Bristol Bay salmon fishermen and tenders will get extra attention from the U.S. Coast Guard and the Alaska Wildlife Troopers (AWT) this season in a joint operation that will take place June 19 through July 15. The Coast Guard announced that AWT vessels Stimson and Wolstad will embark Coast Guard boarding officers along with troopers for underway boardings of salmon fishermen.
The primary concentration will be on driftnet fishermen and vessels tendering salmon in the Kvichak, Nushagak and Egigik Bay areas in northeastern Bristol Bay. The main focus of at-sea enforcement will be to ensure compliance with federal fishing vessel safety regulations. Depending upon the vessel's length and where it is operating, these requirements include survival suits, ring buoys, EPIRBs, survival craft, flares, and fire extinguishers.
In order to help fishermen come into compliance, Coast Guard Sector Anchorage is sending dockside examiners from June 10 through June 20 to the ports of Naknek, King Salmon, Dillingham and Egegik to conduct voluntary dockside safety exams.
These dockside exams are free, non-enforcement opportunities to have the Coast Guard check the vessel's compliance at a time and place convenient to the owner, with no penalties if there are safety problems.
Vessels that complete a voluntary dockside exam and are in total compliance are issued a "dockside examination decal," valid for two years and displayed on the fishing vessel. Vessels with a valid decal are at the lowest priority for at-sea boardings.
Fishing vessels boarded at-sea and found to be grossly out of compliance, or with especially hazardous conditions, may have their trip "terminated" and be directed back to port. These vessels will have to demonstrate compliance before being allowed to start fishing again. Lesser violations of the federal regulations may result in monetary civil penalties of up to $6,500 per violation.
"This effort is being driven by the overriding goal to prevent the loss of lives at sea. Every year the Alaska Wildlife Troopers respond to search and rescue calls in Bristol Bay for vessels sinking or on fire. Therefore it is imperative that every vessel have its minimal required safety equipment onboard and in good working order," stated Lt. Will Ellis of the AWT.
Salmon fishermen can contact either Coast Guard Sector Anchorage at (907) 271-1954, or the 17th District in Juneau at (907) 463-2810, if they have questions about the federal safety regulations. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has released its 163-page report on commercial, subsistence and personal use fishing in upper Cook Inlet in 2006. Compiled by Pat Shields of the Soldotna Fish and Game office, the report details activity in the salmon, razor clam, smelt and herring fisheries in the Upper Cook Inlet Management Area and contains interesting tidbits of relatively little-known information.
For example, it states that 23 commercial razor clam diggers worked 52 days on the west side of Cook Inlet to harvest 369,000 pounds (in shell) of razor clams for human consumption, receiving an average of 62 cents per pound, for a total ex-vessel value of $229,000. The bulk of the report covers commercial salmon fisheries, and includes current status and outlooks as well as details of the 2006 fisheries.
It also includes a brief history of each fishery as well as descriptions of the areas and regulations involved in plain language that is easily readable. It can be found through the Fish and Game Web site at www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us, or by calling (907) 262-9368.
Cristy Fry has commercial fished in Homer since 1978. She also designs and builds gear for the industry. She currently longlines for halibut and gillnets salmon in upper Cook Inlet aboard the F/V Realist. She can be reached at cristy-fry@excite.com.
