This just in from the governor's office:
April 23, 2010
Gov. Parnell Announces Board of Fisheries Appointment
ANCHORAGE — Gov. Sean Parnell today named Mike Smith to the state Board of Fisheries.
Smith, of Fairbanks, has worked for the Tanana Chiefs Conference for 20 years in a variety of positions related to fisheries and resources, and currently serves as the organization's director of subsistence resources.
He has been a subsistence and commercial fisherman in the Interior and has gained experience in fisheries management issues as a member of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council's Bering Sea Salmon Bycatch Workgroup, the Yukon River Panel Technical Committee, the Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim Sustainable Salmon Initiative, and the Western Arctic Salmon Stock Identification Program.
Smith also has served as a state legislative aide and as a member of the Fairbanks Community Health Corp. and Fairbanks Habitat for Humanity.
Smith will begin service immediately, completing the remainder of the term formerly filled by Janet Woods, which runs through June 30, 2012. His appointment will be subject to legislative confirmation.
The seven-member Board of Fisheries is responsible for conservation and development of the state's fishery resources by setting seasons, bag limits, methods and means for the state's subsistence, commercial, sport, guided sport and personal-use fisheries. The board sets fishery management policy and makes allocation decisions for the Department of Fish and Game to implement.
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18 comments:
major league sellout.
now there is one or 2 guys who use hooks or nets on the BOF>
this BOF is the worst in decades.
Just look at the appointment, of Vince Webster, what a classic for the Naknek River Harvest Allocation procedure used in the December meeting???
It's great, when your the Chairman, and you have your friends vote for your back pocket, so you can stuff your personal fishery's allocation number from the other user group to yourself?
Sara Palin's, husband's dream.
Vince Webster!
Of course those illegal allocation questions, also always confuses the Board of Inbreads, shown best with their legal council, in Chignik too!
Inbreads, from the Alaska Department of Law, shown best with guided stupidity Lance Nelson, flunking law school 101, a requirement to represent to BOF.
It's another hatchery program of inbreads.
Of course we all know Wood's, who screwed her native brethren in the Kuskokwim, with her great inability to read the study explaining the 40% explotation rate of Kuskowkim bound fish, intercepted in Togiak.
Hopefully this Tanana Chief, won't be as stupid as the current BOF.
Support Sustainability in Stupidity and you too can become a BOF member.
The Perfect Habitat for Parnell's Administration, just another lawyer, who had to go into politics cause he couldent make it as a lawyer.
Just like Vince Webster, who couldent make it in Bristol Bay Set Netting, he had to go into politic's to steal allocation from the real fishermen.
Hey Wesley--Maybe you should dig in the record a bit, and find out if Mike Smith even supports the idea of the State of Alaska managing its fishery resources. I suspect you'd find out he doesn't. As a long-time advocate for Tanana Chiefs, I'd guess he's on record as supporting Federal management over Alaska, and not just for subsistence.
This is a dismal appointment, and bad news for any commercial fisherman who happens to fish in saltwater. Another knife in the back from Anchorage Republicans, in this case the Republican happens to be Governor.
I know Mike Smith supports the concept of sustainable fisheries and worked very hard to try to get the unrestricted mesh size reduced on the Yukon because of its long term impact on the age class structure of Yukon Kings.
It is a good appointment from the Fairbanks area. He is knowledgable about the Yukon and salmon issues.
BTW, with this appointment five of the seven current BOF members have had or now have Alaska CFEC permits or participated in seafood processing.
Does anyone NOT support the concept of sustainable fisheries? But, its great to know Mr. Smith does too. I still would like to know if he would support the Feds running the show here in Alaska...I'd guess yes.
Mike Smith did not support unrestricted mesh size for harvest of Yukon kings, which ADFG, BOF and the Federal Subsistence Board have recognized as an important fishery conservation issue on the Yukon. Hardly a mandate for the Feds running the whole show in Alaska.
But if you really want to look at a prep rally for the Feds running the whole show here in Alaska, look no further than United Cook Inlet Drift Association(UCIDA).
UCIDA certainly supports Federal management of salmon fisheries in Alaska - they are in Federal Court suing the Feds and State to have a federal takeover of salmon fisheries in Alaska.
That is not a guess or wild speculation - it is an active case in the Federal court system.
UCIDA is suing because its non-resident commercial fishermen can't participate in the resident only state fisheries, which UCIDA finds discriminatory.
If the court finds for UCIDA and invalidates resident-only fisheries in Alaska, it would have a cascading impact on many fisheries across the state, including both state and federal resident-only fisheries for subsistence and personal use.
That would mean no Federal subsistence for fish and game for rural residents on Federal public lands, no federal subsistence fishery for halibut, no state personal use fisheries on the Copper, Kenai, Kasilof rivers, no state personal use fisheries for herring,shrimp,crab and other shellfish, no state subsistence fisheries on the Copper, Yukon and Kuskokwim.
That is what is on the table currently in Federal court, because UCIDA doesn't think it is fair that the federal and state governments allow for resident-only fisheries in Alaska.
At this particular UCIDA prep rally, it is claimed that while UCIDA's non-resident members on a good day can harvest between 500 to 1,000 salmon using their limited entry gear, not being able to participate in a personal use fishery in Cook Inlet (head of household permit for 25 salmon) is somehow draconian, unfair, unjust and donwright just plain unAmerican.
In the world view of UCIDA, somehow an Alaskan limited entry permit for salmon that allows for an unlimited number of fish to be harvested doesn't give UCIDA's non-resident members adequate access to the resource.
For at least one commercial fishing group in Alaska, resident-only fisheries in Alaska are a horrible way to manage the salmon resources in the state - because only about 97% of all salmon in the state is harvested in commercial fisheries.
UCIDA is a member of UFA.
Are all the other commercial fishing organizations in UFA on board with the UCIDA prep rally for the Feds running the whole show here in Alaska?
So if you are concerned about the Feds running the whole show in Alaska, why not focus on a real subject that has the power to infect and seriously impact every fishing community in Alaska - UCIDA's lawsuit.
I doubt that UFA is supporting UCIDA's lawsuit, but I don't know for sure.
Both UCIDA and KPFA have a long history of flailing away in the courts with, oftentimes, suits that border on frivolous. Sometimes they may raise a good point, but usually not.
UFA and UFA groups, while supporting UCIDA in it's endeavors under the state system, DO NOT EVER support return of a single fish currently managed by the state---- to Federal Management.
UCIDA is on it's own on this one.
I don't even see KPFA over there, although this board apointment might send them looking for any "otherworldy" management.
Hard to blame them.
There's an agenda here.
But yeah, hard to blame Mike Smith's Obama-Federal-anti-STATE bias if you are in an illfated, loser lawsuit with the state to do just the same.
I wouldn't want to go to the Kenai Peninsula or Cordova after this appointment.
We'll see just how big the Gov's cahoney's are.
Those folks might right now be asking themselves, WWRD or WWED or WWHD.
Probably not much different.
Technically there are few commfish folk on the board.
If you took all the fish they caught last year, I bet I could eat them. In fact I'll bet some of the sportfish guys caught almost as much as the commfish guys on that board.
Bottom line. Mike Smith has experience. Mike Smith had better be fair and watch his decision making because UDIDA's attorneys-- along with the rest of the state-- are probably going to be combing his every move once they jettison their stupid lawsuit.
Also good to see another Fairbanks person.
Now for Kodiak folks for the mining commission, Ketchikan folks for the oil and gas commission, and Adak folks for the Valley grange.
When is the state going to figure the f%%^ out that 90% of the Board of Fish decisions are "blue water" decisions---- crab seasons, sizes, cod, pink salmon, chum salmon, commercal sockeye, etc etc......
Fairbanks needs a consistent BOF seat like a hole in the head. Geez, how far is Talkeetna from Fairbanks anyways. Wasn't that where the last card-carrying, anti-commercial biased Parnell board member came from just last month???
Likewise, if the commfish guy starts to come out biased against my sport business, he or she should be removed as well.
They can vote one way or the other but how much in the "bag" do people have to be.
Let us just hope that Mr. Smith is fair when he goes to the Board meetings.
OH. And JT> I know you keep hating Webster, but geez, Vince is one of the actual commfish guys. He probaby did fish last year.
I doubt he is rigged against the setnetters. They should be his neighbors and closest allies.
But you commfish guys usually have a penchant for eating your young so go on and feaset.
Just like the new kid at NMFS?
Eat your Young? Nature always has, especially the mentally defective. It's been a natural cycle for thousands of years.
"It was an honor to lead NOAA Fisheries for the last two years. Now it's good to be home where I can be part of managing Alaska's world-class fisheries and of conserving Alaska's species and habitat," Balsiger said.
Isn't it great, a new investigation by another corruption king from Alaska after 2years in Washington?
Just go shred those documents, for tghose upcoming House and Senate Hearing's on the Dr.'s best friend and corruption specialist Dale Jones.
Shredding NMFS files?
Trickey Dick liked that one too, 8 missing minutes, and a Greek Vice President too!
It would be hard for me to imagine a more racist, unbalanced, myopic trouble maker than Mike Smith. To sit quietly for an hour on a plane in the seat in front of him and Julie Kitka, listening to them rant and rave - was a lesson in bigotry and ignorance I won't ever forget. How someone like that gets on the board of fish is an insult to the process by any standard. And worse - if one can imagine - than the myopic self centeredness of former judge carl johnstone who also graces this disgraceful boards
Hard to understand this appointment. Beyond common sense and good judgement. Even the people who live on the Yukon are very disappoimted in this appointment,including those represented by TCC
Mike Smith - a guy who lives in Fairbanks and drives a motorcycle, advocates Federal control of State fisheries, picked to represent the subsistence interests of rural Alaskans. Yeah right.
This is nothing but a sell out for votes during an election year by Parnell and his cronies, Cora Crome and Mollar. The very people who were picked to look out for the interests of ALL Alaskans, - especially those that actually live on the Yukon. Parnell picks Smith who advocates Federal control of State fisheries...more votes in Fairbanks than on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.
The line has been drawn.
Re: Anonymous @ April 28, 2010 10:24 AM.
Regarding UCIDA's lawsuit, UCIDA is not serving on the Alaska Board of Fisheries, Mr. Smith is. I think that one who serves on a State of Alaska regulatory body should actually support State management authority. Crazy talk, I know. And, he should actually have some sort of respect for the agency that manages the resource. Smith despises the Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game and makes no secret of it. Will he listen to their biological advice? One wonders.
Is the talent pool that shallow in Fairbanks that this is the best the Interior can seat on the Board?
On Federal public lands in Alaska, the Federal Subsistence Board regulates subsistence hunting and fishing. That is the law.
On the Yukon River, there is a mosaic of both state lands and federal lands, hence joint fishery management by both the BOF and the FSB.
For many, many years, up river residents along the Yukon pointed out the problems with allowing unrestricted mesh size in the harvest of Yukon kings, an international treaty fish.
They advocated for a mesh size restriction at 6 or 6 1/2 inch mesh size, so as not to tip the harvest of kings disproportionately towards the largest, most fecund age / size class.
For years, there has been a downward trend for ASL of kings on the Yukon, which neither the BOF or ADFG wanted to acknowledge as real or significant.
Hence, up river users like Mr. Smith pushed on the Federal level at the FSB to enact mesh size restriction on the Yukon river.
The FSB had deferred to the BOF to enact mesh regulations, and this past year it did so with a 7 1/2" mesh restriction, which most likely have the unintended effect of targeted harvest on the next largest ASL class.
So in the past there were years of unrestricted mesh size, which hit disproportionately the largest age class of fish; now that those fish are pretty much gone, mesh size restriction at 7 1/2" will target the next largest remaining ASL class, so it too can most likely be disproportionately harvested over the next few decades. The end effect being having runts run up and down the Yukon.
Yes, Mr. Smith and many other upper river Yukon users sought Federal management action on the unrestricted mesh size for Yukon kings, as a point of fishery conservation.
Call it crazy for them wanting some big kings to head up river now and then, but that is how some people view the push to put reasonable mesh size restrictions on Yukon commercial and subsistence harvests of kings along the Yukon.
Which, oh by the way, is exactly what the state's sustainable salmon policy calls for - the prevention of disproportionate harvests of an age class respective to the overall run.
Mr. Smith will have no trouble understanding the state's sustainable salmon policy - for many years, he has been arguing for the BOF and ADFG to do just that.
At the end of the day, that is exactly what a BOF member should be doing.
Now that the Rapid Research Center, with the official motto of:"Manipulating Data to Suit Our Needs" weighed in on this,one has to ask where is all of Mike Smith's support?
Use distorted information instead of real science.
Sell your consience for votes.
This deal stinks and everyone involved, including Smith knows it.
I, of course, a newcomer to this blog, but the author does not agree
In principle, a good happen, support the views of the author
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