Important Change: Telephonic ONLY Public Hearing Announced for Fisheries Special Action Requests FSA20-01, FSA20-02, and FSA20-03 regarding the Kuskokwim River Chinook Salmon Fishery

A public hearing is scheduled for March 16, 2020, from 6:00–8:00 p.m. to receive testimony on temporary special action requests received by the Federal Subsistence Board (Board). This meeting will only meet telephonically and there will be no ability to make public comment in person. Note that the phone number and passcode for this Public Hearing are different than those for the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Regional Advisory Council meeting.

Temporary Special Action Request FSA20-01, submitted by the Akiak Native Community, requests the following from the Board:

• Close Federal public waters of the Kuskokwim River drainage to the harvest of Chinook Salmon except by Federally qualified subsistence users possessing a community harvest permit between June 1, 2020 and July 1, 2020;
• Reduce the pool of eligible harvesters based on an Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) Section 804 Subsistence User Prioritization that was implemented in 2017; and
• Consult with 33 Federally recognized Kuskokwim River Tribes named in the 2014 Office of Subsistence Management Section 804 analysis to establish an appropriate harvest allocation of Chinook Salmon to be distributed among communities within the Kuskokwim River drainage.

Temporary Special Action Request FSA20-02, submitted by the Organized Village of Kwethluk, requests the following from the Board:

• Close Federal public waters of the Kuskokwim River drainage to the harvest of Chinook Salmon except by Federally qualified subsistence users between June 1, 2020 and July 1, 2020; and
• Reduce the pool of eligible harvesters within the Kuskokwim River drainage based on an ANILCA Section 804 Subsistence User Prioritization.

Temporary Special Action Request FSA20-03, submitted by the Lamont Albertson, requests the following from the Board:

• Close Federal public waters of the Kuskokwim River drainage to the harvest of Chinook Salmon except by Federally qualified subsistence users at the beginning of the 2020 Kuskokwim Chinook Salmon run;
• Conduct an ANILCA Section 804 Subsistence User Prioritization analysis to reduce the pool of eligible harvesters; and
• Request that the Federal in-season manager continue to implement emergency special actions that uphold the conservation mandates under Section 815(1) and (3) of ANILCA by following the model from 2019, where the Federal in-season manager worked with the Kuskokwim River Intertribal Fish Commission, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and other stakeholders to determine when harvest opportunities should be provided.

The public is encouraged to call the toll-free telephone number provided below. When prompted, enter the passcode. Comments will be forwarded to the Board for consideration on the temporary special action requests. For more information, go to www.doi.gov/subsistence/fisheries-special-actions.

Public Hearing information is as follows:

March 16, 2020, 6:00–8:00 p.m.
Teleconference: Toll Free: (888) 566-1030
Passcode: 3344290

Additional information on the Federal Subsistence Management Program may be found on the web at www.doi.gov/subsistence or by visiting www.facebook.com/subsistencealaska.

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