State commission again proposes letting Cook Inlet setnetters fish beach seines

The Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission proposed a permanent rule Oct. 13 that would let Cook Inlet setnetters fish beach seines, the gear the Alaska Board of Fisheries ordered them onto this spring but that their set gillnet permits don't cover.

It's the commission's second try. Its emergency version failed 1-1 in June, as Alaska News reported Oct. 11 in a story on the state's plan to split east side setnetters into their own permit area Jan. 1. The June 4 minutes show Commissioner Tracy Welch moved to adopt the emergency rule, then voted against it. Chair Rick Green voted yes. Comments on the new proposal are due Nov. 16, according to the commission's notice.

The board's May plan for Kenai River late-run king salmon replaces set gillnets with beach seines, which let fishermen release kings alive while keeping sockeye, when the forecast or in-season projections top 14,250 large kings. Without the commission's sign-off, the east side fleet had no gear it could legally use under that plan. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game opened the season with the fishery closed and said in its 2026 outlook that there was "no avenue" for opening it to setnets. On May 12, the department also ruled out experimental seine permits, saying they would exceed the commissioner's authority.

Seines have been tested on the east side under experimental permits in 2024 and 2025. The department said seines proved effective at catching sockeye while releasing other species, but that experimental fishing couldn't answer how many released fish die afterward.

The switch drew both support and opposition. The Kenai River Sportfishing Association backed seines as a way to reduce king deaths while fishing for sockeye. The Kenai Peninsula Fishermen's Association told the board the change "will result in the loss of our traditional set gillnets," and the Pacific Seafood Processors Association also opposed it. Fish and Game staff, neutral on the board proposal, warned that fewer permit holders could fish, because not all of them hold onshore state land leases.

After comments close, the commission may adopt the rule, adopt different language on the same subject or take no action.

Disclosure: Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission Chair Rick Green is the father of Alaska News CEO and editor Cale Green.