Illegal fishing shuts down Bristol Bay’s Egegik fishery

Sockeye salmon (Jesse Sheldon/KDLG)

In Bristol Bay’s Egegik district, it’s not uncommon to spot immoderate boats sportfishing successful areas of nan fishery deemed forbidden by nan state. But this twelvemonth seemed peculiarly bad, according to nan Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Aaron Tiernan, a biologist pinch nan department, said wide reports of forbidden sportfishing beyond nan ineligible areas of Egegik Bay and nan waters conscionable extracurricular it led him to prematurely unopen down this year’s fishery.

“We were receiving regular telephone calls betwixt Fish and Game and wildlife troopers, you know, aggregate boats upwards of 50 astatine times sportfishing extracurricular of nan district,” Tiernan said.

A representation showing boundaries of nan Egegik sportfishing territory (From Alaska Department of Fish and Game)

Tiernan said that during nan highest of nan season, other Alaska Wildlife Troopers flood Bristol Bay from astir nan state. It’s a large effort. But arsenic sportfishing winds down, they commencement leaving to patrol different areas.

“More and much reports travel in. Because there’s little enforcement going connected overall, and we request to effort to protect stocks that are going northbound and southbound aliases moreover into Egegik,” Tiernan said.

So, successful response, he decided to unopen nan fishery down.

“Efforts that person been made successful nan past person not changed activities. So I felt for illustration it was clip to effort thing new,” Tiernan said.

Tiernen issued an emergency closure utilizing a regularisation that fundamentally allows nan section to put nan fleet successful a time-out for bad behavior. That regularisation has been connected nan books for much than 3 decades. But Tiernan thinks this is nan first clip it’s been utilized successful Bristol Bay. He says nan move was important to thief protect fish.

“The territory lines wherever they’re drawn now are location for circumstantial reasons,” Tiernan said.

Fishing complete nan statement often intends intercepting salmon headed for different districts. And it intends less Egegik food make it up river.

“Egegik River and nan Naknek River person not had awesome returns this year. Their escapements are successful nan little half of nan escapement extremity ranges … we still request to do what we tin to fto food get to wherever they request to go,” Tiernan said.

But immoderate fishermen would for illustration to get free of territory lines wholly and projected that to nan authorities Board of Fish astatine their past meeting. Tiernan says Bristol Bay’s fishery was designed for each stream to beryllium fished separately, truthful nan Board of Fish changeable down that suggestion.

The closure will effect different groups of fishermen differently. Some boats look to person transferred to nan Togiak territory for nan weekend. The Egegik territory technically re-opened Monday greeting astatine 9 a.m. But truthful adjacent to nan extremity of nan season, galore crews decided to extremity fishing.

Matthew Johnson has fished successful Egegik for years. He decided to caput location early.

“My summons location is for August 3rd, and we were readying connected staying retired until astir nan 30th. So, yeah, I mean, that’s just, you know, money retired of everyone’s pouch connected a beautiful thin year. So it’s, it’s very unfortunate,” Johnson said.

Johnson says for an full ebb tide, location were boats going up to half a mile into forbidden waters. He thinks much enforcement from troopers could person helped.

“For immoderate reason, we’re not having immoderate flybys aliases immoderate enforcement. And group conscionable kept pushing things further and further and further,” Johnson said.

Troopers opportunity they are still doing aerial flybys pinch planes and helicopters and are utilizing GPS to spot boats complete nan line. But they did not corroborate circumstantial patrols for past week. There was 1 citation reported July 22 for sportfishing complete nan statement successful Egegik, but nary since.

Johnson runs a celebrated Facebook page called Bristol Bay Alaska Jobs Rumors and BS. He says antagonistic comments successful that group astir fishermen who reported forbidden sportfishing whitethorn person contributed to nan emergency closure.

“I deliberation Starlink and nan societal media scenery has made it truthful like, location conscionable aren’t secrets successful Bristol Bay anymore,” Johnson said.

Some fishermen received threats online for supporting nan closure.

Bill, who didn’t want to springiness his past name, is different longtime Egegik drift fisherman. He estimates that he astir apt missed retired connected $12,000 successful mislaid food this weekend. He besides suspects nan closure will wounded canneries. But, he says, forbidden sportfishing isn’t bully either.

“It hurts nan full fishery,” Bill said.

Bill says overall, he thinks nan closure was a bully thing.

“So you’re taking that $12,000 deed pinch this closure. Do you still deliberation that nan closure is wide a bully thought fixed nan reality this season?”
“Yep, I do, because possibly these guys will spell home!” Bill said.

Bill says astir boats do play by nan rules. He says forbidden sportfishing hurts some different drifters and group netters.

Bill hoped to spot larger fines for violations and wondered if troopers could effort operating pinch drones. Troopers said that legally, drones are not presently an action for enforcement.

Bill besides suggested that alternatively of closing nan territory entirely, managers should person nan action to move nan statement person to shore, wherever sandbars could thief artifact bad behavior.