Fisheries

State and federal agencies are readying boom and preparing to haze birds as the 96-foot Challenger is raised as early as Sunday.

The governor’s office said the reorganization will save the state more than $1.3 million a year.

“Our goal was to not have anybody laid off. I don’t know that we’ll make that,” said Deputy Commissioner Kevin Brooks.

The new rule won’t go into effect until late 2016 at the earliest, but importers would have to track where fish were caught, the type of gear used and where it was landed.

For 40 years, someone from Bristol Bay has sat on the state Board of Fisheries. Next fall, that might not be the case.

Commissioners approved a coastwide catch of 29,890,000 pounds for 2016. That’s an increase of 2.2 percent from last year’s limits.