PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: November 7, 2014

CONTACT: Glenn Haight, 907-465-6095

Alaska Board of Fisheries to Meet in Cordova, December 3–8, 2014 on Prince William Sound and Upper Copper and Upper Susitna Rivers Finfish

The Alaska Board of Fisheries (board) will meet December 3–8, 2014, at the Mt. Eccles Elementary School, 201 Adams Street, Cordova, Alaska. During this six day public meeting, the board will meet to consider 57 proposals regarding finfish issues submitted by the general public, fishing organizations, local Fish and Game Advisory Committees, and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

In addition to submitting written public comments, the board invites the public to give oral public testimony during the meeting beginning December 3. Any person intending to testify must sign up at the meeting site at the Mt. Eccles Elementary School in Cordova. The tentative deadline for signing up is 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 3. Public testimony will continue until members of the public who signed up before the deadline and are present have been given an opportunity to testify.

All portions of the meeting are open to the public and a live audio stream is intended to be available on the Board of Fisheries website at www.boardoffisheries.adfg.alaska.gov. Documents submitted to the board are intended to be posted online throughout the meeting. Copies of advanced meeting materials, including the agenda and roadmap, are available from Boards Support Section, 907-465-4110, or online at: http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fisheriesboard.meetinginfo.

The board encourages the public to submit written comments on specific proposals and is accepting on-time public comment until November 21. After November 21, written public comments are limited to 10 single-sided or 5 double-sided pages in length from any one individual or group. These comments are recorded as record copies and inserted in board member workbooks at the beginning of the meeting, and accepted until the board begins deliberation of proposals.

Once proposal deliberations begin, the board will ONLY accept written public comments not more than five single-sided pages, or the equivalent double-sided pages. The board may relax this requirement if specific information is requested by the board requiring more pages than allowed under this standard. See http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=process.comments for details on public comment.

During the meeting, written public comments from any one individual or group may be submitted by hand delivery at any time if 28 copies are provided. As a practical matter, comments submitted after the board begins deliberations on relevant proposals are likely to receive less consideration than comments submitted earlier. Individuals not in attendance can submit written comments by fax to (907) 465-6094.

Training opportunity: The Boards Support Section is offering a new training course, How to be Effective at Board Meeting. The training course is open for public and advisory committee members. It will be held twice at the Mt. Eccles Elementary School in the committee breakout room, starting at 7:00 p.m. on December 2 and 3. Call Boards Support, 907-465-4110, for more information.