fishery management report no. 12–46 - Alaska Department of Fish ...

Longnose suckers Catostomus catostomus, Alaska blackfish Dallia pectoralis, lake chub
Couesius plumbeus, slimy sculpin Cottus cognatus, and Arctic lamprey Lampetra japonica are
present, but not targeted by sport anglers.
Rainbow trout O. mykiss are not native to the drainage, but have been stocked in many lakes.
Arctic char S. alpinus, coho salmon, king salmon, and Arctic grayling are also stocked in
selected lakes of the Tanana River drainage.
ESTABLISHED MANAGEMENT PLANS AND POLICIES
The regulations governing fisheries in the TRMA in 2011 are found in 5 AAC 74.001 through
5 AAC 74.030 (sport fishing), in 5 AAC 77.171 through 5 AAC 77.190 (personal use), and in
5 AAC 01.200 through 5 AAC 01.249 (subsistence fishing). The specific management plans that
affect TRMA sport fisheries are the: Minto Flats Northern Pike Management Plans (5 AAC
74.044 for the sport fishery and 5 AAC 01.244 for the subsistence fishery), Tanana River Wild
Arctic Grayling Management Plan (5 AAC 74.055), Chena and Salcha River King Salmon Sport
Harvest Management Plan (5 AAC 74.060), Tanana River Area Stocked Waters Management
Plan (5 AAC 74.065), Tanana River Area Wild Lake Trout Management Plan (5 AAC 74.040),
Yukon River Drainage Fall Chum Management Plan (5 AAC 01.249), Yukon River King Salmon
Management Plan (5 AAC 05.360), and Yukon River Summer Chum Salmon Management Plan
(5 AAC 05.362).
MAJOR ISSUES
Salmon fisheries are often the most controversial fisheries in Alaska and the TRMA is no
exception. In terms of allocation of fish, subsistence fisheries have a priority over commercial,
personal use, and/or sport fisheries during times when salmon runs are low. This priority can
lead to regional and user group conflicts when commercial fisheries occur in the Lower Yukon
River before subsistence users in the upper portion of the drainage have seen any salmon in their
fish wheels and nets. In recent years, Division of Commercial Fisheries has implemented
emergency regulations to reduce harvest of salmon (particularly king salmon) in the Yukon
River drainage commercial and subsistence fisheries (JTC 2009, 2010).
Subsistence vs. Sport Fisheries
Although hook-and-line is a recognized gear type used by subsistence salmon fishers in some
parts of Alaska, subsistence users often refer to the catch-and-release practices of sport anglers as
playing with food. This often creates conflict between subsistence users and sport anglers who
may be fishing for an experience and do not necessarily want to keep the fish they catch.
Conversely, the practice of subsistence users harvesting large numbers of fish is often
objectionable to sport fishermen. Such a conflict has arisen in recent years between subsistence
and sport users who fish for northern pike in Minto Flats. Some sport fishermen have stated that
relatively few subsistence fishermen were locally depleting the northern pike population and this
would have an adverse effect on the summer spawning population and sport fishery.
Habitat Degradation
In 1999, the National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) implemented a watershed project
designed to prevent sediment-bearing waters from the Granite Mountains from entering the Delta
Clearwater River (DCR; Salcha/Big Delta Soil and Water Conservation District 1987). In the
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