By Gale K. Vick, Fairbanks Fish & Game Advisory Committee Member
The Fish and Game Advisory Committees (ACs) to the Alaska Board of Fish and Board of Game (“Boards”) have always played a critical role in fish and game management recommendations and proposals. ACs all over Alaska provide grassroots information, local and traditional knowledge and even technical knowledge. Like Regional Advisory Committees to the Federal Subsistence Board, ACs provide the first line of defense for many fish and game management determinations.
Because of the growing salmon crisis, local ACs are increasingly more important. With the availability of Zoom, it is much easier for members of the public and AC members to listen in on many different meetings, adding to the base of knowledge and enabling AC members to make more informed recommendations.
ACs are also a good forum for discussing fish and game issues that don’t necessarily result in proposals to the Boards. Most AC meetings have at least one guest speaker from an agency or science community, and ACs routinely get staff reports from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game as well as the Alaska Wildlife Troopers.
Meeting information for each can be accessed at this web site: https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=process.acregion
AC meetings are held from fall until Spring. Agendas and information for each AC can be found on the Alaska Department of Fish & Game website dedicated to ACs. All AC meetings are posted at least two weeks ahead of their scheduled date, and all AC meetings are recorded for public listening.
The Fairbanks AC (FAC) meets the second Wednesday of the month between October and May. This is a hybrid meeting currently held at the JP Jones Center. The Fisheries Sub-committee meets virtually the Monday before, and the Game Sub-committee meets as scheduled during regular AC meetings. Members of the public are invited to attend and encouraged to contribute to these discussions. The FAC is actively pursuing many regulatory or management changes that will help build Yukon River Chinook stocks, support sufficient bycatch and intercept measures, encourage greater ecosystems and gravel-to-gravel management, reduce private non-profit hatchery egg production, and protect subsistence and personal use fishing on the Copper River. The FAC will be also be encouraging a joint AC meeting for the Interior for some time over the winter.
In October 2024, the big conversation for ACs will be around the Board of Fish proposals for the upcoming Board of Fish meetings, including the work session in October and the Prince William Sound meeting in Cordova in December. ACs can comment on any proposal.
Board of Fish Meeting Cycle
- In the year preceding a board cycle, the board will announce a call for proposal that prescribes which regions, species, and fisheries are set for regulatory review.
- The proposal deadline is April 10 every year. If April 10 falls on a weekend, the proposal deadline will be the Monday following that weekend.
- The meeting cycle repeats itself every three years. This schedule was adopted November 9, 1990 and revised based on workload and public participation.
- Work Sessions for the Board of Fish to review Agenda Change Requests (ACRs) are conducted in October.
- Regularly scheduled Board of Fish meetings occur between October and March, but special meetings can be called at any time.
The Board of Fish web link for meetings has detailed information. https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fisheriesboard.meetinginfo
Board of Fish – Long-Term Meeting Schedule
Meeting Cycle Years: 2024/2025 | 2027/2028 | 2030/2031 | 2033/2034
- Prince William Sound Area all Finfish & Shellfish (except Shrimp) Southeast/Yakutat Areas all Finfish & Shellfish
- Statewide (except SE/Yakutat/PWS) Shellfish*
Meeting Cycle Years: 2025/2026 | 2028/2029 | 2031/2033 | 2034/2035
- Alaska Peninsula/Bering Sea-Aleutian Island/Chignik Areas All Finfish
- Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim Areas All Finfish
- Bristol Bay Area All Finfish
- Statewide Provisions for Finfish
Meeting Cycle Years: 2026/2027 | 2029/2030 | 2032/2033 | 2035/2036
- Cook Inlet Area (Lower and Upper) All Finfish
- Kodiak Area All Finfish
Board of Game – 3-Year Meeting Cycle
2023/2024
- Interior Region (GMUs 12, 19, 20, 21, 24, 25, 26B, 26C)
- Arctic/Western Region (GMUs 18, 22, 23, 26A)
2024/2025
- Central/Southwest Region (GMUs 9, 10, 11, 13, 14A, 14B, 16, 17)
- Statewide Regulations (Cycles A & B)
2025/2026
- Southcentral Region (GMUs 6, 7, 8, 14C, 15)
- Southeast Region (GMUs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
Stay Engaged
Consider getting involved with your local Fish and Game Advisory Committee (AC) this year to help shape important fish and game management decisions. Additionally, keep an eye on other ACs across the state, as well as the Western Interior and Eastern Interior Regional Advisory Committees (WIRAC and EIRAC), both of which are hosting meetings in the fall of 2024. Your participation can make a meaningful difference in preserving and protecting Alaska’s wildlife resources for future generations.