Federal Subsistence Board to hold teleconference on Fisheries Special Action Requests FSA20-01, FSA20-02, and FSA20-03 regarding the Kuskokwim River Chinook Salmon Fishery

The public is invited to participate in this teleconference. To participate, dial toll-free (888) 566-1030, the passcode is 3344290.

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.

A public hearing to solicit testimony on FSA20-01, FSA20-02, and FSA20-03 was conducted on
March 16, 2020 and Tribal and ANCSA consultations were held via teleconference on April 16, 2020.

The Board is committed to providing access to this meeting for all participants. Please direct requests for accommodation needs to the Office of Subsistence Management at (800) 478-1456 or (907) 786-3888 or by e-mail at subsistence@fws.gov.

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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