Presenters include Rachel Donkersloot, of Coastal Cultures Research; Courtney Carothers, of the University of Alaska Fairbanks College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences; and Joe Nelson, board co-chair, Alaska Federation of Natives.
Journalist Nathaniel Herz, of Northern Journal, last year published a lengthy article on the impact of state fishing permits being sold out of, or otherwise leaving, coastal Alaska villages.
6 comments:
There are ghost towns all over the United States and Alaska, like Katella, with Alaska's first oil well and refinery. For some strange reason everybody out migrated? "The U.S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself." Ben Franklin, famous traveling man, on the $100. Alaska put the "Pursuit of Happiness" into Article I, Sec.1 of the State Constitution, somebody should send copy to Donkersloot at the "lunch and learn"
Good to see that Rachel and Courtney continue to earn money beating a dead horse. I've yet to see any of them actually come up with a realistic solution. Meanwhile they continue to demonize any fishery that requires more than a setnet site or jig machine to catch fish.
What these researchers continue to leave out of their conversations is that movements of permits - either buying & selling permits or moving their domicile and taking their permits with them - are nothing more than rational decisions made by small businessmen.
Out-migration (permit holders moving) has had a greater net effect on permit drain from rural Alaska than the transfer (selling or giving) of permits. See the CFEC report Changes in Distribution of Alaska's Limited Entry Permits: https://www.cfec.state.ak.us/RESEARCH/25-03N/25-3N.html
Whether you lease a permit or have a loan payment to make, your permit cost in most fisheries is usually less than 10% of your gross stock, if your operation is going to be viable.
Compare that to the cost of owning a boat, buying gear, operating expenses, crew, insurance, etc, and it’s kinda hard to believe that things would all be different if not for limited entry.
Perhaps the researchers can look into other factors affecting permit flight here too, including the number of young people who want a career in fishing. Which solutions offer a reasonable path to addressing this when all factors are considered?
Just like the serious decline in Alaska education standards that's been going on for decades. We need another study and a free lunch and learn. Gunnar Knapp was writing about the decline of this industry 40 years ago. We even got on the USDA Free Lunch Program in my lifetime and that's absolutely changed nothing for the better. I'd like to know who subsidizes these colleges that allows so many imbeciles out in pubic in Alaska, for the lunch and learn. The BBRSDA started that Meet for Pizza program, after all the Italians sold-out of Bristol Bay, because that horse wasn't worth riding anymore. When you're receiving the lowest recorded prices in 140 years, only the village idiots are too stupid to move.
Post a Comment