Juneau watch

The Senate Finance Committee on Monday will take up Senate Bill 82 establishing a buyback program for eastside Cook Inlet setnet permits.

Here's a letter from United Fishermen of Alaska with thoughts on the legislation.

Juneau watch

The House Special Committee on Fisheries is set to meet at 10 a.m. Tuesday.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is expected to give a presentation on hatcheries.

The committee also is expected to take up House Bill 195, which would establish a buyback program for eastside Cook Inlet setnet permits.

Cook Inlet setnet buyback in the spotlight

The Senate Resources Committee tomorrow will consider Senate Bill 82 to establish a buyback program for eastside Cook Inlet setnet permits.

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, R-Nikiski, is the sponsor. Here's his sponsor statement.

"The purpose of this legislation is to reduce the number of commercial setnet permits on the east side of the Cook Inlet, thereby improving profitability for remaining setnet permit holders and reducing king salmon harvest in the eastside setnet fishery," an Alaska Department of Game fiscal note says.

The hearing is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m.

Juneau watch

State Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, R-Nikiski, has introduced Senate Bill 82 to establish a buyback program for eastside Cook Inlet setnet permits.

Juneau watch

The Alaska Legislature opens a new session on Jan. 19, and legislators have prefiled some bills of interest to the commercial fishing community.

Sen. Peter Micciche, R-Soldotna, is again offering a bill establishing a buyback program for commercial salmon setnet permits on the east side of Cook Inlet. The legislation is filed as Senate Bill 29.

Rep. Sarah Vance, R-Homer, is sponsoring House Bill 52 providing that operation of the Tutka Bay Lagoon Hatchery is "a compatible use within the boundaries of the Kachemak Bay State Park."

Rep. Louise Stutes, R-Kodiak, is sponsoring House Bill 28 providing a registration exemption to commercial vessels already licensed through the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission.

More on the proposed Cook Inlet setnet buyback

A nonprofit, the Eastside Consolidation Association, is pushing for a buyback of Cook Inlet salmon setnet fishing permits.

Here's a presentation the group made to Alaska legislators, who are considering buyback legislation in the form of Senate Bill 90.

Cook Inlet setnet buyback proposed

State Sen. Peter Micciche, R-Soldotna, today introduced Senate Bill 90, which would establish a buyback program to reduce the number of eastside Cook Inlet commercial setnetters.

Southeast buyback approved

Southeast Alaska salmon purse seiners have voted to permanently retire another 36 permits from the fishery.

So says this brief announcement from the Southeast Alaska Seiners Association.

Another buyback vote for Southeast seiners

A federal notice published yesterday sets up another referendum on further reducing the number of Southeast Alaska purse seine salmon permits.

"The referendum, if approved, will result in a loan of $10.1 million and permanently retire an additional 36 permits from the fishery," the notice says.

The notice lists all the permit holders eligible to vote in the referendum.

The voting period will start Jan. 15 and end on Feb. 14.

Trimming the fleet

Southeast Alaska salmon seiners are mounting yet another effort to reduce their ranks.

Recently, seiners were invited to submit bids to sell and permanently retire their state fishing permits.

A total of 37 bids came in, and the Southeast Revitalization Association board on May 24 voted to accept 36 of them.

The 36 accepted bids total just over $10.1 million, which is right around the amount of federal loan money available for the permit buyback.

What's next?

Probably after this fishing season, Southeast salmon seine permit holders — currently 315 of them — will vote in a referendum on whether the fleet agrees to shoulder the loan to complete the buyback.

In 2012, Southeast seiners approved a $13.1 million loan to remove 64 permits.

But in 2017, a vote to retire 22 more permits from the fishery failed.

Cook Inlet permit buyback proposed

State Sen. Peter Micciche, R-Soldotna, has introduced legislation to establish a buyback program for eastside Cook Inlet setnet permits.

Some of the most interesting details of the proposal are on Page 5 of the bill.

Buyback fails

We told you in November that Southeast Alaska salmon seiners would vote on whether to buy out more permits.

So, how did the election turn out?

"We received 180 ballots of which 132 were for and the remaining 48 against," said Michael Sturtevant, with the National Marine Fisheries Service.

For the referendum to be successful, at least 158 of the 315 permit holders would have had to vote in favor, he said.

A notice with more details will be published soon in the Federal Register, Sturtevant said.

Another Southeast seine buyback?

Here's a federal notice indicating Southeast Alaska salmon seine permit holders soon will vote on whether to shoulder a $5.8 million loan to retire 22 permits from the fishery.

The voting period starts Dec. 13, the notice says.

In 2012, Southeast seiners approved a $13.1 million loan to remove 64 permits.

Currently, there are 315 permits in the fishery.

Watch your mailbox

The Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association is preparing to survey its members — again — on potentially buying back some of the drift gillnet permits in the Bristol Bay sockeye fishery.

"BBRSDA is sending a postcard survey seeking the advice of its members as to whether or not to proceed with a socioeconomic impact study," the association says on its website. "The analysis would provide valuable additional information to the fleet as they weigh the pros and cons of proceeding further."

More information here.

Fleet reduction in Bristol Bay?

The Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association is conducting an "informal poll" of drift gillnetters on the idea of a permit buyback.

The association has told its members to expect a letter from the board very soon.

Bristol Bay, of course, is Alaska's most important commercial salmon fishery, attracting hundreds of gillnet boats each summer.

The BBRSDA works to advance the fishery in a number of ways, and relies on a landings tax the drift fleet self-imposed in 2006.

Bristol Bay setnetters rejected the tax and aren't part of the association.

So far, a savvy deal for salmon seiners

Back in January, we told you how Southeast Alaska salmon seiners were considering another round of permit buybacks to further trim the fleet.

That's not going to happen, at least not this year, says this update from buyback organizers.

As for last year's buyback of 64 permits, the update indicates the fleet is having no problems at all repaying its federal loan.

In fact, the fleet is looking to reduce its 3 percent landings tax to only 1 percent.

Get your bids in, boys!

Looks like Southeast Alaska salmon seiners are pursuing another buyback to further reduce their ranks.

Here's a letter that went out to permit holders recently.

You'll recall that last year, the fleet bought and retired 64 permits using a $13.1 million federal loan.

The fishery currently has 315 permits.

For the record

Here is the official notice on the results of the Southeast Alaska salmon seine permit buyback referendum.

The notice names the holders of the 64 permits to be purchased and retired using a $13.1 million federal loan.

More details on permit buyback vote

Here are the results from the Southeast Alaska salmon seine permit buyback referendum.

The bottom line is 215 permit holders voted in favor of the buyback, well in excess of the 190-vote majority needed.

Salmon seiners reportedly OK permit buyback

The Southeast Alaska Seiners Association is reporting that voters have approved the permit buyback "by a relatively wide margin."

More details as soon as we can gather them.