The Alaska Wildlife Troopers have completed their special enforcement operation for the annual Bristol Bay and Area M commercial fishery in Southwest Alaska. The annual Bristol Bay Sockeye Salmon fishery is the largest Sockeye fishery in the World, producing around 46% of the global wild Sockeye harvest. The fishery is valued at over $1.5 billion and provides thousands of direct and indirect jobs.
Each year roughly one-quarter of the State’s Wildlife Troopers deploy to the five fishery districts that make up the Bristol Bay fishery to enforce the regulations set by the Alaska Board of Fish and Alaska Department of Fish and Game. During the 35-day special enforcement operation, Troopers patrolled Bristol Bay using several fixed-wing aircraft, a helicopter, multiple patrol boats, a medium-class patrol vessel, and the State’s largest patrol vessel, the P/V Stimson. Thousands of commercial fishermen were contacted during the operation, and over 400 commercial vessels were boarded. Wildlife Troopers issued 150 citations to vessel captains and crew members and seized thousands of pounds of salmon.
“The Alaska Wildlife Troopers’ mission is to protect Alaska’s vast fish and game resources across the state and ensure that the commercial, sport, subsistence, and personal use fishermen are following the rules and operating safely,” stated Colonel Bernard Chastain, Director of the Alaska Wildlife Troopers. “We appreciate that the vast majority of users are following the regulations and know that those that violate these rules will be held accountable for their actions.”
Along with the Bristol Bay enforcement program, Alaska Wildlife Troopers enhanced patrol efforts on the Alaska Peninsula and Unimak Island commercial salmon fishery known as Area M. Due to these efforts, over 100 commercial vessels were boarded, approximately 300 commercial fishermen were contacted, and 21 citations were issued. Of these citations, nine were issued to captains and crew members who were observed discarding commercially caught salmon from their vessels after the fish were brought on board.
Overall, the Alaska Wildlife Troopers conducted approximately 2500 vessel hours, 9,000 personnel hours, and 300 flight hours during these two fisheries. Note: The species of salmon that was discarded is not known by Troopers.
