European Influence
1. Russian Exploitation 1733-1867
a. Enslaved Aleut & Alutiiq Peoples
b. Native Populations Declined 80% 1740-1800
c. Main Focus: Furs from Sea Otter later Fur Seal
d. Introduction of Russian Orthodox Christianity
e. Russian Headquarters
1784-1790. Three Saints Bay SE Kodiak Island
1790-1804. Kodiak, Kodiak Island
1804-1867. Sitka, Baranof Island
Citadel Watchtower Sitka
St. Michael’s Church Sitka
American Influence I
1. US buys Alaska from Russians 1867 586,412 sq. mi.
a. Senate Ratifies Treaty April 9, 1867
b. House Finally Appropriates Funds July, 1868
c. Cost: $7,200,000 or 1.9¢ per acre
d. Population
i. Russians & Mixed Race ~ 2,500
ii. Native Alaskan under Russian Influence ~ 8,000
iii. Native Alaskans Not Under Russians ~ 50,000
iv. Total ~ 60,500 ~ 9.7 sq. miles per person ,
or ~ 0.1 people per sq mile.
Salmon & American Influence
1. Klawok Salmon Cannery (southeast AK) 1878
Multiple Alaska Canneries by 1892
2. Alaska Packers Association (APA) formed 1892.
Political Control in Alaska Until Statehood
3. Salmon Traps
i. Allow Escapement then Open Traps
ii. Caught Almost Every fish - No Extra Escapement
iii. Populace Limited to Wage Earner Status
iv. Economics Determined Escapement Allowed
4. Statehood Approved 1959.
Pre-Statehood Salmon Traps I
Pre-Statehood Salmon Traps II
Pre-Statehood Salmon Traps III
Construction Details Salmon Trap
Salmon Trap Catch I
Salmon Trap Catch II
Pewing the Salmon Catch
Barge Loaded with Trap Fish
Early Alaskan Salmon Cannery I
Early Alaskan Salmon Cannery II
Early Alaskan Salmon Cannery III
Early Alaskan Salmon Cannery IV
Early Alaskan Salmon Cannery V
19th Century Salmon Cannery
Karluk Salmon Cannery I
Karluk Cannery Kodiak Island
Karluk Salmon Cannery II
Karluk Cannery Kodiak Island
Kake Salmon Cannery
Ketchikan Salmon Cannery
Interior Cannery I
Interior Cannery II
Interior Cannery III
Interior Cannery IV
Interior Cannery V
Interior Cannery VI
Interior Cannery Iron Chink
Cased Salmon for Export
Early Canned Salmon Labels
19th Century Alaskan Salmon Can
Pre-Statehood Salmon Cans
Pre-Statehood Salmon Catch
Fish Wheel Tanana River
Fishing Issues at Statehood
1. Salmon Harvests Low - Bad Fed Management
2. Salmon Traps
a. Extremely Efficient - Virtually all Fish Caught
b. Insufficient Escapement to Insure Future Runs
c. Traps Owned by Absentee Landlord Canneries
3. New Mobile Technology
a. Invention of Power Block made Seining Realistic
b. Inexpensive Diesels were Robust
Kodiak Salmon Seiner
Powerblock Lifts Seine Purse
Powerblock & Seine
Fisheries Management and
Harvesting Regulations
Fisheries Management and
Harvesting Regulations
Commercial Fish Harvesting in Alaska
1. ~ 2,000,000 mt annually (4.4 billion pounds)
2. Walleye Pollock ~ 1.0 Mmt annually
3. ~ 80 other species - total ~ 1.0 Mmt annually
Fisheries Management and
Harvesting Regulations
Alaska’s Fisheries Management Controlled by:
1. North Pacific Fisheries Management Council
2. Alaska Department of Fish & Game
3. Alaska Board of Fisheries
4. International Pacific Halibut Commission
North Pacific Fisheries Management
Council (NPFMC)
1. Mandated by Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries
Management & Conservation Act 1976.
2. 1 of 8 Regional Fish Management Councils
3. Council, Advisory Panel, SSC & Staff
4. Staff Generate Fisheries Management Plans
(FMP) that must be approved by Secretary of
Commerce
North Pacific Fisheries Management
Council (NPFMC)
Controls Federal Water Fisheries: 3 mi - 200 mi
Council has 11 Voting, 4 Non-Voting Members
Voting: 6 Alaska, 3 WA, 1 OR, 1 Federal.
Nonvoting: USCG, USFWS, PSMFC, US State Dept.
Council: 15 Staff in Anchorage
Works Closely with NMFS (NOAA Fisheries)
Responsibility: Both Management and Allocation
NPFM Council Advisory Panel
Brings Different Perspectives to Council
Council Appoints Membership Every Year
Size Varies from 20-23 members
Representing All Aspects of Alaskan Fisheries:
Seafood Processing Industry
CDQ Groups & Other Regional Voices
Environmental Interests,
Commercial & Recreational Fishermen
NPFM Council
Scientific & Statistical Committee
Membership Appointed by Council Yearly
Composed of Fishery and Other Biologists, Economists,
Sociologists, Anthropologists etc.
Charge: To Recommend Policy to the Council Based on
Best Available Scientific Information.
Also Review: Stock Assessments & Fishery Evaluations
to assess scientific validity of stock assessments,
include: assumptions, methods, results & conclusions
NPFMC Fishery Management Plans (FMP)
1. Bering & Aleutians (BSAI) Groundfish FMP
2. Gulf of Alaska (GOA) Groundfish FMP
3. BSAI King & Tanner Crab FMP
4. Alaska Scallop FMP
5. Federal Waters Salmon FMP
NPFMC Management Tools
1. Set Seasons & Quotas
2. Identify Prohibited Species
3. Rationalization by Vessel Limitation
Bering Sea Crab, American Fisheries Act
4. Rationalization by IFQ eg. Halibut IFQ,
Blackcod IFQ
5. Conservation Measures Other Species
6. Stock Assessments
NPFMC Management Tools
1. Gear Limitations
2. Closed Areas
3. Allocative Decisions
4. Observer Program
5. Utilization Requirements
6. Recordkeeping & Reporting
Requirements
7. Updating FMPs
Alaska Department of Fish & Game
Division of Commercial Fisheries
Alaska has authority for salmon, herring,
& shellfish fisheries,
NPFMC has authority for groundfish fisheries,
except those within 3 nm of shore.
ADF&G follows Council FMPs for salmon,
crab & scallops.
Responsibility: Management - No Allocation.
ADF&G
Mission Statement: To protect, maintain,
and improve the fish, game, and aquatic
plant resources of the state, and manage
their use and development in the best
interest of the economy and the well-being
of the people of the state, consistent with
the sustained yield principle.
ADF&G
1. Manage for the Benefit of All Alaskan Citizens
2. Manage for Sustained Yield
3. Allocative Decisions Referred to Board of Fish
4. Work Closely with Other Agencies
ADF&G management Tools
1. Use In-season Management
2. Require Limited Entry Permits (Salmon)
3. Work with Limited Entry Commission
4. Set Guideline Harvest Levels
5. Monitor Escapement (Salmon)
6. Conduct Pertinent Research
ADF&G Crab
1. BSAI Management by ADF&G and NMFS
2. GOA Management by ADF&G only.
3. Restrictions by Season, Size, Sex, Permit
4. 1/3 to 1/2 all US Crab landed in Alaska
5. 7 Major Species, 3 King Crab, Tanner, Snow,
Dungeness & Hair Crab.
ADF&G Scallops
1. Management:
ADF&G Cooperation with NMFMC
2. Weathervane Scallop Patinopecten caurinus
3. FMP Requires Observers on Board
Facilitate Data Gathering
Improve Regulatory Compliance
4. Observers: Effort, Area, Vessel Number
Observer Coverage, Crab/Halibut Bycatch,
Discarded and Retained Scallop Catch.
Alaska Board of Fisheries
1. Seven Members, Serve 3 Year Terms.
2. Governor Appoints, Confirmed by Legislature
3. Board Charged with Allocative Decisions
eg. Dividing Quota Between Gear Types
4. Sets Policy & Direction for Management
Alaska Board of Fisheries
Alaska Supreme Court Mandated Criteria for
Board of Fisheries Allocative Decisions.
a. history of each fishery
b. character and number of participants
c. opportunity personal & family consumption
d. availability of alternative fisheries resources
e. importance to state’s economy
f. importance to regional economy
Alaska Board of Fisheries
The board uses the biological and socio-economic
information provided by ADF&G, public comment
received from inside and outside the state, as well
as guidance from the Alaska Department of Public
Safety and the Alaska Department of Law when
creating regulations that are sound and enforceable.