[Linked Image from kdlg.org]


Guidelines for Commercial Fishermen


The Bristol Bay fishery will be operating under a strict set of guidelines this season, laid out in the new mandate released Thursday by Governor Mike Dunleavy. Crew members and captains who want to fish in Bristol Bay will have to wear masks while traveling there, and go immediately to the place where they’ll quarantine for two weeks. Once they arrive, they’ll have to have their temperatures checked twice a day.

The mandate targets independent fishing boats, many of which are operated by captains and crew who travel to Bristol Bay from outside Alaska. Specifically, it applies to those that have not "agreed to operate under a fleet-wide plan submitted by a company, association or entity" representing them. The new mandate also requires crewmembers to undergo verbal and physical screenings upon arrival — and they can’t have respiratory problems or fever. Crew members are allowed to quarantine onboard, though they’re still allowed to fish as long as they restrict contact with other boats and people on shore as much as possible.

To protect communities, the mandate stipulates that crew can only leave the vessel for essential purposes.

If a fisherman becomes sick, they will be required to isolate themselves. If they are not able to isolate from others on the boat, the entire vessel will be under isolation.

Boats are also required to continuously monitor crewmembers who show signs of illness. If a fisherman is suspected of having COVID-19, they must wear a mask or cloth covering and stay in a private room with a door and separate bathroom facilities, though that may not be available on every boat.

The mandate goes into effect at 8:00 a.m. Friday, and the state will re-evaluate it by May 30.

Dunleavy’s administration has been under increasing pressure to outline safeguards for Bristol Bay as the salmon season approaches. Mayors from the region sent a letter to the governor Saturday, asking for a meeting and saying that they want the highest level of protection possible for residents. Current efforts to keep the fishery open, the mayors wrote, seem intent on marginalizing local communities and removing them from the decision-making process.

The letter was signed by the municipalities of New Stuyahok, Manokotak, Togiak, and the Lake and Peninsula and Bristol Bay boroughs.