The Alaska Beat

RELIEF COMING FOR BATTERED ALASKA FISH COMMUNITIES

Alaska’s fishing industry has been a study of extremes of late. While Bristol Bay is setting sockeye harvest records, king salmon stocks are dangerously low throughout the state and Bering Sea crabbing seasons have been shut down.

For some devastated communities, help is on the way via federal disaster relief. U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, reacting to a federal disaster declaration request from Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy, announced disaster assistance for the following fisheries:

2021/2022 and 2022/2023 Bristol Bay red king crab and Bering Sea snow crab fisheries 2021 Kuskokwim River salmon and Norton Sound chum and coho salmon fisheries 2021 Chignik salmon fisheries 2020 Copper River/Prince William Sound coho and pink salmon fisheries 2020/2021 Norton Sound red king crab fisheries

“The Secretary, working with NOAA Fisheries, evaluates each fishery disaster request based primarily on data submitted by the requesting state. A declared fishery disaster must meet specific requirements under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and/or the Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act,” the State of Alaska said in a press release.

“This is a critical step in the process of getting economic relief for Alaska fishery participants and fishery-related businesses and families,” added state Department of Fish and Game Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang. “We thank the Secretary of Commerce for these disaster determinations and look forward to helping expedite this process where possible.”

ALASKA BEAT

TWEET OF THE MONTH

Alaska’s fascinating fish are worth preserving for generations to come!

Muskox-caused deaths for humans are rare, but fatal dog deaths are more common, which could have been the reason why a Nome man was killed trying to protect his kennels from a herd he attempted to scare away. (U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE)

NOTABLE NUMBER

“THEY SAID IT 180 “Indigenous fishers and small-boat harvesters have for too long shouldered the burden of conservation while the pollock trawl fleet continues its documented and unseen catching and killing of enormous numbers of salmon and crab. The council even failed to implement the hard cap on chum salmon bycatch recommended by Governor

The Delta Junction bison hunt, which traditionally has lasted almost six months, was reduced to just a two-week run after it was determined that 180 animals died due to starvation during a heavy snowfall in winter. ” Dunleavy’s task force. In light of this failure we are grateful to NMFS for prioritizing equity and the resilience of our fisheries and communities.” –SalmonState executive director Tim Bristol, after the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council delayed a solution on how to regulate bycatch concerns from pollock fishing boats o Alaska.

FROM THE ASJ ARCHIVES – JANUARY 2020 HE MAKES ALASKA HUNTERS’ DREAMS COME TRUE

On his first hunt as the main guide years ago, a client’s request spawned a new title in Billy Molls’ resume: filmmaker and storyteller.

“The client had a video camera and he videotaped his hunt. He shot the bear and he had asked me to videotape him shooting the bear,” he says. “He sent a copy of all the footage that he took and of course I shot a little bit of him shooting the bear. And he sent that to my parents while we were in Alaska. And then after that I bought my own camera and started filming all my hunts.”

What most fascinated Molls about the filming of he and his client’s successful hunt wasn’t so much the actual moment of connecting on the shot but what led them there in the first place. His parents shared the video with friends around their Wisconsin home.

“It seemed like everyone was perhaps more interested in the lifestyle that we lived (in the field), what we ate, the weather – those kinds of things,” he says. “It’s not just killing an animal, but really it’s the adventure. And we started filming and after 10 years I decided to put this DVD together.”

He has about 15 programs available for purchase, a selection that includes stories of moose and caribou hunting in Alaska, footage from one of Molls’ own adventures on a trip to New Zealand and multiple bear hunt recaps.

Molls hopes all of his videos will provide viewers with a behind-the-scenes

Guide and filmmaker Billy Molls (right) with a happy Alaska hunting client and his beautiful bull. (BILLY MOLLS)

look at once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for his clients.

“I love the storytelling aspect, especially in more of my recent videos. And we’re really trying to connect the human element of each adventure. Because I think I find hunting and life to be synonymous in so many ways and every way imaginable,” he says.

“You can touch a deep chord that resonates with enough people, and it’s something that will stand for a long, long time. I really enjoy that part of trying to connect with people.” -Chris Cocoles