Our fisheries ... remain in crisis. When salmon runs collapse, it threatens the food security, culture and ways of life of so many Alaskans.
The reality is that these declines cannot be attributed to one factor alone. There is no silver bullet to solve this complex problem. But when faced with causes beyond our immediate control, like climate change, it is understandable why the discourse focuses on what we can
control: bycatch.
Don't get me wrong, there is more we can do to reduce bycatch, and we should do it. An example is Sen. Sullivan's Bycatch Reduction and Research Act, which I am cosponsoring. But we should also be cautious about demonizing one sector of Alaska's fisheries at a time
when we need to work together to find solutions.
Commercial fishing provides good jobs and is the economic backbone of dozens of coastal communities. And while it is easy and often appropriate to point fingers at Seattle, we have to remember that many Alaska towns and villages are suffering after losing their fleets and
processing plants. Life isn't necessarily better without them.
We need sound science because that is the foundation of sound management. We need constructive dialogue that respects the needs of communities upriver while recognizing the benefits of industry. And we need to focus on what unites us so we can conserve and responsibly harvest one of our most precious, irreplaceable resources.
23 comments:
This is what real leadership sounds like. Treat fisheries issue seriously, and making science and evidence-based decisions. We need leaders willing to do that, but sadly, most of our candidates are totally out of their depth on fish issues. Listen to what these governor candidates are saying, and it should scare anyone involved in the fisheries. If your fishery isn’t on the block today, it will be soon.
Well she shows her true colors once again. Wake up Alaska, she’s not working for us.
True colors. Smart, ethical, logical. We’ve forgotten what leadership looks like. LM continues to deliver for the seafood industry, Alaska, and America.
Deck boss; Lisa Murkowski isn't directly my senator. Indirectly, she represents all 50 states.
Even though I'm one of those Damm Carpetbag Lower 48 Outsiders, I still write to her office and thank her for being a Voice of Reason and Integrity .
" And we need to focus on what unites us so we can conserve and responsibly harvest one of our most precious , irreplaceable resources." ( Lisa Murkowski )
Thanks Deck boss for the informative article. Doug Hatfield
Easy to see that Seattle based trident seafoods is her #2 campaign contributer. Can you imagine any other us senator taking that kind of money from out of state interests? She’s a sell out
Lol. They also happen to be heavily invested in her state. If you get rid of seattle companies, how many shoreside processors do you have, you clown
As usual, She does her homework and gets it right. After one sector goes down from the court of public option there will be another one on the chopping block, until nobody wins
141,000,000 pounds of trawl bycatch waste per year...
Actually, no. Last year there was 34 million pounds of bycatch in the pollock fishery, 61 million in the bottom trawl fishery, and 64 million in the NON trawl fisheries. Almost all the bycatch in the pollock fishery is utilized, with the exception of jellyfish and regulatory discards like herring. Try getting your information from somewhere other than facebook, clown. Source: https://meetings.npfmc.org/CommentReview/DownloadFile?p=d7ae549a-1b0a-4cd4-bb84-32439e5d6403.pdf&fileName=PPT%20B1%20Bycatch%20Report.pdf
The hoopla surrounding this bill fails to say that it is a PROPOSED, unfunded bill that promotes more...wait for it ... studies! And building a multi-million dollar flume tank in Alaska to "study" trawl gear performance! Lisa's attempt at puffing up DoorMat Dan, aka Trumpstein's biggest ball licker, is a fail.
The carpet bagging Washington and Oregon fleets show their true colors again. Come to Alaska, rape and pillage the states resources then take 97% of the $$ home with them. And then have the audacity to publically justify it.
The halibut fishery is already on the chopping block. Stocks are at 102 year lows. Yet out of state draggers are still allowed to kill millions of lbs of 5 lb juvenile halibut???? It just isn’t right
At least your honest that her goal is to support the Seattle companies at the expense of her states resources
Why did you only list herring as a regulatory discard? Forget about the king salmon and halibut? No that would fit your industry’s talking points so just leave it out you clown
"At the expense of state resources" is funny and shows the root of your illogic. Want a non-trawl commercial fishing sector? You need outside investment to make that happen. Concerned about Chinook returns? The the trawl fleet accounts for less than 2% of mortality statewide. What industry or economic activity in Alaska doesn't rely on out of state investment? How much salmon habitat has been lost in south central from real estate development and growth? Take your small world view somewhere else
You got your numbers wrong. A80 draggers killed 2.8 million and the halibut fishery killed 1.9. Maybe clean up that 12 million pounds of discards in your own fishery before you start throwing stones.
Because more 90-99 percent of those get donated, clown boy
Got any evidence to support that
It’s important to note that all most all the trawling in the North Pacific takes place in federal waters, these fish are not returning to Alaska estuaries and do not belong to Alaska( it’s ludicrous to think that a wild species “belongs” to anyone).
Pointing fingers at each other is just away of avoiding the reality of the big picture here. The oceans are changing fast.
Could we do better? For sure, but you can’t cast a net, trap or hook in the water without incidental bycatch.
If the pollock industry was smart they would distance themselves from bottom trawling, it’s ugly and everyone knows it. Especially the trawlers who do both.
That dude really is a clown. He belongs in a circus with the rest of his face book buddies. Sure trident is based in Seattle. But they operate their plants in Alaska and support the towns and fishermen that live in these towns. I’m one of them and I was born and raised in this state. I’m thinking he’s one of those part time fisherman that calls himself a fisherman. Has to be. Otherwise he wouldn’t have as much time on hands to bitch and complain like he does. Cry baby actually
Everyone knows dragging is going to kill off the bering sea but nothing is going to change with all that money being made.
Ah yes, “everyone knows”—the gold standard of a good argument. A classic appeal to popularity (argumentum ad populum), where something is claimed to be true simply because it’s widely believed. Unfortunately, consensus without evidence is just a crowd repeating itself, not a case being made. Go back to facebook or Sitka, troll.
Hahaha. The anti-trawl folks are so triggered by such innocuous comments by the senator. Must be hard to be such a snowflake
Post a Comment