this letter asking Gov. Mike Dunleavy to consider closing this year's Bristol Bay commercial salmon fishery for fear it could unleash the coronavirus pandemic in the local community.

Deckboss asked Jeff Turner, a Dunleavy spokesman, if a Bristol Bay decision was on the governor's agenda.

"The governor has no plans to shut down the Bristol Bay fishery. It is a critical industry," Turner said.

In other news, the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association, which represents driftnet fishermen, today posted proposed fleet and community safety ideas.

Who will be our next fish and game commissioner?

Now that Mike Dunleavy has won the race for governor, we await his picks for cabinet positions including commissioner of fish and game.

Here are a few potential candidates for the post. We offer these for entertainment purposes only — Deckboss hasn't spoken with these people about the matter.

Lacking time and energy today, I'll leave it to you to research the backgrounds of any names you might not know.

Doug Vincent-Lang	John Moller
Brett Huber	Ricky Gease

Royalty proposed on Alaska seafood catches

State Sen. Mike Dunleavy, R-Wasilla, today introduced Senate Bill 198 "establishing a 12.5 percent Alaska fisheries royalty on seafood caught commercially in the state."

FYI, the state collects a 12.5 percent royalty on many of its oil leases.