The fishery, also known as the Area M or False Pass fishery, has long been controversial as an "intercept" fishery in which seiners and gillnetters targeting sockeye sometimes catch chum salmon bound for Western Alaska.
Western Alaska is experiencing a salmon crisis, with chum and Chinook runs crashing. That's put enormous public pressure on the Board of Fisheries and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council to take action to reduce salmon bycatch in fisheries such as Area M and the Bering Sea pollock trawl fishery.
State Sen. Mike Cronk, R-Tok, was among those urging the Board of Fisheries to take action to conserve salmon headed for Western Alaska rivers.
Two commercial fishing groups — Concerned Area M Fishermen and the Area M Seiners Association — opposed language the board ended up passing on a 4-3 vote.
2 comments:
I watched it, the board was do dead set against shutting area m down. How can they vote when chair lady is from chignik and the other two are from the Yukon? Seems like that shouldn't happen, I'm not even from area m and that meeting pissed me off. That is the worst board meeting I ever seen so clear who they where voting for before meeting ended.
Funny how Bristol bay catches more chums closer to the source of the problem but nothing was said at there meeting.
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