Kodiak – Earlier today, Alaska Governor Bill Walker announced the appointment of V. Fate Putman to the Alaska Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission (CFEC). Putman will fill the seat being vacated by Benjamin Brown. Putman will serve the remainder of Brown’s term, which expires in early March of 2019.
Here’s the “good” and bad news about dipnetting on the Kenai this year. And when it comes to information resources that might help you, of course, there’s an app for that. The way I see it, the primary rule is to protect future runs, and sometimes that means fishing closures when the runs are weak.
As you likely know, the House passed the FY18 budget late last week. The highlights included fully-funding education, just $8-million in cuts to University of Alaska, restoring Pre-K funding and a larger PFD than the Senate proposed, while still cutting the budget by close to $100 million from last year. These and other compromises happened to avert shutdown of our state government.
First off, I want to wish everyone a Happy Easter! Secondly, the agenda for this e-news is: an update on fisheries bills, followed by some Kodiak and Yakutat student artwork, and finally an update on budget issues.
Juneau – On Monday, Representative Louise Stutes (R-Kodiak) introduced House Bill 199, the “Wild Salmon Legacy Act.” The bill updates Alaska’s fish habitat protection and permitting law to create a balanced and efficient permitting system that protects Alaska’s wild salmon runs, promotes responsible development, and gives Alaskans a greater voice in major permitting decisions that impact wild salmon streams.
Juneau – For the past three years, Alaskans who rely on dipnetting sockeye salmon from the Kenai River have been blocked from fishing after July 31st, which denies them a fair chance at catching their limit of fish. The sockeye salmon runs have been arriving later in the season, which results in a substantial part of the Kenai River run entering the river after the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has closed the dipnet fishery. At the same time, commercial fishermen have been allowed to take advantage of continued strong returns well into August.
JUNEAU—Today, Representatives Les Gara (D-Anchorage) and Dan Ortiz (I-Ketchikan) called on the State to prevent the destruction of wild salmon spawning and rearing waters on the prized Chuitna River near Tyonek. The Canadian company PacRim Coal proposes to dredge and dewater an 11 mile stretch of the Middle Fork of the Chuitna River. PacRim Coal plans to sell the coal from the Chuitna River streambed to China.
And we’re back! My staff has to savagely beat me with a wet noodle to properly motivate me to peck out these newsletters. We sure have something to write about this time: fish! Alaska’s favorite political bloodsport. (We’ll get back to regularly scheduled legislative programming soon.)
