Keep it or let it go!

Deckboss was reviewing the hundreds of proposals submitted to the Alaska Board of Fisheries for consideration at its upcoming meeting cycle, and found one of particular interest.

Proposal 228 is a sportfishing proposal aimed at stopping angler "high grading."

"There are problems with anglers keeping fish alive on stringers or in live-wells, holding boxes, etc., then releasing them (high grading) when a bigger fish or a fish in better condition, is caught. This practice causes unneeded mortality," the proposal says.

Currently, state regulations say a fish becomes part of an angler's bag limit when landed and "killed." The proposal would replace "killed" with "not immediately released."

And who is offering Proposal 228? None other than the state Department of Fish and Game.

The board will consider the proposal at its statewide finfish meeting March 19-24 in Anchorage.

Kenai king trouble

Boy, do things sound awful on the Kenai River in terms of Chinook salmon returns.

Here's a news release announcing severe sportfishing restrictions, with this ominous paragraph:

Through June 18, all indices used to assess abundance of early-run king salmon in the Kenai River indicate the 2012 run is the lowest on record. Given the unprecedented low number of early-run king salmon, the department has determined that additional mortality associated with catch-and-release fishing cannot be justified.

Blotter

Another Alaska legislator has found trouble with the fish cops.

Details on The Brig.