Surely you caught the top news story today in Alaska: the public release of thousands of e-mails from Sarah Palin's time as governor.
Deckboss couldn't resist trolling through the e-mails for something interesting.
Here's a 2008 exchange between Palin and Cora Crome, now Cora Campbell, who was fisheries adviser to Palin and now is Alaska's fish and game commissioner.
Palin mentions yours truly, who at the time was a reporter for the Anchorage Daily News.
The exchange is about processor buying limits at Bristol Bay, a rancorous subject for commercial salmon fishermen.
The Palins, of course, are Bristol Bay setnetters.
Anyway, for what's it's worth.
the fishermen, the state, the effected businesses still cannot match the power of the processors and their ability to operate with little competition from any "real buyers".
ReplyDeleteI have said it before and I will say it again. As the value of fish increases, so will the competition. In the 80's, BB was awash with cash buyers. Nothing precludes anybody from going to BB and buying fish. The idea that we should let foriegn companies come in a pay a discounted price to buy excesses not being harvested and purchased by existing processors is stupid and short sighted. The processors are buying just as much as they want. There is a great oppourtunity for buyers in BB and it is only a matter of time before someone takes advantage of it.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with anon's 5:42 free market solution is that it is not a level playing field.
ReplyDeleteThe majors are subsidized in lots of ways, for example all that free blowjob money from the AK marketing board.
It takes a lot to overcome that advantage.
Blow yourself. Problem solved.
ReplyDelete7:52 you are absolutely right. some people are always going to believe they know something about the fish business. a business that has most fishermen taking it in both ends.
ReplyDeleteCome On!
ReplyDeleteTrip limits are implemented when catch numbers are so big that all the plants and floating processors are plugged and can't handle any more fish until they catch up.
The buyers know that they loose fisheman when they set limits and believe me they don't like that.
the trip/day limits are proof that inadequate processing capacity exists. doesn't match processor annual pre-season capacity claims to the state that they can handle the catch. which in turn, with this claim alone, has kept interested parties from coming in to relieve the fishermen during these times. this has been going on for years from b.b. to s.e. and even ex-gov. palin could not change it. no one loses fishermen during set limits, because every processor is plugged and they cannot go anywhere. 6:38 you are way off.
ReplyDelete