Task force reportedly gets to work

The legislative task force on Alaska's seafood industry has begun its work, holding its first meeting recently. That's according to one of the members, Sen. Jesse Kiehl, D-Juneau.

To our knowledge, no public notice of the meeting was given, which is disappointing.

Kiehl, in his latest newsletter, wrote the following about the task force:

Alaska's seafood industry is in crisis. That's an ugly phrase, but it's no exaggeration. Processors are closing, fishing families are paying more for fuel than the value of the fish they catch, salmon numbers are below projections, and halibut and crab stocks aren't healthy. Low prices, international competition, and poor markets all compound the problems. High interest rates make weathering the storm harder than usual.

Alaskans know how vital our fisheries are — seafood is a huge sector of our economy, a critical natural resource, and an essential part of our way of life. This year the legislature passed SCR 10, creating a task force similar to one from the early 2000s, when the salmon industry looked bleak. We had slightly different issues to work on back then, but a series of changes the task force suggested helped the state's single largest employer bounce back.

I'm proud to report Senate President Gary Stevens appointed me to the new Seafood Industry Task Force. We had our first meeting last week, where we hammered out a schedule for our work on solutions for the industry.

We'll meet with fishing families and stakeholders, communities and financial types. This effort will need all hands on deck, so if you have ideas I'd love to hear from you, too. Come next session, we want to be ready with serious, impactful legislation to help Alaska seafood businesses get back on their feet.