Performance Details

Department of Fish and Game - Boards of Fisheries and Game

• Return to Departments
• Department of Fish and Game website

Mission

The Boards Support Section facilitates an effective board and public process for the state's fish and wildlife regulatory system.

Core Services

• Ensure citizens participating in the fish and game regulatory process have clear and helpful information in advance to engage effectively.
• Provide and support an environment for board members to make effective decisions.

Mission Results

Core Services

A: The State"s fishing, hunting, and trapping regulations are developed through a high level of effective citizen participation. Details > TARGET #1: Increase the percentage of adopted proposals by the boards.

A1: Ensure citizens participating in the fish and game regulatory process have clear and helpful information in advance to engage effectively. Details > TARGET #1: Increase the number of public comments submitted during the regulatory meeting cycle. A2: Provide and support an environment for board members to make effective decisions. Details > TARGET #1: Provide a sufficient amount of time for board members to address proposals.

Performance Detail

Target #1: Increase the percentage of adopted proposals by the boards. Boards Proposals Fiscal Year BOF Total Proposals BOG Total Proposals BOF Adopted Proposals BOG Adopted Proposals FY 2024 276 212 59 94 FY 2023 193 211 66 68 FY 2022 294 244 95 88 FY 2021 276 195 1 20 FY 2020 284 171 95 76 FY 2019 182 150 61 75 FY 2018 242 166 096 96 FY 2017 282 204 102 68 FY 2016 225 143 84 39 FY 2015 278 214 90 70 Analysis of results and challenges: Analysis of results and challenges: Boards Support Section monitors the rate of proposal adoption by both boards with a target set for increasing the rate. For FY2024, the Board of Fisheries adopted 21% of its proposals and the Board of Game adopted 44%. This includes proposals submitted by state and federal agencies, board generated proposals, agenda change requests, and annual reauthorization proposals for the Board of Game. The Board of Fisheries takes up the same region, species, and uses on a three-year cycle. The regulatory topics of Board of Fisheries meetings for FY2024 were finfish in the Kodiak, Lower Cook Inlet and Upper Cook Inlet management areas. The total number of proposals considered by the board in FY2024 was 276; 59 were adopted for a proposal adoption rate of 21%. This is a decrease from the previous year (FY2023) for which the adoption rate was 34%, and a decrease from the previous two cycles at which the same topics were considered: 33% (95 of 284 proposals adopted) in FY 2020, and 36% (102 of 282 proposals adopted) in FY2017. The Board of Game is also on a three-year cycle. The regulatory topics addressed by the board during FY2024 were hunting and trapping regulations for the Western, Arctic and Interior regions of the state. The proposal adoption rate for FY2024 was 44% (94 of 212 proposals adopted) which is an increase from FY2023 which was 32% (68 of 211 proposals). In comparison to the last two cycles at which the same regulatory topics were considered, the adoption rate was the same as in FY20 at 44% (76 of 171 proposals adopted) and it increased from FY2017 which was 36% (68 of 204 proposals) in FY2017. While it is a target to increase the rate of proposal adoption, there are other important factors lending some uncertainty to an ideal “target” adoption rate. Agency proposals tend to be perfunctory in nature, ranging from clarifying management or enforcement language to improving the ability to manage within the plans. These proposals sustain a high adoption rate. Public proposals do not achieve nearly as high an adoption rate. Many proposals are duplicative or very similar. In these instances, board action on one proposal will lead to “no action” on other similar proposals. There are many other public proposals which express an opinion the board ultimately finds not in the best interest of the State. In these instances, although the proposal is not adopted, the individual or group had an important venue to further an idea and have it vetted in a public setting. Target Last Modified: 01/06/2025

Target #1: Increase the number of public comments submitted during the regulatory meeting cycle. Total Comments Submitted to Boards Fiscal Year BOF Total Comments BOG Total Comments BOF per Proposals BOG per Proposals FY 2024 1592 -22.42% 1153 +33.91% 5.8 -45.28% 5.4 +31.71% FY 2023 2052 -13.01% 861 -11.24% 10.6 +32.50% 4.1 +20.59% FY 2022 2359 +2,006.25% 970 +701.65% 8 0% 3.4 0% FY 2021 112 -93.06% 121 -89.18% 0 -100.00% 0 -100.00% FY 2020 1613 +3.73% 1118 +117.09% 5.75 -32.35% 6.5 +91.18% FY 2019 1555 -7.72% 515 -60.84% 8.5 +21.43% 3.4 -56.96% FY 2018 1685 +60.48% 1315 +72.57% 7 +89.19% 7.9 +113.51% FY 2017 1050 -13.22% 762 -0.52% 3.7 -31.48% 3.7 -31.48% FY 2016 1210 +24.87% 766 -7.04% 5.4 +54.29% 5.4 +42.11% FY 2015 969 -36.46% 824 +88.56% 3.5 -10.26% 3.8 +52.00% Analysis of results and challenges: A goal of Boards Support Section is to continue to improve the channels of communication by the public to the boards. This has been achieved to some degree by improvements in an on-line comment system that has seen rapid growth in usage in the last few years. With each meeting cycle, the number of public comments is dependent on the status of the resources and its value to users, and the more contentious issues that occur with certain subjects. The Board of Fisheries received a total of 1,592 total comments in FY2024, fewer than in FY2023 (2,052 comments). However, the number of comment submissions in FY2024 was similar to FY2020 (1,613 comments) which was the last time the same areas and topics were under consideration, and an increase from the number received for the same cycle in FY2017 (1,050 comments) The Board of Game received 1,148 total comments for the FY2024 regulatory meetings, which is an increase of 284 comments from the previous year (FY2023). The number of comments submissions for the past two meeting cycles at which the same topics were considered, increased from FY2020 (1,084 comments) and from FY2017 (762 comments). The target for increasing comment submissions was achieved when comparing the submissions for meeting cycles covering the same topics and areas (FY2024, 2020 and 2017) for the Board of Game. For the Board of Fisheries, total comment submissions decreased, however, the rate of comments per meeting day increased from previous cycles for which the same topics were considered. Target Last Modified: 01/06/2025

Target #1: Provide a sufficient amount of time for board members to address proposals. Methodology: * Includes two days for the BOF work session and one teleconference, which are excluded in the number of proposals per day and included in the number of comments per day. ** Includes one day for the BOG work session and one teleconference, which are excluded in the number of proposals per day and included in the number of comments per day. Number of Proposals and Comments per Board Meeting Day Fiscal Year BOF Meeting Days BOG Meeting Days BOF Comments/Mtg Day BOG Comments/Mtg Day BOF Proposals/Mtg Day BOG Proposals/Mtg Day FY 2024 22 -15.38% 15 +25.00% 72 0% 77 +18.46% 14 0% 15 0% FY 2023 26 -7.14% 12 -25.00% 0 -100.00% 65 +6.56% 0 -100.00% 15 0% FY 2022 28 0% 16 0% 84 0% 61 0% 11 0% 15 0% FY 2021 0 -100.00% 0 -100.00% 0 -100.00% 0 -100.00% 0 -100.00% 0 -100.00% FY 2020 23 0% 18 +38.46% 70 +2.94% 62 +55.00% 14 +55.56% 10 -23.08% FY 2019 23 -11.54% 13 -31.58% 68 +4.62% 40 -42.03% 9 -10.00% 13 +18.18% FY 2018 26 -13.33% 19 +5.56% 65 +85.71% 69 +64.29% 10 0% 11 0% FY 2017 30 +11.11% 18 +63.64% 35 -22.22% 42 -40.00% 10 +11.11% 11 -21.43% FY 2016 27 +22.73% 11 -72.50% 45 +2.27% 70 +483.33% 9 -25.00% 14 +16.67% FY 2015 22 -35.29% 40 +122.22% 44 -2.22% 12 -50.00% 12 0% 12 +20.00% Analysis of results and challenges: A final goal for Boards Support is to create an environment where board members have adequate time to review proposals, public input, and staff reports, and make informed and reasoned decisions. Over the past five meeting cycles, excluding FY2021, the Board of Game has averaged about 62 comments per meeting day, and 14 proposals per meeting day. The Board of Fisheries averaged 75 comments per meeting day and 11 proposals per meeting day. Comparing the Board of Fisheries data over the last three meeting cycles having the same topics as FY2024, the number of proposals per day increased since FY2017 which was 10 proposals/day, and remained the same as in FY2020 at 14 proposals/day. The number of comments per meeting day increased steadily since FY2017 which was 35 comments/day, 70 comments/day in FY2020, and 72 comments/day in FY2024. Comparing the Board of Game data over the last three meeting cycles having the same topics as FY2024, the number of proposals per meeting day increased since FY2017 at 10 proposals/day, 11 proposals/day in FY2020, and 15 proposals/day in FY2024. The number of comments per meeting day increased steadily which was 42 comments/day in FY2017, 60 comments/day in FY2020, and 77 comments/day in FY24. The amount of work for board members to complete during a regulatory meeting is very demanding. Board members take careful consideration of all comments and proposals. Currently, the number of board meeting days seems to be adequate, although intense. If the number of proposals were to steadily increase over time, more meeting days would be needed in order for the boards to make effective decisions. Target Last Modified: 01/06/2025

Last refreshed: 05/12/2025 12:00 pm