Monday, April 15, 2013

The politics of scallops and hair crab

State legislators wrapped up their 90-day session late Sunday, having spent most of their time on oil and gas issues.

Later this week, Deckboss hopes to write up a brilliant summary of the fisheries-related action in Juneau.

Here's one quick note for now.

Controversial legislation to extend limited entry for Alaska's weathervane scallop and Korean hair crab fisheries failed to pass the full Legislature.

Both are small fisheries, and hair crab actually has been closed for quite a few years.

These are the only fisheries in which permits are assigned to vessels, not people. Some legislators really disagree with that.

Scallopers lobbied hard, and the Senate did pass a bill, SB 54.

Resistance in the House, however, ultimately stymied things.

And so, at the end of the year, limited entry for the scallop and hair crab fisheries will expire.

Open access might be short-lived, however, as the legislation remains alive for the next session beginning in January 2014.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

The rest of the story.

CFEC tries to give the scallop fishery to some nonresidents who own practically the whole fishery.

They lobby for a illegal move that hitches the scallop law on to a unrelated bill that sends money to small towns in AK.

The whole thing blows up in there face. Collateral damage. They lose the scallop bill and take econ development down with it.

Before they turn in resignation slips COME TO KODIAK AND EXPLAIN YOURSELFS

Anonymous said...

More like a bill that had 59-1 support and that has a ten year track record got scuttled by Paul seaton because he is a dink

Anonymous said...

The kodiak scallopers will lose their permit too

This is about seatons naked ambition

Anonymous said...

Your right.

Seaton has blind ambition.

To keep a crew of corporate guys from Seattle from owning almost a whole Alaska fishery.

This is small compared to oil but its the same thing. Industry over Alaskans. Butt kissing over public resource.

Anonymous said...

635 poster is Paul seaton

Saving the scallops from the scallopers
Saving them for imaginary small boat guys
Taking away the Harringtons permit they just bought

Anonymous said...

House voted 37-1 with Seaton. He must be a persuasive SOB.

Bill knew his permit could evaporate in 2013 when he bought it. Hope he didn't pay much for it. But you know what? He still gets to fish just like always even after 2013.

Anonymous said...

Senate voted 20-0 against seaton
It was a procedural vote in the house
When it comes out of seatons committee next spring it'll be 39-1 in favor
Maybe you should run for speaker Paul

And let's go open access for all limited entry
Why just shut down this one
All you limited entry guys are just a bunch of privileged pampered jerkoffs, living off a free public resource

Anonymous said...

Where's bobbyt

Anonymous said...

Yes and these shameful political shenanigans pulled the $$ away from far flung communities'economic development projects. Places that need it the most. Thanks, guys.

Anonymous said...

Check out UFA facebook.
Theres Pics of CFEC, lobbyists, and WA scallop guys yukking it up at the legislature. Right before they kamikazed the economic development bill.

Anonymous said...

In Norton Sound the ARDOR that got kamikazied was run by Kawerak and so just like the CDQ economic development program managed by Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation, it never did anything meaningful for economic development in the 22 years it has been around. Lord knows we need economic development but for some reason we aren't getting it.

The ARDOR won't be missed because very few people even knew is existed but it is disgraceful for the state to keep allowing these economic development programs to be diverted. The taxpayers ultimately end up paying to support the people who can't carry their own weight.

Anonymous said...

I hope we can separate the two fisheries out of the same piece of legislation and avoid having any of it tacked onto another bill unrelated to fisheries.

The CFEC and ASA over-estimated their influence and wasted their lobbying funds. The State Commissioner might be pissed off, but this is a public resource and not a property right for ASA.

Amazing what a few voices can accomplish with some choice words. It's a victory for the little guys!