Friday, February 24, 2023

Juneau watch

State Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, R-Nikiski, has introduced Senate Bill 82 to establish a buyback program for eastside Cook Inlet setnet permits.

2 comments:

  1. Why buy em, when you can revoke em, for free?

    "In Decemeber 1972, the Board of Fish and Game eliminated the set net fishery. In 1973, the Legislature enacted the Limited Entry Act, AS 16.43, "to promote the conservation and sustained yield management of Alaska's fishery resources and the economic health and stability of commercial fisheries into the commercial fisheries in the public interest and without unjust discrimination." AS 16.43.010...Although the Commission did not consider empirical data, it did not act unreasonably. When the Board of Fish and Game closed the set net fishery, the Commission accommodated the displaced setnetters by permitting them to enter the gill net fishery on the basis of their participation in the set net fishery. The Commission argues that in order to allocate a limited number of permits among all applicants for drift gill net licenses, the same standard of income dependence must be applied to all applicants. Matson concedes that the ninety percent standard was properly applied to gillnetters. A setnetter who routinely accepted employment outside fishing would endure less hardship from exclusion from the gill net fishery than a gillnetter who was almost completely dependent upon income from fishing..."

    Matson v. Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission, No. S-2845. Feb. 2, 1990

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  2. Historically, setnetting was allowed for widows and orphans in times of desperation, a subsistence fishery, not for commercial ventures.

    Setnets kill too many kings, harvested or dead drop-outs. Time to critically reexamine this obviously outdated harvest method that is jeopardizing king runs statewide. I wonder when the state and ADFG is going to grow the brass in order to phase out setnets. How about starting next week at the BOF meeting? The proposed Nushagak Mulchatna Management Plan, drenched in local politics, lacking common sense, traditional knowledge, and real science.

    Politics wipe out salmon, all you have to do is look at the decimated runs of the Lower 48. Alaska needs to do much better in order to protect the diminishing king runs.

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