This just in from the governor's office:
March 26, 2011Gov. Parnell names appointees for fish, game boardsJUNEAU — Gov. Sean Parnell today appointed Susan Jeffrey and reappointed Bill Brown and John Jensen to the Board of Fisheries. He also appointed Nick Yurko and reappointed Stanley "Stosh" Hoffman and Ted Spraker to the Board of Game.
The Board of Fisheries is responsible for conservation and development of the state's fishery resources by setting seasons, bag limits, methods and means for the state's subsistence, commercial, sport, guided sport and personal use fisheries. The board sets fishery management policy and makes allocation decisions for the Department of Fish and Game to implement.
Jeffrey, of Kodiak, has served as a member of the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly since 2005 and has been the borough representative to the Kodiak Fishery Advisory Committee since 2007. She is a commercial salmon fisherman at a Kodiak family setnet site, and a subsistence halibut and salmon fisherman. A former reporter and editor for the Kodiak Daily Mirror, Jeffrey has also written and edited a number of fisheries publications. A co-founder of the Kodiak Maritime Museum, she brings a wide variety of fisheries-related experience to the board.
Brown, of Juneau, is the owner and operator of Taku Reel Repair. He also serves on the Recreational Fisheries Subcommittee for the Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee. Brown earned a doctorate in economics from the University of Colorado, and has taught college-level economics courses throughout the country, including at the University of Alaska Southeast. He was first appointed to the Board of Fisheries in 2008.
Jensen, a lifelong resident of Petersburg, was first appointed to the Board of Fisheries in 2003. A commercial fisherman since 1965, Jensen has owned and operated four fishing vessels, and is the owner of Jensen's Boat Rentals. He has fished in Southeast Alaska, Bristol Bay, the Gulf of Alaska, the Bering Sea, Cook Inlet, Prince William Sound, Western Alaska and in waters around the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian chain. Jensen has fished for salmon, halibut, red king crab, Tanner crab, brown king crab, octopus, Dungeness crab and herring.
The Board of Game works to conserve and develop Alaska's wildlife resources by regulating the protection and consumption of game species, establishing methods and means of harvest, setting allocations of game resources, and taking other action to meet the Alaska Constitution's mandate to manage wildlife for the maximum benefit of Alaskans.
Yurko, of Juneau, worked for the Juneau School District for 27 years, eventually retiring as the senior heating and ventilation technician. He has worked as a commercial fisherman, and is now a part-owner of Wings Airways. Yurko served on the Juneau-Douglas Fish and Game Advisory Committee for nearly 30 years, including service as chairman. He is also a longtime volunteer for the Golden North Salmon Derby and is the chairman of Helping Hands of Juneau, a nonprofit food distribution agency.
Hoffman, a lifelong Alaskan and resident of Bethel, was first appointed to the Board of Game in 2008. He currently serves as the director of corporate facilities for the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corp. He is a licensed assistant guide, a commercial and subsistence fisherman, and also owns and manages three businesses in Bethel: S&A Rentals, Nunapik Dish Network and Tundra Fencing.
Spraker, of Soldotna, was first appointed to the Board of Game in 2003. He is a career biologist, having worked briefly with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and for nearly 30 years with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, ultimately retiring as the area wildlife biologist for the Kenai Peninsula. Spraker has also worked as a commercial halibut fisherman and is a member of the Alaska Trappers Association, Safari Club International and the National Rifle Association.
All six of the governor's appointments are subject to confirmation by the Alaska Legislature, and their terms of service begin July 1, 2011.
