setnet

The plan lowers the escapement threshold for a possible East Side Set Net fishery opening from 15,000 king salmon to 14,250.

The latest Upper Cook Inlet commercial fishing report shows the impact of closing the east side set-net fishery — a 40% decline in fish caught this year. Set-netters are worried about the future of their fishery, and the possible long-term impacts of over escapement.

The latest Upper Cook Inlet commercial fishing report shows the impact of closing the east side set-net fishery — a 40% decline in fish caught this year. Set-netters are worried about the future of their fishery, and the possible long-term impacts of over escapement.

In a resolution, the assembly estimates east side set-netters lost a collective $7 million after the fishery was closed this past season. They're asking the governor to declare an economic disaster.

Soldotna Rep. Justin Ruffridge has released an accompanying bill to one introduced in the Senate by Jesse Bjorkman. The bill would allow Cook Inlet set-netters to sell their permits back to the state.

Commercial fishermen in Cook Inlet will have to decide, given uncertainty related to management, whether gearing up for the season is worth the costs.

Set-netter Ken Coleman said he's never seen his fishery close, completely, this early.

The bill is a new version of legislation Peter Micciche sponsored when he was in the Alaska Senate. Advocates say it would make the struggling set-net fishery more sustainable for its permit holders.

We spoke with fisheries economist Gunnar Knapp and set-netter Brent Johnson about trends in Upper Cook Inlet's commercial salmon fishery — from changes in catches and permit prices, to how those numbers track with those coming from Bristol Bay, to how fishermen are reacting to the changing landscape in the inlet.

The opinion from the Alaska Supreme Court, published Friday, is the latest legal blow to the 440 or so east-side permit holders, who have seen their fishery close early for the last four summers due to paired restrictions.