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Return Update-July 8th - NSRAA chum returns last week (stat week 27) seemed to flatline. There was minimal cost recovery completed in Deep Inlet and a moderate amount in SE Cove. The Hidden Falls chum weekly return last week took a slight dip to 50,000 from the previous stat week 26 return of 62,000. So far this week there […]
Return Update-June 25th - NSRAA chinook returns have been picking up the past several weeks with a total estimated harvest in Stat Week 25 of 1,341 adults. The spring chinook fisheries in the Sitka area have harvested over 2,000 Medvejie chinook making up 47% of the Sitka Sound area commercial troll harvest. Currently the return is looking like it […]
Gulf of Alaska Chinook Salmon do not warrant listing under Endangered Species Act - NOAA has concluded its 12-month scientific review to not list Chinook salmon in the Gulf of Alaska as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Action (ESA). PRESS RELEASE NMFS ESA Ruling
NSRAA Salmon Bake & Hatchery Tour - NSRAA will be offering hatchery tours and a BBQ lunch at Medvejie Hatchery on Saturday, June 27th. Lunch will consist of barbecued King Salmon, baked potato, green salad, rolls, watermelon and non-alcoholic drinks. Tickets are $15.00 per person- CASH ONLY and can be purchased during office hours at NSRAA- 1308 Sawmill Creek Road. (8-5 Mon-Fri) […]
Support Alaska Hatcheries at Board of Fisheries - Alaska Board of Fisheries Proposals. Your voice is needed. The board of fisheries will take up three hatchery proposals at the statewide meeting. Proposals 170, 171, and 172 seek to impose broad, preemptive reductions or moratoria on Alaska’s private nonprofit (PNP) salmon hatchery program without demonstrating a causal link between hatchery production and the specific […]Hidden Falls: Sunday June 17, 2018 Opening
The initial Hidden Falls opening is coming up on Sunday, June 17.
Note that the THA is restricted to approximately 1 mile offshore, due to this spring’s Chinook restrictions.
An excerp from the June 7 ADF&G News Release:
District 12
The following area will be open to purse seining from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Sunday, June 17, 2018:
Section 12-A: will be open in the following areas:
Point Augusta: will be open within 0.5 nautical miles from the Chichagof Island shoreline south of 58°03.00′ N. latitude and north of a regulatory marker at 58°01.63′ N. latitude (located one nautical mile south of Point Augusta Light);
Hidden Falls Terminal Harvest Area (THA): will be open in the waters of Chatham Strait within the boundaries of a line from South Point, as indicated by a marker at 57°16.28′ N. latitude, 134°51.78′ W. longitude to a point offshore at 57°16.28′ N. latitude, 134°49.94′ W. longitude, then running south to a point offshore at 57°06.76′ N. latitude, 134°45.37′ W. longitude then due west to a point on the Baranof Island shoreline at 57°06.76′ N. latitude, 134°47.50′ W. longitude with the following restriction:
Kasnyku Bay: will be closed north and west of a line from North Point at 57°13.36′ N. latitude, 134°50.53′ W. longitude to the northernmost tip of Round Island to the southernmost tip of Round Island to a point on the Baranof Island shoreline at 57°12.48′ N. latitude, 134°50.98′ W. longitude.
Approximate lines are shown here:
Hidden Falls THA – 6.17.18
Visiting Hidden Falls
NOTICE:
Effective March 20, 2020:
HIDDEN FALLS and all NSRAA facilities are closed to the public until further notice due to the Covid-19 shelter in place policy.
Hidden Falls has become a popular destination for visitors!
To provide the best opportunity for visitors, and to minimize impacts on hatchery staff, NSRAA is implementing a reservation system for visitors.
- Visitors will now be required to have a reservation.
- Visits are limited to 1.5 hours and must be scheduled between the hours of 9:00am and 4:00 pm daily.
We have set up a web page for submitting visitation requests. Here you can view a calendar to see what dates and times are open and submit your request. The page is listed under our “the FrontPage” menu listing, and can also be accessed on our homepage.
NSRAA Board Opposes Baranof Warm Springs Hatchery Proposal
NSRAA’s Board of Directors passed a resolution in opposition to an application for a new salmon hatchery at Warm Springs Bay at the 2018 spring board meeting. The Sustainable Salmon Institute’s proposal has generated a great deal of discussion in the fishing community, among Baranof Warm Spring property owners, and among members of the general public. The site is located approximately 10 miles south of Hidden Falls Hatchery. NSRAA’s resolution can be viewed here, as well as on the NSRAA home page.
2018 Deep Inlet Schedule
The 2018 Deep Inlet Schedule was finalized at the spring NSRAA Board of Directors meeting. The schedule will begin a month earlier this season to provide Troll opportunity from early May through mid-June. Seine openings (24-hr) will be occur on May 1, June 3, and June 10 during this period. Gillnet openings (12-hr) will be May 2, June 9 and June 16. The May 1-2 openings are set to meet the 2:1 Seine: Gillnet ratio requirement for May.
Chum management will begin on Sunday, June 17. Seiners will fish Sunday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday each week. Trollers fish on Monday, and Gillnetters on Tuesday and Wednesday. Net fishing will be from 5 am to 8 pm through August 11, and will switch to 6 am to 9 pm on August 12.
Remember that the official schedule is set via ADF&G News Release. We will post a copy on our home page when it is distributed.
No cost recovery fishing will occur in Deep Inlet this season, as returns to Southeast Cove and Crawfish Inlet are expected to cover cost recovery needs.
For the complete schedule see the FrontPage, or the links on the homepage.
NSRAA 2018 Spring Board Meeting
NSRAA’s 2018 Spring Board of Directors Meeting will be held on Wednesday & Thursday, March 7-8, 2018 in Sitka in the NSRAA Board Room. Meetings begin at 9 am each day. The public is invited to attend.
Topics will include reviewing the NSRAA FY19 budget, program updates, and planning for the 2018 season and beyond. Click here for the meeting agenda.
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