Fish & Game talk management of local rivers

MAT-SU—A local sportsmen's group has asked the Alaska Dept. of Fish & Game to meet with the MAT-SU public next Mon., May 18, at 6 p.m. at the Central MAT-SU Fire Station in Wasilla. The MAT-SU Mayor's Blue Ribbon Sportsmen's Committee requested that Fish & Game present their salmon management plans for the upcoming seasons.

The work of this group contributed to the Alaska Board of Fisheries designating the Susitna River sockeye salmon as a Stock of Concern in February 2008. Biologists are trying to allow enough fish to pass through to promote healthy returns. In April, Fish & Game placed restrictions on fishing for king salmon on the Deshka River. Last year, less than 8,000 kings returned, in stark contrast to the< 58,000 or more Deshka kings that returned in 2004.

MAT-SU Borough Assembly Member Tom Kluberton chairs the Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Sportsmen’s Committee. “With the tremendous and growing economic value of sport and personal use fishing to the MAT-SU, it is important that the ADF&G interacts with our residents on a regular basis,” Kluberton said. “We hope this kind of meeting will become an annual event. By keeping a running dialog, MAT-SU fishermen can gain a sense of how the Department’s management practices are intended to improve stocks in Borough streams. And the Department can gain a< sense of how significant sportfishing is to the economy of the Borough.”

Specific topics that the Committee asked ADF&G to address include: The recent restrictions on Deshka River king salmon, and the ongoing efforts to correct the chronic low returns of sockeye salmon to MAT-SU streams.

For more information call Assembly Member Tom Kluberton at 841-7107 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. The Central MAT-SU Fire Station is in Wasilla at Lucille and Swanson streets.