21 Mar 2018 Special Harvest Areas Cost Recovery Access Licensing
Southern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association
2018 Special Harvest Areas Cost Recovery Access Licensing
Download pdf: Neets Bay, Klawock, Snow Pass and Whitman RFP Packet 2018.final
Download pdf maps: Neets Bay SHA Klawock SHA
RFP Packet
Request for Proposals
on 7 Lots of Salmon:
- Neets Bay Summer Chum and Chinook
- Neets Bay Fall Chum and Coho
- Neets Bay Egg Take Carcasses
- Burnett Inlet Egg Take Carcasses
- Klawock River Coho
- Snow Pass Summer Coho
- Whitman Lake Chinook and Coho
General Information:
1. SSRAA is a non-profit corporation dedicated to enhancing the traditional salmon fishing industry of Southeast Alaska. As part of SSRAA’s cost recovery program, the corporation is seeking proposals for the licensing rights to harvest chum, chinook and coho salmon at: the Neets Bay Special Harvest Area (SHA); the Klawock River SHA; Burnett Inlet Hatchery; and raceways at Neck Creek (Snow Pass) and Whitman Lake Hatchery in the summer and fall of 2018. The winning licensee(s) will enter into licensing agreements for the right to harvest cost recovery fish in the SHAs and will supply all harvest and tender boats needed for the saltwater harvest. For the primary Klawock River harvest, at the river weir, SSRAA personnel will capture and bleed cost recovery fish, with the licensee responsible for providing slush totes and transportation. Similar to the Klawock situation, at Neck Lake (Snow Pass) and Whitman Lake, SSRAA will capture, bleed and slush round fish for transport.
There will be seven distinct lots of fish available, described in the following pages:
Lot 1: Neets Bay Summer Chum and Chinook
Lot 2: Neets Bay Fall Chum and Coho
Lot 3: Neets Bay Egg Take Carcasses
Lot 4: Burnett Inlet Egg Take Carcasses
Lot 5: Klawock River Coho
Lot 6: Snow Pass Summer Coho
Lot 7: Whitman Lake Chinook and Coho
2. A prospective licensee may propose on any or all of these lots of fish.
3. Based on the 2018 return forecasts, SSRAA anticipates licensing all the above returns for harvest. The aggregate SSRAA revenue goal for these components is $6,975,000. The 2018 harvest forecast suggests that sufficient fish will be available for cost recovery harvest to meet the goal.
4. If, however, the revenue and broodstock goals are met sometime during the summer, the SSRAA licensee(s) cost recovery harvest operations at Neets Bay may cease and common property fishery rotations would begin.
5. SSRAA will be collecting broodstock during some cost recovery periods. The approximate numbers of fish and timing of brood collection are noted within the description of each lot. During these periods, the SSRAA harvest manager will direct and coordinate the cost recovery activities to minimize conflict between broodstock collection and cost recovery harvest within the SHA or raceway.
6. For SSRAA’s broodstock collection requirements at Neets Bay, the licensee’s summer or fall chum harvest vessel(s) might be separately contracted by SSRAA for limited use in putting broodstock over the barrier net. This division of work for the harvest boat has been satisfactory to all parties in previous seasons, and the availability of this shared vessel might be considered in our bid evaluation.
7. The ability and commitment to harvest and transport the maximum poundage of fish available is critical. The winning licensee will be required to handle the entire anticipated harvestable volume of fish returning to the SHAs/raceways up to the amount of SSRAA’s harvest (i.e. revenue) goal.
8. Proposals from prospective licensees should be submitted on the form contained in this packet. All proposals must be received at SSRAA offices (not postmarked) no later than 4:00 PM, April 17, 2018.
9. SSRAA will accept proposals submitted by regular mail, courier service, hand delivery, or email. Proposals must be sent to:
Southern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association
14 Borch Street
Ketchikan, Alaska 99901
You may contact David Landis or Bret Hiatt at SSRAA with any questions or to confirm receipt of submitted proposal: (907) 225-9605; davidl@ssraa.org or breth@ssraa.org
- Please provide a single price per round pound for chum salmon bids. Separate prices for summer and fall chum are acceptable. A tiered price with several grades for chinook and coho is acceptable; sample grading categories are included in the form on Bid Page 3. Do not include profit sharing or post-season adjustments in your proposal.
- The Lot 3 and 4 licensee(s) will pay all tendering costs for egg take carcasses.
- It will be the responsibility of the successful licensee(s) to provide harvest boats and tenders or other transportation that can accomplish the job in the most efficient manner possible, and during a period of time and place of harvest as determined by SSRAA. In the qualifications section, please outline your plan for harvest/tendering/transportation capacity, including the names of the harvest boats (and skippers if possible) and tenders planned to be used. As stated previously in paragraph 6 above, SSRAA may also require access to a shared harvest boat for broodstock. In reference to the lots which require over-the-road transportation, please indicate your plans and expectations for handling this aspect of the work.
- Reference is made to 5 AAC 40.043 and 5 AAC 33.370 (Neets Bay SHA and THA) and 5 AAC 40.051 (Klawock Inlet and River SHA) for the licensee to determine cost recovery boundaries, gear types, etc. in addition to potential rotational fisheries occurring in the Neets Bay THA.
- All proposers should be aware that proposal details may be discussed among members of SSRAA’s board of directors in executive session. Beyond this possible executive session, confidentiality of proposals will be maintained until September 1, 2018 at which time winning bid prices will be disclosed to those who contact the SSRAA General Manager.
- Measures will be taken to avoid and/or mitigate conflicts of interest or potential conflicts of interest with directors and/or employees of SSRAA.
- SSRAA reserves the right to reject any or all proposals received; to negotiate different terms and conditions which may differ from the initial proposals received; and to award any access licensing contracts in a manner which is determined to be the most beneficial to SSRAA.
- This process is for single year bids for summer/fall 2018 on Lots 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7. Lots 3 and 4 (Neets Bay and Burnett Inlet carcasses) may be proposed for multiple years as an option.
Thank you for your interest.
Lot 1: Neets Bay Summer Chum and Chinook
General Information
Neets Bay Hatchery is SSRAA’s highest-volume hatchery and summer/fall chum broodstock collection site, remotely located approx. 45 air miles north of Ketchikan. Neets Bay also releases large numbers of coho and chinook from the hatchery site.
Lot 1 is a June 30th through approximately August 30th fishery to target the bulk of SSRAA’s cost recovery summer chum, along with incidental chinook. The Lot 1 fishery will end when all the harvestable summer chums have been caught, and some portion of the SHA may be opened to common property rotations if broodstock and revenue goals are met. The SSRAA budget includes a $2.0 million cost recovery offset grant for common property opportunity. This will be applied to Neets Bay chum rotations/troll target. If the grant is not received, $2.0 million will be added to the Neets Bay revenue goal and an estimated 154,000 additional chum will be available for cost recovery.
The first priority for SSRAA will be to meet the summer chum broodstock goal of about 130,000 fish. Broodstock is collected from about July 18 through the first week of August – and possibly longer if the egg take goal is not easily met. Most harvest occurs at the same time and in essence is part of broodstock management. Harvest also occurs prior to broodstock collection and can occur after the egg take is completed if the revenue goal has not been met.
All fishing in the SHA will be managed daily by the SSRAA Harvest Manager. All cost recovery fishing will take place east of the easternmost point of Bug Island in the SSRAA SHA, as outlined in 5AAC 40.043. An approximate map of the Neets Bay SHA is included in this packet for reference.
The average annual summer chum weight averages 10 pounds. For summer chum, historically the peak abundance in the inner bay is between July 25 and August 7.
Neets Bay Chinook generally average between 16 and 20 pounds. Chinook condition will reflect the timing of harvest, with brighter fish early.
2018 Forecast
SSRAA has forecast a total return for Neets Bay summer chum at 1,347,900 fish. After expected common property interception, chum troll harvest, June rotations, cost recovery offset rotations and broodstock are accounted for, the remaining harvest available for cost recovery harvest is estimated at 476,300 fish.
SSRAA has forecast a total return for Neets Bay chinook at 18,100 fish. After expected common property interception and June rotations are accounted for, the remaining chinook available for cost recovery harvest is estimated at 6,053 fish. Brood chinook are not taken at Neets Bay.
Lot 2: Neets Bay Fall Chum and Coho
General Information
Neets Bay Hatchery is SSRAA’s highest-volume hatchery facility and summer/fall chum broodstock collection site, remotely located approximately 45 air miles north of Ketchikan. Neets Bay also releases large numbers of coho and chinook from this site.
Lot 2 is an approximately September 1st to late September fishery, conducted after the June rotations and Lot 1 fisheries are concluded. The expected volume for Lot 2 is contingent on meeting overall revenue and broodstock needs: It is likely this harvest will involve some opportunity early in September as we are managing the SHA for broodstock collection. These opportunities may be for a limited and relatively small (i.e. tender load) number of fish. In most years, fall coho are available during the period when fall chum broodstock is being collected, but that is not certain; the abundance of coho varies dramatically from year to year, as does the abundance of fall chum.
The average fall chum weighs about 8 pounds. The average fall coho weighs between 9 and 10 pounds. This bid will represent a harvest opportunity rather than a harvest goal, as the fish are incidentally harvested while collecting broodstock (i.e. seine sets with excess coho or male chum).
If broodstock, egg take, and revenue goals are met, cost recovery harvest will end and the SHA may be open to common property rotational fisheries. In any case, SSRAA will make every attempt to collect broodstock and eggs as quickly as possible.
During the process of broodstock management for fall chum, SSRAA puts mixed coho/fall chum schools across the Neets Bay barrier net. During this process, excess coho may be available for sorting and harvest as part of Lot 2. Excess coho are also available from the raceways during broodstock management. These processes are highly variable and will be negotiated with the successful licensee of either Lot 2 or Lot 3.
2018 Forecast
SSRAA has forecast a total return for Neets Bay fall chum at 59,400 fish. After expected interception and broodstock are accounted for, the remaining harvest available for cost recovery harvest is estimated at 40,000 fish.
SSRAA has forecast a total return for Neets Bay coho at 82,716 fish. After expected interception is accounted for, the remaining harvest available for cost recovery harvest is estimated at 24,815 fish.
Lot 3: Neets Bay Egg Take Carcasses
General Information
Neets Bay summer chum: SSRAA anticipates taking summer chum eggs daily from approximately July 25 until at least mid-August – when the egg take goal is met. This will involve about 130,000 fish, plus or minus.
Male chum carcasses are whole while female carcasses are cut with the roe removed. There are typically 6 to 10 buckets each day of skeined roe not suitable for incubation purposes which are available in this Lot. The licensee will provide buckets and ice for this purpose if recoverable roe is desired.
Egg take is done daily through this period and involves 40,000 to 80,000 pounds a day delivered by trailer from the egg take station to a tender at the standing dock at Neets Bay. Tenders must be present to receive carcasses throughout a daily egg take period.
Several totes of ice may be required daily to ice the carcasses as they are moved from the egg take station to the tender. There may be some chinook carcasses mixed with these fish.
Neets Bay fall chum: The fall chum egg take takes place from about September 10 to at least the 20th, though it could end sooner if the fish cooperate. The fall chum egg take involves about 40,000 fish from all SSRAA sites. A large portion of these brood fish may be taken at Burnett Inlet Hatchery if they can be, but Burnett’s fall brood program is not proven at this point in time.
Male chum carcasses are whole while female carcasses are cut with the roe removed.
There may be some excess coho carcasses mixed with these fish. The coho may have some marketable food value, and SSRAA will work with the licensee of either Lot 2 or Lot 3 to maximize the value of these carcasses upon request and agreement.
Lot 4: Burnett Inlet Egg Take Carcasses
General Information
Burnett Inlet summer and fall chum: Burnett Inlet Hatchery is located on Etolin Island approximately 70 miles north of Ketchikan. SSRAA is increasing both summer and fall chum production at Burnett, and in 2018 it is likely that there will be a quantity of both summer and fall chum carcasses to be removed.
Since this is a new possibility for carcasses with no history or effective forecast, SSRAA may also seek a dialog with the successful Neets Bay carcass licensee as to if and how this carcass removal can be accomplished. It is SSRAA’s desire to resolve this matter pre-season in a cooperative fashion.
Lot 5: Klawock River Coho
General Information
The Klawock River Hatchery is a 5 million-egg coho facility located on the Prince of Wales Island road system. At the hatchery, which is located approximately 2 miles from open saltwater, a weir and series of raceways allow hatchery personnel to remove and place bled fish into slush totes. The licensee will be responsible for providing the ice and totes to the site on a daily basis, as well as transporting the full totes from the site.
In terms of run timing for cost recovery harvest typically starts in late August and ends in mid-October. Retuning Klawock coho are typically graded as bright, blush or redskin fish. It is typical to have, 80+% bright or blush. The size of Klawock coho generally average 6-7 pounds, in 2017 the average was 6.2 pounds.
Although the Klawock hatchery is the primary harvest location, the Klawock Inlet and River SHA also includes a saltwater harvest area where conventional cost recovery with seine gear can take place. Brighter coho may be available in the saltwater portion of the SHA. ADF&G escapement goals for other species such as sockeye and pink salmon may limit the timeframe in which harvest is allowed in saltwater. Typically, access may be granted to harvest in saltwater by ADF&G after other species escapement is deemed adequate. There may or may not be opportunity to fish and likely that opportunity would be very limited.
Refer to 5 AAC 40.051 (Klawock Inlet and River SHA) to determine cost recovery boundaries, gear types, and other restrictions.
An approximate map of the Klawock Inlet and River SHA is included in this packet for reference.
2018 Forecast
SSRAA has forecast a total return for Klawock River coho at 224,050 fish. After expected interception and broodstock are accounted for, the remaining harvest available for cost recovery harvest is estimated at 63,000 fish.
Lot 6: Snow Pass Summer Coho
General Information
The Neck Lake harvest facility is located on Neck Creek, about 2 miles from the community of Whale Pass on Prince of Wales Island. Water from Neck Lake flows through a pipeline and into a single large raceway below the barrier falls where the fish are held until they are harvested. SSRAA personnel remove and place bled fish into slush totes at the raceway. The licensee will be responsible for providing the ice and totes to the site on a periodic basis, as well as transporting the full totes from the site.
The Neck Lake summer coho stock is unique, originating from Reflection Lake, one of several small stocks of these fish in southeast Alaska. They return to lake systems like a sockeye, and hold in the deep cooler waters of a lake. They spawn at the same time the far more common fall coho, in October or November. Summer coho are also unique in that they enter freshwater with high fat content and “set” scales. Related to harvest, they are generally in better condition when caught than a fall coho. In past years, SSRAA has marketed them with the trade name “Snow pass Coho”, and they are sometimes marketed in the Pacific Northwest (including Seattle’s Pike Street Fish Market) that way.
In terms of run timing for cost recovery harvest typically starts in early to mid-July and ends at the end of August. Retuning Snow Pass summer coho are almost universally bright. The size of Snow Pass summer coho generally average about 6 pounds, in 2017 the average was 5.7 pounds.
Broodstock for these fish will be taken at Whitman Lake Hatchery in Ketchikan.
2018 Forecast
SSRAA has forecast a total return for Snow Pass summer coho at 55,100 fish. After expected interception and broodstock are accounted for, the remaining harvest available for cost recovery harvest is estimated at 23,500 fish.
Lot 7: Whitman Lake Chinook and Coho
General Information
Whitman Lake Hatchery is a large production facility for chum, chinook and coho salmon located on the Ketchikan road system approximately 8 miles from city limits. This is a central eggtake and incubation facility for coho and chinook. The chum salmon incubated here are all transported and released at remote sites. In 2018, we will have the addition of summer coho broodstock for the first time at the facility as well. We expect that there will be limited harvest potential for excess summer coho at the same time as excess chinook are harvested from the raceways.
Since this site is a primary location for eggtake and incubation, the harvest opportunity is limited and variable.
At the hatchery, which is situated at tidewater, fish recruit directly into raceways, where they hold until a harvestable quantity has accumulated. Broodstock is managed at the same time for sex ratio and genetic diversity across the run. Hatchery personnel then remove, bleed and place bled fish into slush totes. The licensee will be responsible for providing ice and totes to the site on a periodic basis, as well as transporting the full totes from the site. SSRAA will consider delivering full totes to a road system location if required.
In terms of run timing for cost recovery harvest from the raceway, chinook and summer coho typically start in mid-June and ends in mid to late July for chinook and as long as late August for summer coho. Retuning Whitman chinook grading is variable depending on broodstock needs and yearly run timing. The summer coho are quite unique with their universal brightness, tight scales, high fat content and early market timing. These fish have carried the “Snow Pass Coho” trade name in past years.
Run timing for raceway harvest of fall coho is essentially the month of September, although the last harvest is sometimes conducted as late as mid-October.
2018 Forecast
SSRAA has forecast a total return for Whitman Lake chinook at 12,300 fish. After expected interception and broodstock are accounted for, the remaining harvest available for cost recovery harvest is estimated at 1,500 fish.
The fall coho forecast is for a total return of 20,650 fish. After expected interception and broodstock are accounted for, the remaining harvest available for cost recovery harvest is estimated at 2,000 fish. Since the summer coho program at Whitman Lake is for broodstock only, there is no separate forecast for this component. Therefore, the volume of excess summer coho should be considered as incidental.
BID FORM Page 1
Southern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association
2018 SHA and Raceway Cost Recovery Access Licensing
Instructions for bidders:
Please complete both pages of this bid form, sign and date it, and submit to SSRAA along with a cover letter by 4:00 PM April 17, 2018. Use the sections on Page 3 for any narrative.
Name of Bidding Firm
Mailing address City State Zip code
Name of Contact Person Telephone number
Amount of bid(s):
Lot 1: Neets Bay Summer $_____________ per round pound summer chum
Chum and Chinook
$_____________ per round pound chinook
Lot 2: Neets Bay Fall $_____________ per round pound fall chum
Chum and Coho
$_____________ per round pound coho
Lot 3: Neets Bay $_____________ per round pound
Egg Take Carcasses
Any marketable coho carcasses TBD by negotiation
Lot 4: Burnett Inlet $_____________ per round pound
Egg Take Carcasses
BID FORM Page 2
Southern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association
2018 SHA and Raceway Cost Recovery Access Licensing
Lot 5: Klawock River Coho $_____________ per round pound brite coho
$_____________ per round pound blush coho
$_____________ per round pound redskin coho
Lot 6: Snow Pass Summer Coho $_____________ per round pound brite coho
Lot 7: Whitman Lake $_____________ per round pound GMC chinook
Chinook and Coho
$_____________ per round pound pale chinook
$_____________ per round pound summer coho
$_____________ per round pound fall coho
BID FORM Page 3
Southern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association
2018 SHA and Raceway Cost Recovery Access Licensing
QUALIFICATIONS
Harvest and tendering (or ground transportation, for Lots 5, 6 and 7 bids) plan:
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Harvest boat(s) and skippers (for Lots 1-3):
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Tenders to be used (for Lots 1-3):
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Signature of authorized representative Title
Printed name Date signed