Kenai Fishing Interests Caught on Gillnet Plans

By Anchorage Daily News, Alaska

Feb. 27–SOLDOTNA — A subcommittee of Kenai Peninsula fishing interests could not reach consensus on fishing methods for a subsistence fishery on the Kenai and Kasilof rivers.

The federal subsistence program set up the subcommittee of commercial, community and subsistence fishing interests to recommend techniques Ninilchik residents should use in the rivers, where the board granted them a subsistence priority. In two meetings this month, though, the groups disagreed over the Ninilchik Traditional Council’s gillnets proposal.

On Saturday the subcommittee’s members agreed to oppose widespread use of gillnets in the rivers, but Ninilchik persisted in advocating limited use of communal gillnets. Subcommittee member Ricky Gease of the Kenai River Sportfishing Association said other members believed opening the rivers to the Ninilchik Traditional Council’s nets would require allowing other groups or even households to operate their own nets.

The Southcentral Regional Advisory Council now takes up the issue before the Federal Subsistence Board makes a final decision.

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