The Alaska Board of Fisheries will be back in Anchorage to meet March 6-9  at the Egan Civic and Convention Center.

The proposed agenda is smaller than many board meetings, but there’s time allotted for the public to comment on a variety of issues.

The Board is also expected to take up proposed changes for rockfish, to require deepwater release devices for most or all saltwater anglers.

During this four day public meeting, the board will meet to consider 28 proposals regarding statewide Dungeness crab, shrimp, other miscellaneous shellfish, and supplemental 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 March 6. Any person intending to testify must sign up at the meeting site at the Egan Convention Center in Anchorage. The tentative deadline for signing up is 11:00am on Tuesday, March 6. 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. See http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=process.comments for details on public comment. Public comments submitted by February 23 will be included in the board’s workbook before the meeting. After February 23, 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 throughout the board meeting.

During the meeting, written public comments from any one individual or group may be submitted by hand delivery at any time if 22 copies are provided. 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.

Individuals not in attendance can submit written comments by fax to (907) 465-6094.