Tag Archives: Ken Coleman
Remembering Ken Coleman, longtime commercial fisheries advocate
Ken Coleman, a longtime Kenai resident and commercial fisheries activist, died in his home May 7 at age 72. Anyone involved in Cook Inlet fisheries politics in the last 40 years probably either heard of or from Coleman. He was a staple presence at Cook Inlet Board of Fisheries meetings, always ready to put in a word for commercial set-netters, especially with the recent effort to create a permit buyback program. I’ve been at this now for 10 ten years on this reduction thing, the inception and where we are today. And I don’t know if I have another rodeo in me, if this doesn’t pass here,” Coleman said in an interview last year. Though recent years have been poor for setnetters, Coleman often talked about how he wanted the fishery to be available to his children and grandchildren. Coleman fished the beaches of Cook Inlet south of the mouth of the Kenai since the 1970s. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:31
‘You can’t be a fisherman if you’re not an optimist’-Ken Coleman, longtime advocate for the east side setnet fishery, dead at 72
Ken Coleman, the vice president of the Kenai Peninsula Fishermen’s Association and longtime advocate for the east side setnet fishery, died recently at the age of 72. His friends remember him as a hardworking man who was resolute in his convictions and who worked to make Alaska better through his final days. Gary Hollier, a longtime commercial fisher in the ESSN, said last week that he met Coleman in high school and counted him as a friend for more than 50 years. The two entered the setnet fishery at the same time and raised their families on their fishing sites. Hollier described Coleman as the “ultimate professional” — whether the fishing was good or not, he always was geared up and ready. Coleman passed those values to his children. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:38
Months before season begins, state closes most Cook Inlet king salmon fishing
Parts of the Kenai River are still frozen over. But the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has already closed the early and late king salmon runs to sport fishing — also shutting down the beleaguered Cook Inlet east side set-net fishery before fishermen can gear up. “This is my 53rd year coming up as a set-netter, and I have never experienced this,” said Ken Coleman, vice president of the Kenai Peninsula Fishermen’s Association. He said he’s never seen the fishery close completely this early. Fish and Game does release a preseason forecast for the early king salmon run every winter, to give guides and fishermen a sense of what to expect before the summer starts. >click to read< 15:09
