Districts Affected: Bering River, Copper River, Coghill, Eshamy Main Bay, Southwestern, Montague
COPPER RIVER DISTRICT: The Copper River District will be open to commercial harvest from 7:00 am on Monday August 3 to 7:00 pm Tuesday, August 4 for a 36-hour period. A table of Copper River District harvests to date is available in the PDF version of this announcement located here: http://www.cf.adfg.state.ak.us/region2/pwsfiles.php The Miles Lake sonar began counting on Monday, May 18. To date, a total of 707,413 salmon have been counted versus a minimum cumulative inriver goal of 574,841 for July 31. The midnight to 6 am count this morning was 598 for an expanded estimate of 2,392 salmon anticipated past the sonar today. Sonar numbers can be found online at http://csfish.adfg.state.ak.us/pws/pwscopperesc.php. An aerial delta survey flown on Sunday, July 5 under fair to very good conditions counted 55,070 sockeye in index systems. This compares to an anticipated SEG range of 30,055 – 71,040 for this statistical week. The next aerial survey will be flown when stream conditions are conducive to observing.
BERING RIVER DISTRICT: The Bering River District is closed. There were no deliveries reported from the last open 6 fishing periods. An aerial delta survey flown on Sunday, July 5 under good conditions counted 10,930 sockeye in index systems. This compares to an anticipated range of 16,946 – 25,787 for this statistical week.
COGHILL DISTRICT: The Coghill district is closed due to aerial survey indices of wild stock pink and chum salmon escapement in the Coghill and Northwestern districts being behind anticipated escapement levels at this time. Harvest from the period that closed on Sunday, July 26 was 16,442 pink, 1,231 chum, and 177 sockeye salmon with 14 deliveries reported.
ESHAMY DISTRICT: The Main Bay Hatchery THA and SHA will open to drift and set gillnet harvest for a 12-hour period from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm on Monday, August 3. The AGZ is CLOSED.
The Main Bay THA and SHA are waters west of a line from 60o 32.26' N. lat., 148o 04.85' W. long. to 60o 31.88' N. lat., 148o 04.03' W. long. as specified in 5AAC 24.370(c). Harvest from the fishing period that ended on July 30 was 2,933 sockeye and 79 pink salmon.
Anadromous stream closures are in effect in Main Bay. Commercial fishing is prohibited within 1500 feet of any salmon stream at any stage of the tide as stipulated in 5AAC 39.290(a) and 24.350(12).
The Eshamy weir was installed on July 10. Since that date a total of 4,109 sockeye salmon have been counted versus a Biological Escapement Goal (BEG) for July 31 of 4,505 fish.
SEINE FISHERIES UPDATE: An aerial survey in the Coghill, Montague, Eshamy, Southwestern and Northern districts flown on Friday, July 31 showed increased numbers of pink and chum salmon in the streams. However, current indices of escapement and run entry do not support a purse seine CPF targeting wild stocks in PWS. Wild stock pink and chum salmon escapement is below daily and cumulative anticipated levels in these districts. Aerial surveys for all remaining PWS districts will be conducted as weather allows.
VFDA pink salmon cost recovery harvest is on hold to allow broodstock to build in the VFDA SHA. As of July 31 a total of 70,174 pink salmon have been harvested for broodstock versus a broodstock goal of 323,000. Cost recovery harvest on July 23 was 19,854 pink salmon with an average weight of 3.04 pounds per pink salmon and a 59% female sex ratio. To date, VFDA has harvested approximately 19% of their total cost recovery goal.
PWSAC pink salmon cost recovery began on July 27. PWSAC’s pink salmon revenue goal is $4,203,734 or 6.2 million fish.
As of July 31 cost recovery harvests are as follows: WNH 245,626 pink salmon (15.7% complete), and AFK 586,900 pink salmon (36.7% complete). CCH cost recovery began on Tuesday with no harvest reported. Anticipated cumulative cost recovery harvests for July 31 based on hatchery AMPs are WNH 249,437, AFK 350,771 and CCH 156,887.
The R/V Solstice began test fishing in the Pt. Elrington Subdistrict on Wednesday, July 22. Catches from Squirrel Bay, Middle Cape and Fox Farm combined totaled 1,677, 3,900, and 3,750 pink salmon for July 29, 30 and 31, respectively. The female percentage as of July 31 was 25% and there were an average of 1,250 pink salmon per set. The composition of pink salmon from sets made on July 30 were 22% wild and 78% hatchery stock. The hatchery portion was comprised of 55% AFK, 15% WNH, 4% CCH and 3% SGH pink salmon.
MARINE MAMMAL REMINDER:
PWS commercial fishers are reminded that area fisheries often necessitate fishing in close proximity to marine mammals. Under the Marine Mammals Protection Act (MMPA), the PWS drift gillnet fishery is classified as a Category II fishery. Participants in Category I and II fisheries must be registered in the Marine Mammal Avoidance Program (MMAP) to be authorized for lawful incidental, but not intentional, marine mammal takes during fishing. However, this authorization explicitly does not exempt holders of commercial fishing permits from the MMPA prohibition on takes of marine mammals listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act. As a participant in the PWS drift gillnet fishery you are automatically registered in the Marine Mammal Authorization Program (MMAP) by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). As a participant in a Cat. II fishery, you must:
• Maintain an MMAP Authorization Certificate, or a photocopy, on board the vessel while engaging in any of the fisheries identified on the reverse side of the certificate. For non-vessel or set net fisheries, the certificate, or a photocopy, must be in the possession of the permit holder during fishing operations. The certificate, in combination with a current, valid state or Federal fishing permit, will serve as your authorization to incidentally take non-endangered or non-threatened marine mammals in the course of commercial fishing operations.
• Report all injuries and mortalities of marine mammals within 48 hours of returning from the trip during which these takes occurred using the Mortality/Injury Reporting Form (or visit http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/protectedresources/observers/mmapform.pdf for a copy).
• If so requested, take an observer aboard your vessel.
Purse seine and set gillnet gear are classified as a category III fisheries under the MMPA. Category III fishery participants are automatically exempted from the incidental take prohibition in the MMPA. Therefore, you do not need to maintain the MMAP certificate aboard your vessel, but must report any incidental takes of marine mammals within 48 hours of the incident or your return to port. Such reports must be made on the Marine Mammals Authorization Program Mortality/Injury Reporting Form.
Because some marine mammals are also listed under the Endangered Species Act, incidental takes are also regulated under that act and are not authorized. All MMPA category fisheries are liable for incidentally taking ESA listed species.
Please reference http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/pdfs/esa_factsheet.pdf for a list of marine mammals currently listed under the ESA (you should periodically check with the National Marine Fisheries Service for any changes in listed species).
Under the ESA, take means to “harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct. “ 16 U.S.C. 1532(19); and harass means an “intentional or negligent act or omission which creates the likelihood of injury to the wildlife by annoying it to such an extent as to significantly disrupt normal behavioral patterns which include, but are not limited to, breeding, feeding, or sheltering.” (50 C.F.R. 17.3).
To reduce the possibility of incidentally taking an ESA listed species and its associated liability ADF&G recommends that:
· Fishermen participating in area fisheries remain vigilant in monitoring gear when marine mammals may be present.
· Fishermen use avoidance measures (e.g., not fishing or relocating fishing activities when marine mammals are present or likely to be present) to minimize interactions with marine mammals.
· Avoid fishing in areas where marine mammals are likely to be present at night or when visibility or weather conditions make it difficult to spot marine mammals.
For further questions concerning marine mammals and regulations concerning them, please call NMFS at 
1-907/271-5006
.
1-907/271-5006.The department also encourages permit holders to report observed violations to Wildlife Safeguard at 1-800/478-3377. Reports are anonymous and cash rewards may be paid for successful prosecution of violations.
1-800/478-3377. Reports are anonymous and cash rewards may be paid for successful prosecution of violations.The next scheduled salmon fisheries announcement is anticipated to be at 2:00 pm, Wednesday, August 5.
Announcement recordings are available for gillnet fisheries at 907-424-7535 and seine fisheries at 907-424-7345. In addition, announcement recordings are available in Anchorage at 267-2843.
907-424-7535 and seine fisheries at 907-424-7345. In addition, announcement recordings are available in Anchorage at 267-2843.Additionally, announcements, inseason harvest data, and escapement data are available at the following web addresses:
Unless otherwise specified, all openings are clock openings based on Alaska Daylight Time, which is based on Coordinated Universal Time and may be obtained by calling 303-499-7111.
303-499-7111.
