Case dismissed

A Juneau judge has thrown out a lawsuit challenging Gov. Bill Walker's dismantling of the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission.

Here's the ruling.

Lawsuit challenges CFEC dismantling

Here's a lawsuit seeking to block implementation of Gov. Bill Walker's recent administrative order transferring key functions of the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission to the Department of Fish and Game.

The plaintiffs are Bob Thorstenson Jr., a commercial fisherman and lobbyist, and United Fishermen of Alaska.

The lawsuit contends the administrative order is unconstitutional and unlawfully sidesteps the Alaska Legislature.

Juneau attorney Bruce Weyhrauch, representing Thorstenson and UFA, is himself a former state legislator.

Naturally, the state is asking the court to dismiss the lawsuit.

Fishing for favor in Juneau

Now that we're well into the legislative session, Deckboss thought it would be interesting to check the Alaska Public Offices Commission lobbyist directory to see who has fishy business in the state capital.

My search turned up quite a few seafood interests employing lobbyists this year. Here's the list:

• Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers
• APICDA Joint Ventures
• Armstrong-Keta Inc.
• Bristol Bay Economic Development Corp.
• Coastal Villages Region Fund
• Cordova District Fishermen United
• Groundfish Forum
• Kenai Peninsula Fishermen's Association
• Northwest Farm Credit Services
• Ocean Beauty Seafoods LLC
• Pacific Seafood Processors Association
• Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corp.
• Purse Seine Vessel Owners' Association
• Southeast Alaska Seiners Association
• Southern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association
• United Southeast Alaska Gillnetters
• Yukon Delta Fisheries Development Association

Some of these interests evidently see a strong need for a Juneau lobbyist, based on the sums they're spending.

For example, APICDA Joint Ventures is paying its lobbyist, Jerry Reinwand, a $60,000 annual fee.

The Purse Seine Vessel Owners' Association is paying Kent Dawson $50,000, and Ocean Beauty Seafoods is paying Reed Stoops $45,000.

Bob Thorstenson Jr. remains the king crab of Juneau fish lobbyists. He's pulling down a total of $155,000 from four clients — Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers, Armstrong-Keta, the Kenai Peninsula Fishermen's Association and the Southeast Alaska Seiners Association.

Hired help in Juneau

Me and Bob T. in the Capitol. No, he doesn't lobby for Deckboss.

After this week, the Alaska Legislature will move into the last half of its 90-day session.

Time for all those Juneau lobbyists to earn their keep.

Which has me wondering: Who in Alaska's seafood industry needs a lobbyist?

Deckboss analyzed the new lobbyist directory from the Alaska Public Offices Commission and identified 20 businesses or nongovernmental organizations paying for lobbying services this year:

• Alaska Crab Coalition
• Alaska Scallop Association
• Alaska Seine Boat Owners Association
• Armstrong-Keta Inc.
• Bristol Bay Economic Development Corp.
• Douglas Island Pink & Chum Inc.
• F/V Pamela Rae Inc.
• Icicle Seafoods Inc.
• Icy Strait Seafoods Inc.
• Ocean Beauty Seafoods LLC
• OceansAlaska
• Pacific Seafood Processors Association
• Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corp.
• Rozema Boat Works
• Sitka Herring Group
• Southeast Alaska Regional Dive Fisheries Association
• Southern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association
• United Fishermen of Alaska
• United Southeast Alaska Gillnetters
• Yukon Delta Fisheries Development Association

You might notice the list includes several hatchery operators, who birth and partially raise a large percentage of Alaska's "wild" salmon.

One of them, in fact, the Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corp., is spending the most of anyone on the list — $48,000 split between two lobbyists, Kate Tesar and Ian Fisk.

The top fish lobbyist, judging by his tally of clients and fees, is Bob Thorstenson Jr. He represents seven of the listed organizations: the Alaska Crab Coalition; the Alaska Scallop Association; the Alaska Seine Boat Owners Association; Armstrong-Keta Inc., which runs a hatchery southeast of Sitka; Rozema Boat Works of Mount Vernon, Wash.; the Sitka Herring Group; and the Southeast Alaska Regional Dive Fisheries Association.

Thorstenson, a commercial salmon seiner, reports he'll bag $95,500 in lobbying fees this year.

A salmon cannery salute to Bob Thorstenson Sr.

On July 28 we reported the passing of Bob Thorstenson Sr., a founder of Icicle Seafoods Inc.

The Petersburg Pilot, the local newspaper in the Southeast Alaska town where Icicle began in 1965, had this today on its Web site:

"Tuesday, at four p.m., production at PFI (Icicle's Petersburg Fisheries Inc. plant) was halted and the steam whistle was sounded in honor of Bob Thorstenson, the company’s founder. The whistle is traditionally only blown to mark summer production surpassing 100,000 cases of canned salmon."

Sutton, Merrigan join UFA board

United Fishermen of Alaska, the state's biggest commercial fishing trade group, has two new board members.

Ninilchik setnetter Cheryl Sutton and Gerry Merrigan, who works for Petersburg longline company Prowler Fisheries, were elected to replace Lindsey Bloom, a Bristol Bay salmon gillnetter, and herring seiner Chip Treinen of Anchorage.

UFA also announced today that Joe Childers will continue as president of the organization, and that past president Bob Thorstenson Jr. has been elected marketing chairman.