Press Release, No. 06-24: September 5 , 2006

Contacts: Jim Marcotte, Executive Director, Board of Fisheries (907) 465-4110, or Kristy Tibbles, Executive Director, Board of Game, (907) 465-6098

Alaska Boards of Fisheries and Game Call for Proposals

The Alaska Joint Boards of Fisheries and Game is scheduled to meet in October 2007 to review and consider improvements for the local fish and game advisory committee system and for identifying the state’s “nonsubsistence” areas. The deadline for submitting proposals on either topic is Friday, December 8, 2006.

Fish and game advisory committees are "grass roots" groups that discuss fish and wildlife management and provide recommendations to the boards. There are 81 committees throughout the state, each with expertise in a particular local area. The Joint Board will consider proposals that address the number and location of committees and rules of operation.

The board is particularly interested in receiving proposals to enhance the effectiveness of the advisory committee system. For example, it would like to consider options to consolidate committees where multiple committees represent the same geographic area or use the same fish stocks and game populations; where committees have been inactive; or where a change in committee structure would better facilitate resolving resource issues at the local level before coming to the boards.

“Nonsubsistence areas” are areas of the state where dependence upon subsistence is not a principal characteristic of the economy, culture and way of life of the area or community. The five areas currently identified by the Joint Board include Ketchikan, Juneau, Anchorage-Matsu-Kenai, Fairbanks, and Valdez. While residents of these five areas may fully participate in state-regulated subsistence harvests elsewhere in the state, the boards may not permit subsistence harvest within the boundaries of the nonsubsistence areas.

The Joint Board established the current nonsubsistence areas in1992, as required by the state subsistence law. When considering proposed changes to the existing areas, the board will need to identify if any significant new information is available and it will need to address specific socio-economic characteristics.

A two-step approach will be used for the nonsubsistence area proposals. The board will first perform a preliminary review of the proposals during the October 2007 meeting. During this preliminary review, the board will conduct an initial assessment of the proposals, will identify the information needed for a full review of appropriate proposals, and will schedule appropriate proposals for further public review and department analysis. The second step will be regulatory action at a meeting planned for 2008.

Proposal forms are available online at http://www.boards.adfg.state.ak.us/, from any Boards Support Section office, or by contacting Boards Support at (907) 465-4110.

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