Juneau watch

The Alaska Legislature yesterday confirmed the governor's picks for the Alaska Board of Fisheries.

The vote was 40 yeas to 20 nays to confirm Tom Carpenter for a second term on the board.

Legislators voted 50 to 10 to confirm newcomer Olivia Irwin.

Legislators also confirmed Rick Green for continued service on the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission.

Full details on the confirmations are available here.

CFEC notes

Here are two items of interest from the Alaska Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission.

• The commission will hold a public meeting beginning at 10 a.m. Thursday. Here's the agenda.

• The commission is conducting an optimum number study for the Prince William Sound salmon drift gillnet fishery. The area includes the Copper River District. The study comes at the request of a permit holder who submitted this petition. The commission obscured the petitioner's name. An optimum number study helps the commission determine if the number of permits in a fishery is appropriate. The Prince William Sound fishery (SO3E) has 535 permits, according to the CFEC database.

Juneau watch

The House Special Committee on Fisheries tomorrow will consider the governor's appointment of Rick Green to the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission.

Here's his resume.

A herring heads-up

A committee on Alaska herring industry revitalization is set to meet via web conference from 9 to 11 a.m. Oct. 31.

The committee is a joint effort of the state Board of Fisheries and the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission.

"The purpose of this meeting is to review economic and market research that occurred over the summer, review Western Alaska herring fisheries and stocks, hear an update on the Kodiak herring food and bait optimum numbers study, provide for open public testimony, and plan for future meetings," a public notice said.

Written public comments may be submitted through Oct. 29.

Click here for further details.

Next up for the CFEC

The governor has appointed Rick Green to the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission.

The commission is a small state agency that issues commercial fishing permits and vessel licenses. The commission also limits the number of participants in the fisheries, though this work by and large was completed many years ago.

As many as three commissioners head the agency, but it will have only two with Green's appointment.

Green is best known for his years hosting a radio show as "Rick Rydell." More recently, he was special assistant to state Fish and Game Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang.

He takes the place of Mike Porcaro on the commission. Porcaro, an advertising executive who also hosts a radio talk show, in May failed to win legislative confirmation to the position.

Nathaniel Herz, of Northern Journal, was first to break the news of Green's appointment.

Governor's appointees clear Legislature, mostly

The Alaska Legislature on Tuesday confirmed Gov. Mike Dunleavy's fishery-related appointments, with one exception.

Märit Carlson-Van Dort, of Anchorage, was confirmed to the Board of Fisheries by a vote of 53 yeas 7 nays. This is a reappointment, as she already has served one term on the board.

Curtis Chamberlain, an Anchorage attorney and newcomer to the Board of Fisheries, was confirmed by a vote of 55 yeas 5 nays.

Megan O'Neil, of Petersburg, was confirmed to the Fishermen's Fund Advisory and Appeals Council by unanimous consent.

Mike Porcaro initially won confirmation to the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission by a vote of 31 yeas 29 nays. But on a reconsideration vote, his confirmation failed 30-30. Porcaro is an Anchorage advertising executive and radio talk show host with no background in commercial fisheries.

Here's the legislative journal supplement with complete details on confirmation of the governor's appointments.

Kids and permits

The Alaska Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission has launched a survey on minors owning commercial fishing permits. Take the survey here.

Can we revitalize our herring fisheries?

We're approaching new seasons for herring, a vast resource in Alaska with major concentrations at Sitka, Kodiak, Togiak, Goodnews Bay and Norton Sound.

For years, however, herring hasn't produced much of a payoff for Alaska's commercial fishing industry. The herring are valued mainly for their eggs, or roe, and demand for roe has been weak in the main Asian market.

A stupendous volume of herring will be up for grabs this year at Sitka Sound, but only a portion of the 81,246-ton quota is expected to be harvested, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game says.

A huge volume of herring also will be available at Togiak, historically the scene of Alaska's largest herring fishery. But for a second consecutive year, no commercial fishery is expected due to lack of industry interest.

Some industry players have long lamented Alaska's underutilized herring resource. They wonder, could the fish be used to feed hungry people around the world? Could herring roe markets be revived or expanded? Could more Alaska herring be taken for use as bait?

These and other questions could receive an airing soon with the formation of a "herring revitalization committee."

It's a joint effort of the state Board of Fisheries and the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission.

The committee would work to "better understand current and potential markets, and review potential regulatory change to facilitate those markets," according to this charge statement the Board of Fisheries recently approved.

Expect to hear more about this committee soon.

Kids who fish

Is it OK for kids to hold state commercial fishing permits?

In fact, a handful already do.

But what's the policy on minors holding permits?

It's a question the Alaska Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission plans to address this year.

The agency, which issues permits for participating in dozens of Alaska fisheries, will conduct a review including a fleet survey and hearings, says Glenn Haight, commission chairman.

The goal isn't to keep kids off fishing vessels. Rather, it's to give the commission "a little more structure and process to follow when asked to allow a permit to go to a youngster," Haight said.

The commission's review could look at safety, economic advantage in fisheries, or other considerations. 

State regulations already address the issue to some degree. For example, the Alaska Administrative Code at 20 AAC 05.1707 states "there is a rebuttable presumption" a person acquiring most types of permits is "unable to participate actively in the fishery" if under the age of 16.

But the commission can, and has, issued permits to minors under 16, Haight said. He reckons maybe 10 such minors currently hold permits.

What's happening at CFEC?

The Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission has posted its 2022 annual report.

More personnel news

The Alaska Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission has brought aboard Alysha Guthrie as executive director.

Guthrie's prior work experience includes a hitch at the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute.

More from Juneau

Here are a few more actions from the recently concluded Alaska legislative session.

• Legislators confirmed the governor's appointment of Thomas Carpenter, Floyd "Mike" Heimbuch and David Weisz to the Board of Fisheries.

• Glenn Haight was confirmed to the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission.

• Legislators passed House Bill 41, which could enable a shellfish "enhancement" industry akin to the Alaska's system of salmon hatcheries. The bill awaits the governor's signature.

More change at CFEC

Melvin Smith, chairman of the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission, has submitted his resignation citing "medical reasons."

The governor has appointed Glenn Haight to serve as the new chair of CFEC effective May 7, a spokesman for the governor's office said.

Haight only recently was named to the commission and is awaiting legislative confirmation.

A change at CFEC

The governor has appointed Glenn Haight to the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission.

Haight currently is executive director of the Alaska Board of Fisheries.

If confirmed by the Legislature, he would replace Dale Kelley as a CFEC commissioner.

Juneau watch

The state House of Representatives just passed House Bill 28, which eliminates the need for commercial fishing vessels to be registered with both the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission and the Division of Motor Vehicles.

The bill now heads to the Senate.

Good work if you can get it

The governor has appointed Melvin Smith to the Alaska Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission.

And who is Melvin Smith?

This public radio report has the scoop.

Watch those demerit points!

The Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission is recommending legislation "expanding the current demerit point system so that it applies to all types of commercial fisheries, not just salmon."

More details here.

CFEC opening

The Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission is recruiting for an executive director.

CFEC update

Carol Petraborg has withdrawn as an appointee to the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission.

The governor has submitted a new name for legislative confirmation to the commission: Dale Kelley, of Juneau.

Deckboss presumes this is the same Dale Kelley who has worked for many years as executive director of the Alaska Trollers Association.

Personnel file

The governor has appointed Carol Petraborg to the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission.

Petraborg currently is administrative services director for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Here's her bio.

Competition for this CFEC appointment was stiff, according to this media report.