Tag Archives: Mitch Kilborn
Opinion: State, council fail to help Kodiak trawl fisheries
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council has a record for successful fishery management, built on principles known as the Alaska Model. Recently, the council abandoned the Alaska Model and its solid reputation for progressive fishery management. In doing so, the council failed the Gulf of Alaska trawl groundfish fisheries and our community of Kodiak. Led by the state of Alaska, the council voted at its December meeting in Anchorage to “postpone indefinitely” any further work to address the goal of bycatch reduction through a cooperative management program for Gulf of Alaska trawl fisheries. Instead, the Council ended a four-year public process to develop a program to achieve this goal. By their action, the state and the council put politics first, and the health of our fisheries and coastal communities came in dead last. Read the op-ed here 17:46
Trawl fleet fishery needs Alaska’s help
In the next few days, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, led by a majority of people with no ties to Kodiak and no experience with our fishery, will be making its recommendation about the future of Kodiak and the Gulf of Alaska’s highly successful groundfish trawl fisheries. The Council has already imposed new restrictions on the fishery to reduce the unwanted catch of species like halibut and salmon. Additional management improvements are needed to address these conditions. This is a watershed moment for coastal fishing towns like Kodiak, King Cove and Sand Point. As a recently released economic study makes abundantly clear, Kodiak and the Gulf of Alaska trawl fisheries have contributed significantly, not just to the economy of Kodiak and the Gulf communities, but also to the state’s economy. Read the rest here 17:13
