Commission hears Cook Inlet season review, raises coordination and data gaps for federal EEZ fishery

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Fish and Wildlife Commission on Wednesday heard a review of the 2024 Cook Inlet salmon season from Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) and National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries), with commissioners pressing both agencies for better in‑season coordination and more funding for monitoring tools such as an offshore test fishery, weirs and sonar.

Commissioners and agency staff framed the meeting around sharply reduced king (Chinook) and coho returns, a largely concentrated sockeye run and the first full season of the federal Cook Inlet EEZ (federal offshore) drift gillnet fishery. ADF&G and NOAA officials reported run and harvest numbers, management steps taken in 2024, and shortfalls in monitoring capacity that officials said limited their ability to detect and respond to some declines sooner.

"6,600,000 fish was slightly greater than the forecasted amount of 5,700,000 fish," said Colton Lipka, Upper Cook Inlet area manager biologist for commercial fisheries, summarizing the department's sockeye run and harvest figures for 2024. He said the upper Cook Inlet total run estimate was about 6.6 million sockeye with an overall harvest near 2 million fish and an ex‑vessel value of about $19.2 million (a 20‑year average is about $23 million).

State managers described a season in which large concentrations of sockeye moved into corridor areas along the Kenai Peninsula, producing large harvests in a short period and prompting numerous emergency orders. ADF&G staff said some monitored escapement projects met goals, while others did not; the department reported the Chinitna Bay aerial escapement target was not met, which restricted drift openings in that subdistrict.

On Chinook and coho, ADF&G staff said most indices showed low or historically low counts. Matt Miller, ADF&G management coordinator with the Division of Sport Fish, summarized that several king salmon stock goals were missed (he gave the Deshka example with a 2024 forecast and final counts) and that coho escapement goals were missed on several monitored systems. Miller described likely preseason and early‑season management options for coho — including conservative bag limits, bait restrictions and rapid steps to reduce harvest — and said the department will "move quickly" if indicators signal another weak coho return.

NOAA Fisheries staff described operations during the first federal EEZ season, including timing of openers and the federal requirement to publish actions in the Federal Register (which can take 1–4 business days). Adam Zaleski, NOAA in‑season manager for the Cook Inlet EEZ fishery, and Rich Brenner of NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service said about 206 vessels participated in the EEZ fishery in 2024, with federal catch representing an estimated 20 percent of the Upper Cook Inlet drift gillnet catch in 2024. Brenner said NMFS is producing the 2025 stock assessment and fishery evaluation report and will present preliminary material to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council in early 2025.

Commissioners repeatedly pressed both agencies about coordination. Commissioner Howard Delo said he was surprised that ADF&G staff reported they do not routinely meet with NOAA in‑season. "When you have two different agencies managing the same resource ... you would think they would at least wanna touch base," he said. NOAA and ADF&G officials said they value cooperation; NOAA staff said they welcomed dialogue and that NMFS will present documents to the council with public comment opportunities.

Panelists and commissioners also aired monitoring and resource needs that limited in‑season decisionmaking. ADF&G managers said the offshore test fishery was not run in 2024 because of lack of funding (the department previously requested about $150,000). Commissioners and staff urged restoration of that test fishery, expanded sonar trials, improved weir reliability (staff reported lost weir counts in floods at multiple sites) and a planned coho genetic study. ADF&G staff said they plan a coho genetics project in 2025 and will test sonar feasibility at Little Susitna River as a supplementary monitoring tool.

The department also read a prepared statement from the commissioner: "The department does not support NOAA Fisheries Cook Inlet EEZ Salmon Stock Groups or the associated analysis because they are inconsistent with the state salmon management principles. For the same reason, we do not support NOAA Fisheries establishment of total allowable catches to manage harvest in the Federal Cook Inlet EEZ area salmon fishery." Miller read that statement and attributed it to the commissioner.

Commissioners asked NOAA and ADF&G to provide the slide tables and underlying data shown during the presentations; ADF&G staff confirmed a request had been sent during NOAA's presentation. Several commissioners urged a standing exchange of in‑season information and recommended the commission form a committee to work with NOAA and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council to provide local input on future federal management. The meeting closed with commissioners reiterating research and funding priorities for the upcoming legislative session.

Ending: Commissioners and agency staff agreed to follow up on requests for presentation slides and data, to accelerate planning for sonar and other monitoring trials in 2025, and to pursue federal and state funding for research and the offshore test fishery in the new legislative cycle.