The Neets Bay THA will be open to the harvest of salmon by trollers, drift gillnet and purse seine gear concurrently from 12:01 a.m. Saturday, May 1 through Thursday, June 10, 2010 (noon) and as follows:   2010 MAY SHA NB.pdf       2010 JUNE SHA NB.pdf

In text form:

June 2010 Neets Bay

 Gillnet: June 11 (Friday) noon through June 13 (Sunday) noon

Seine: June 14 (Monday) noon through June 15 (Tuesday) noon

 Gillnet: June 16 (Wednesday) noon through June 18 (Friday) noon

Seine: June 19 (Saturday) noon through June 20 (Sunday) noon

 Gillnet: June 21 (Monday) noon through June 22 (Tuesday) noon

Seine: June 23 (Wednesday) noon through June 24 (Thursday) noon

Note: TROLLERS are allows to fish 24 hours / 7 days a week during this opening. 

2010 Neets Bay Troll Fishery: 

It is SSRAA’s intention that the troll fleet harvests 200,000 summer chum from Neets Bay and the immediate area outside of Neets Bay.

There are two important considerations related to this fishery in 2010:

1.    SSRAA’s Neets Bay cost recovery revenue forecast is large enough to allow this harvest, but with very little margin for error.  For a number of years we have over-forecast the Neets Bay terminal return.  Last season the number of fish forecast was relatively close, about 10% greater than the actual return.  But, the actual average weight of the fish was 20% less than anticipated.  Because of this the 2009 return was only 70% of the anticipated poundage, and revenue forecasting is based on the poundage harvested.  Our 2010 revenue forecast does not allow for a 30% error and a 200,000 chum troll harvest. 

2.    We understand that there will be a troll fishery whether we open the Neets Bay THA or not.  In 2009 trollers were effective harvesting chum salmon outside the THA. Trollers can harvest significant numbers of summer chum immediately outside the THA, probably in all circumstances; but there are some circumstances that favor this fishery more than others. 

Since SSRAA must closely manage the troll harvest in 2010, and at the same time we can’t totally control harvest since we cannot stop the fishery outside the THA.  Because of this the fishery will be managed conservatively in 2010…in a sense, backward from what was done in 2009.  In order to have a successful fishery in 2009, it was important to get commitments from both the troll fleet and for tendering from at least one processor.  Would each group show up?  It was a catch-22 of sorts as the troll fleet was reluctant to commit without the processor and the processor was reluctant to commit tenders without the troll fleet commitment.  SSRAA’s commitment was to make certain the harvest goal could be reached if that was at all possible.  So, to make the situation a best case for both trollers and processors, we opened the entire THA to the old boundary near the barrier and we asked our seiners to stay inside of the trollers whenever possible.

Now that we know the fish can be caught outside the THA, and necessarily looking at a conservative approach; we will let the fishery outside the THA begin of its own accord. That may happen as early as July 1, but more likely toward the end of the July Chinook fishery.  We will watch harvest closely, and if the troll harvest is not going well somewhere between approximately 10 and 12 July, we will consider opening the THA inward to the Bug Island Line.  We will continue monitoring the fishery on a daily basis, and if there is a substantial abundance of chum and yet they are not being harvested in the open area of the THA, we will consider moving the line inward to the narrowest part of the bay, we call that point “Sims Line”, an adjustment we made some years back to give trollers a decent “drag” in the bay.  If there are a lot of fish coming back to Neets Bay they can be harvested by trollers in this area.

After last summer’s experience we are reluctant to open the bay inside this line.  Trollers can be very effective in Fire Cove and closer to the barrier, but when they fish this area they even more effectively clean up the fish that are there and break up the schools of those they don’t harvest.  Our seiners are not effective in this circumstance and fish don’t approach the barrier in good numbers so that we can collect broodstock and pass those fish over the barrier.  This significantly disrupts our ability to judge the strength of the return and adequately collect broodstock at the appropriate time.

The short version: 

1.     Let the fishery begin of its own accord outside the THA.  Daily monitor participation and harvest.

2.     Consider moving the line inward to Bug Island on about the 10^th or 12^th of July dependent on the abundance of summer chum and troller effectiveness outside the THA.

3.     Consider moving the line in to the “Sims Line” on or about 15 July if trollers have not been effective fishing outside Bug Island and the abundance of chum salmon still suggests harvest should have been greater.

4.     Close the THA at about 180,000 harvested summer chum anticipating that some trollers will remain in Behm Canal to catch another 20,000 fish plus or minus.  We could decide to close it at a lower number if the fleet was effective outside the THA.  We would do our best to match harvest rate and participation to sum harvest to 200,000 fish before 1 August plus or minus depending on the run dynamic.

There is one more stipulation in 2010.  If at any point we judge that the return is only 50% or less of the projection (in pounds) the THA will be immediately closed to common property harvest.

May 2010 - Anita Bay

May 1 beginning at 12:01 a.m. through June 12 - noon: Open to all fishers at all times unless closed by emergency order.

June 2010 - Anita Bay

Seine: June 13 (Sunday) noon through June 14 (Monday) noon

 Gillnet: June 15 (Tuesday) noon through June 16 (Wednesday) noon

Seine: June 17 (Thursday) noon through June 18 (Friday) noon

 Gillnet: June 19 (Saturday) noon through June 20 (Sunday) noon

Seine: June 21 (Monday) noon through June 22 (Tuesday) noon

 Gillnet: June 23 (Wednesday) noon through June 24 (Thursday) noon

Seine: June 25 (Friday) noon through June 26 (Saturday) noon

 Gillnet: June 27 (Sunday) noon through June 28 (Monday) noon

Seine: June 29 (Tuesday) noon through June 30 noon (Wednesday)

July 2010 - Anita Bay

 Gillnet: July 1 (Thursday) noon through July 2 (Friday) noon

Seine: July 3 (Saturday) noon through July 4 (Sunday) noon

 Gillnet: July 5 (Monday) noon through July 6 (Tuesday) noon

Seine: July 7 (Wednesday) noon through July 8 (Thursday) noon

 Gillnet:  July 9 (Friday) noon through July 10 (Saturday) noon

Seine: July 11 (Sunday) noon through July 12 (Monday) noon 

 Gillnet: July 13 (Tuesday) noon through July 14 (Wednesday) noon

Seine:  July 15 (Thursday) noon through July 16 (Friday) noon

 Gillnet: July 17 (Saturday) noon through July 18 (Sunday) noon

Seine:  July 19 (Monday) noon through July 20 (Tuesday) noon

 Gillnet:  July 21 (Wednesday) noon through July 22 (Thursday) noon

Seine:  July 23 (Friday) noon through July 24 (Saturday) noon

 Gillnet:  July 25 (Sunday) noon through July 26 (Monday) noon

Seine:  July 27 (Tuesday) noon through July 28 (Wednesday) noon

 Gillnet:  July 29 (Thursday) noon through July 30 (Friday) noon

Seine:  July 31 (Saturday) noon through August 1 (Sunday) noon

August 2010 - Anita Bay

 Gillnet: August 2 (Monday) noon through August 3 (Tuesday) noon

Seine: August 4 (Wednesday) noon through August 5 (Thursday) noon

 Gillnet: August 6 (Friday) noon through August 7 (Saturday) noon

Seine: August 8 (Sunday) noon through August 9 (Monday) noon

 Gillnet:  August 10 (Tuesday) noon through August 11 (Wednesday) noon

Seine: August 12 (Thursday) noon through August 13 (Friday) noon 

 Gillnet: August 14 (Saturday) noon through August 15 (Sunday) noon

Seine:  August 16 (Monday) noon through August 17 (Tuesday) noon

 Gillnet: August 18 (Wednesday) noon through August 19 (Thursday) noon

Seine:  August 20 (Friday) noon through August 21 (Saturday) noon

 Gillnet:  August 22 (Sunday) noon through August 23 (Monday) noon

Seine:  August 24 (Tuesday) noon through August 25 (Wednesday) noon

 Gillnet:  August 26 (Thursday) noon through August 27 (Friday) noon

Seine:  August 28 (Saturday) noon through August 29 (Sunday) noon

 Gillnet:  August 30 (Monday) noon through August 31 (Tuesday) noon

September 2010 - Anita Bay

The Anita Bay Terminal Harvest Area will be open to the harvest of salmon concurrently by troll, drift gillnet and purse seine gear from 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, September 1 through November 10, 2010 when the Anita Bay Terminal Harvest Area will close for the season.

The Nakat Inlet Terminal Harvest Area consists of those waters of Nakat Inlet north of 54°49.100' N. latitude and West of 130°42.75' W longitude.  The scheduled openings are directed toward enhanced returns of chum and coho salmon.

The Nakat Inlet Special Harvest Area opens on June 1, 2010 and is an exclusive gillnet / troll fishery.  Projected returns are approximately 191,000 summer chum; 70,000 fall chum; and 20,000 coho.  The SHA will remain open until November 10, 2010.

The return at Kendrick Bay in 2010 is expected to be about 430,000 chum salmon.  Kendrick Bay terminal harvest area is designated for purse seiners and trollers.  Kendrick Bay will open on June 20, 2010 and will remain open through September 30, 2010.  The Alaska Department of Fish and Game will open the area in district 102 adjacent to the special harvest area beginning June 20, in conjunction with Hidden Falls.