BSFA Bering Sea Fishermen’s Association

Giving subsistence and commercial fishermen a voice in the sustainability & development of Bering Sea and western Alaska fishery resources.

Bering Sea Fishermen’s Association110 W. 15th Avenue • Anchorage, Alaska 99501 • (907) 279-6519 • www.bsfaak.org

MONITORING SALMONFACT SHEET 5An unpredictable resourceIn response to drastic declines in chum

salmon, Congress authorized a direct

appropriation in FY94 of $800,000.00

to BSFA to conduct freshwater salmon

monitoring projects in western Alaska.

These salmon stocks have continued to be

varied and uncertain. The entire Alaska

salmon industry is based on a resource

that can vary hugely from year to year

for reasons that aren’t understood, and

in ways that can’t be predicted. BSFA’s

projects are critical to aiding in-season

management decisions for stocks that

are returning to the Arctic-Yukon-Kus-

kokwim (AYK) region. Fishery manag-

ers have been unable to stabilize salmon

runs from year to year, and are limited by

insufficient funds for necessary monitor-

ing activities.

Community involvementBSFA’s chum salmon monitoring proj-

ects, first implemented in 1994, have

been critical to the State of Alaska’s

salmon fishery management programs

in the AYK region. Through these

projects, BSFA has worked closely with

area managers, research biologists and

biometricians in the development and

implementation of these programs. BSFA

is intent on championing people from

rural communities and regional Native

groups to become involved as key players

and project leaders.

With these projects, BSFA continues to

be instrumental in greatly expanding

local involvement in fishery management

and cooperative management

efforts across the AYK

region.

BSFA has lever-

aged thousand’s

of dollars of

project support

from the Alaska

Department of

Fish and Game, and

the US Fish and Wildlife

Service. BSFA is the only group

that represents and works with all fisher-

men (commercial and subsistence) and

residents throughout the entire Arctic-

Yukon-Kuskokwim region. h

...expanding

local involvement

in fishery

management and

cooperative

management

efforts across the

AYK region.

Giving subsistence and commercial fishermen a voice in the sustainability & development of Bering Sea and western Alaska fishery resources.

Bering Sea Fishermen’s Association110 W. 15th Avenue • Anchorage, Alaska 99501 • (907) 279-6519 • www.bsfaak.org

BSFA Bering Sea Fishermen’s Association

FACT SHEET 5 MONITORING SALMON

Arctic Region: Kotzebue &Norton SoundPartners: Kawerak, Inc., Native Village of

Unalakleet, Alaska Department of Fish &

Game, and local fishermen.

Projects: Sikusuilaq Hatchery Operations,

Kotzebue Sound Aerial Surveys, Kobuk

River Test Fishery, Kotzebue Sound Test

Fishing, Kotzebue Regional Fisheries

Research, Snake River Tower, Eldorado

River Tower, Pilgrim River Tower, North

River Tower, Nome Recirculating Incuba-

tors, Salmon/Glacial Lakes Limnological

Studies, Niukluk River Counting Tower, and

Norton Sound Regional Subsistence Salmon

Harvest Surveys.

Marine and Region-widePartners: Association of Village Council

Presidents, Kawerak, Inc., LGL Limited

Environmental Research Associates,

Tanana Chiefs Conference, and Univer-

sity of Washington School of Aquatic &

Fishery Sciences.

Projects: AYK Coalition Committee Sup-

port, Forecasting AYK Salmon Returns

and Migration Patterns, and Marine Pro-

ductivity and Origins of Chinook Salmon

in the Bering Sea.

Yukon River WatershedPartners: Algaaciq Tribal Government,

Asa’carsarmiut Tribal Council, Associa-

tion of Village Council Presidents, City of

Kaltag, City of Nulato, Council of Atha-

bascan Tribal Governments, Louden Vil-

lage Council, Tanana Chiefs Conference,

Tanana Village Council, Yukon River

Drainage Fisheries Association, Yupiit of

Andreafski, Alaska Department of Fish

& Game, US Fish & Wildlife Service, and

local fishermen.

Projects: Lower Yukon Test Fishery,

Mountain Village Fall Season Driftnet Test

Fishery, Kaltag Creek Tower, East Fork

Andreafski River Weir, Pilot Station Sonar,

Salcha River Tower, Chena River Tower,

Tanana River Test Fishwheel, Rapids-

Rampart Upper Yukon Fall Chum Popula-

tion Estimate, Tanana River Fall Chum

Population Estimate, Yukon River Public

Policy and Research Support, Nulato River

Counting Tower, Clear Creek Counting

Tower, Nenana River Aerial Surveys, Ga-

lena Test Fishwheel, Toklat River Spawn-

ing Surveys, Nenana River Fall Chum

Distribution Study, and Fort Yukon Test

Fishwheels.

Kuskokwim River WatershedPartners: Association of Village Council

Presidents, Iditarod Area School Dis-

trict, Kuskokwim Native Association,

Kuskokwim River Drainage Fisheries

Association, Orutsararmiut Native Coun-

cil, Takotna Tribal Council, Village of

Quinhagak, Alaska Department of Fish

& Game, US Fish & Wildlife Service, and

local fishermen.

Projects: Nunivak

Island Stock Assess-

ment, Kanektok

River Tower/

Weir, Aniak River

Sonar Technicians,

Lower Kuskokwim

Test Fishery, Kwethluk

River Tower, Kuskokwim

River Chum Timing & Distribution Study,

George River Weir, Tatlawiksuk River

Weir, Takotna River Weir, Bethel Test Fish-

ery, and Kuskokwim River Public Policy

and Research Support.

Bristol Bay WatershedPartner: Alaska Department of

Fish & Game.

Project: Wood River Counting Tower.