http://www.Alaska.net/~usag/federal_proposed_rules.htm

Rick Richins, Vice-President from Coeur Alaska came and explained where the Kensington project is presently at. They are in the process of an optimizing study and will get in touch with the organization following the conclusion of the study. At that time they will discuss if they wish to make any changes to the agreement before we sign it. USAG has not signed the Kensington agreement to date, we have just said we would. Any changes to the agreement, the board will re-consider the decision.

The USAG web page needs more good quality photo’s of gillnetting, gillnet boats, fish or dock scenes (such as net mending etc.). Please send any photos you have to the USAG office and enclose a self addressed envelope and we will return them as soon as they are scanned. Or you can e-mail a copy of the picture to USAG if you have the ability to do so.

Visitors to the web site unfamiliar with fishing tend to visit the photo gallery first. Let’s get some pictures on the web that shows them what are lifestyle is all about.

PLEASE!

I would like to thank all the USAG Board of Directors for their time and patience during the board meeting. I had them scheduled from first thing in the morning until late in the evening trying to get all the business dealt with. We rearranged the agenda several times each day.

The news article telling about the meeting just covers the large topics covered and not all the minor details that must also be dealt with.

I would also like to thank the members who have expressed opinions and called the office with information and showed their support for the organization.

This newsletter has gone to USAG members only this time. USAG would like to get better organized, and send out newsletters in a more timely manner alternating newsletters to members and all permit holders.

SSRAA took over the Burnett Inlet Hatchery in October 1997 following the bankruptcy of Alaska Aquaculture, Inc. This facility will conduct the mission of wild stock enhancement which was being performed at the State Beaver Falls Hatchery. The Beaver Falls Hatchery was closed. The emphasis will be on sockeye enhancement and the SSRAA Board will develop a long term strategic plan for the Burnett Inlet Hatchery at the spring planning meeting.

As part of the Burnett Inlet operation, coho salmon are being release in Neck lake since 1995 and the first adult returns are expected in 1998. Fish not harvested by the common fishery will be collected at the outlet of Neck Lake and sold to support the operations at Burnett Inlet. The adult collection facility was completed in late 1997 and is ready to receive fish in 1998. Gillnetters should intercept some of these coho in district 106 during July.

The SSRAA Board has developed a strategic plan to reduce SSRAA’s debt to the State. SSRAA has not consistently provided 70% of SSRAA’s production to the common fishery. This objective cannot always be achieved because of low fish prices; however, our self marketing plan is working and some surplus funds are being generated. These surplus funds will be used to reduce debt to a manageable level within five years. Once this goal is achieved, more fish will be harvested by commercial fishermen. Neets Bay will be used only for cost recovery until the goal is met.

Gillnetters harvested over 632,000 SSRAA salmon in 1997 at an estimated value of over $2.0 million. Historically gillnetters have harvested 27% of SSRAA’s coho and king salmon production, and 38% of the chum. The forecast for 1998 is similar to 1997 and it should be a good year, if only prices would improve.

I (Don Amend) will be retiring in 1998 and a new general manager is being recruited. There are still many challenges to face and the salmon industry is in a rapid state of change. The SSRAA Board and the new General Manager are up to the challenge. Financially, SSRAA is in good shape and we are meeting all of our financial obligations. I leave SSRAA confident that SSRAA will continue to provide broad economic benefits to all commercial fishermen into the next millenium.

The Chilkat Lake sockeye enhancement program will evolve from ‘paper fish’ rearing in the ocean to live five-year-old sockeye available in the Lynn Canal fishery beginning in June this year. ADF&G is predicting a total Chilkat Lake run of 218,000 sockeye comprised of 70% from lake spawner and 30% or 60,000 sockeye from the fry stocking program. The fry plant program was designed to return adults from mid-July to lat August in order to increase sockeye abundance during the ‘window of opportunity’ - after Chilkat River chinook conservation and before fall chum salmon conservation in September.

NSRAA will be evaluating the success of this strategy by sampling sockeye in the fishery and on the spawning grounds at Chilkat Lake. Because one hundred percent of the planted sockeye are otolith marked, NSRAA will be able to determine when theenhanced portion of the run passes through the gillnet fishery and into Chilkan Lake. This otolith mark will also allow us to assess marine survival of the Chilkat Lake sockeye, something that was not possible in past years.

Conducting studies at Chilkat Lake on sockeye smolt and zooplankton (the primary food of rearing sockeye) provided ADF&G with key information to make better predictions of adult returns. Without knowing the number of sockeye smolt produced from the lake each year it is very difficult to predict the number of adults returning. Knowing smolt numbers narrows the main variable to marine survival. It is evident that if we had comparable information on Chilkoot Lake we would have a better understanding of the variables limiting production the past several years. For instance if we knew the Chilkoot smolt numbers for years 1995 and 1996 there would be greater certainty about the Chilkoot return this year.

NSRAA will continue to evaluate key biological parameters at Chilkat Lake to determine the feasibility of taking eggs this year for fry stocking in 1999. The two areas of greatest importance are zooplankton density and smolt numbers and size.

Zooplankton: The copepods showed a marked decline in 1996 and 1997, however the other major zooplankton group, the cladocerans, remained high and the rearing sockeye switched to consuming the aabundant cladocerans. In 1998 we will be looking for a rebound in the copepods, although in the absence of a copepod recovery we will need to see the cladocerans remain at high levels in order to sustain the rearing fry.

Sockeye Smolt: Other key pieces of information in the puzzle are the size, number and age composition of the smolt coming out of the lake this year. We are looking for the abundance of Age 2 smolts to increase due to the small number of Age 1’s emigrating in 1997. Also we will be looking for the average weight of the smolt to remain at or near 6 grams.

Zooplankton and smolt information will be complete by mid-July and used to determine whether eggs will be taken in August and September. In the best case, the smolt size and smolt numbers increase and the copepods rebound; and we proceed to take 6 million eggs for the stocking program. In the worst case, smolt biomass (numbers and size) declines, copepods do not recover and cladocerans slip below historic levels; and we delay the program for another year. In all likelihood, the results of this spring’s work will be somewhere in the middle of these two extremes, probably closer to the best case. We will carefully weigh the information and make adjustments to the egg take level if necessary.

Over the past several months many gillnetters have requested information on DIPAC’s past contributions to the common property fishery and the projected returns for the 1998 season. In response to those requests DIPAC staff have put together a series of data summaries.

Briefly, contribution estimates of DIPAC summer chum salmon to the District 111 and District 115 drift gillnet fisheries over the 1992-1997 time period indicate a total of approximately 3.15 million chum were caught worth an estimated $8.34 million (ex-vessel value). Annual harvests of DIPAC chum over the same time period ranged from approximately 172,000 to 794,000 fish, with estimated values ranging from $672,000 to $2,439,000.

Taking a closer look at last year’s return, the estimated total catch of summer chum (wild + enhanced fish) during weeks 25-33 was approximately 616,000 fish of which 654,000 chum (91.5%) originated from DIPAC hatcheries. Gillnetters in Lynn Canal (15-C) landed about 406,000 DIPAC chum while fishermen in District 111 hauled in an additional 158,000 hatchery fish. Preliminary estimates of the value of these fish are $920,000 and $359,000, respectively.

Projected 1998 chum returns are as follows:

The DIPAC Finance Committee and staff are currently working on a run entry model to aid in management of the harvest. They are also working with Trident Seafoods to maximize value from this year’s cost recovery. DIPAC continues to work toward reducing the number of fish required for its survival by increasing net harvest revenue and reducing the annual budget.

Alaskan & Proud to Be Markets is again offering a 5% discount on boat groceries bought between June 15, 1998 and September 15, 1998. This discount is only offered to paid USAG members with their USAG membership card shown at the time of purchase. The spouse of a permit holder may take advantage of the program by showing the 1998 USAG membership card. You will need to show the USAG membership card and photo ID at the time of purchase.

A& P Markets will deliver your groceries to the head of the dock. To enjoy this service you must purchase $100 worth of groceries to be delivered.

A& P Markets will also offer to USAG members a 10% discount on regularly priced case goods.

We would like to thank A & P Markets for this 5% discount program and all their support for the fishing industry.

3816 Tongass Hwy, Ketchikan

The USAG Board worked on insurance issues during their board meeting. One of the actions the USAG board took was starting another fleet insurance policy for the boats or operators that don’t meet all the requirements of the profit sharing policy. This policy will have all the advantages of the profit sharing plan but the profit sharing and the oil pollution coverage. The boat operators or vessels on this policy will have the ability to move over to the profit sharing policy when they meet all the requirements necessary.

The board dealt with the length and definition of operator experience. No experience is necessary if approved by the underwriters on the 2nd policy and 3 years of operating experience of a vessel with one year of SE AK gillnet operator experience for the profit sharing plan. To be on the profit sharing insurance plan we inserted the requirement "the boat intends to be used for SE AK Gillnetting." We discussed bareboat charter agreements, and agreed to leave this section the same but the information will also be included in your insurance policy. Remember to leave enough time for USAG and the underwriters time to evaluate the bareboat charter information before the request can be approved or declined. We added a new recommendation to the fleet parameters suggesting Coast Guard dockside safety exams and for the operator to take safety classes (i.e. AMSEA Drill Inspector Classes). The USAG Board also discussed the issue of separating the fleet into two fleets, one that is for gillnetting only and boats that are involved in other fisheries. The decision was to leave the policy as it is, the percentage of boats that gillnet only is very small.

The insurance discussion was very worthwhile in talking about all the questions, policies and procedural issues that have surfaced.

Are you a USAG member and not part of our fleet insurance policy? Give the USAG office a call at (907)586-5860 or Griffin and MacLean at (425)822-1368 and find out more about our rates and policy.

Not all newsletters and mailings go to all permit holders.

The USAG Board of Directors has started the plans for the annual membership meeting. The meeting will be held in Seattle during FISH EXPO. This event has been scheduled for November 19-21, 1998. Plan to come to Expo and the annual meeting. Be sure to mark your calendar TODAY!

We will let you know the plans as they develop in the next couple of newsletters plus an invitation prior to the event for all USAG members.

USAG needs the help of volunteers to work on a membership drive this summer. We need to let the non-members know how important this organization is to the fleet and that their participation is important.

USAG also needs help in contacting businesses and encouraging them to be an associate member. There is a lot of possible growth in this sector for the organization. All USAG members may help in this area by letting fishery related businesses know that you are a member of USAG and that you like them to be an associate member of your organization. Explain that USAG members support businesses that support us.

If you can help, please call the USAG office at (907) 586-5860 for additional information and materials.