Tag Archives: Robert Ruffner
Board votes down change in Southeast Dungeness crab season
Crabber Max Worhatch proposed the change and successfully got the board to add the proposal to the meeting after missing the deadline for regulation changes.“I would like to seriously consider this,” Worhatch told the board. “I put a proposal in, just like this three years ago, didn’t get anywhere. The department felt like they had to have something to manage the fishery when it got to the low end. But in my experience and just from what I’ve seen in Oregon, California and Washington, size sex and season for Dungeness crab works and it works extremely well. It’s kindof an autopilot thing, doesn’t take a lot of work.” >click here to read< 10:22
Bristol Bay backlash after Walker taps Ruffner to replace Johnson on Fish Board
Governor Bill Walker announced five nominations to the state board of Fish and Game on Tuesday. On the list again this year for a Fish Board seat is Robert Ruffner of Kenai, who would replace Fritz Johnson, a commercial fisherman from Dillingham. If confirmed, it will be the first time the Fish Board would not have a member from Bristol Bay. When Governor Bill Walker announced five appointments to the state boards of fish and game on Feb. 2, he named a Soldotna scientist for the seat currently held by Dillingham’s Fritz Johnson. That was a surprise for many in the Bay,,, Audio, Read the rest here 11:02
Ruffner voted down for Board of Fisheries
Allocations among different user groups took a forefront since Ruffner’s nomination.Criticisms during the confirmation session came largely from Rep. Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, and other legislators who have recently attacked Ruffner’s suitability for supposed allegiance to the commercial fishing industry and lack of representativeness of the Anchorage personal use and dipnetting user base. Read the rest here 21:32
Senate committee questions Fish Board appointee over sportfishing support
Robert Ruffner, director of the conservation group Kenai Watershed Forum, has faced criticism from some personal-use dipnetters and sportfishermen from Copper River, the Kenai and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. They’ve accused him of supporting commercial fishing interests instead, and have opposed his appointment to the seven-member board that sets and revises fishing regulations in Alaska. Read the rest here 11:00
Longtime Kenai River habitat advocate applies for Board of Fisheries seat
A Kenai Peninsula resident known for his habitat advocacy has applied to be on Alaska’s Board of Fisheries. Robert Ruffner is a 19-year resident of Soldotna and has supervised dozens of culvert and fish passage projects on the Kenai Peninsula. Ruffner, who has not actively participated in fisheries politics on one side of the sport, commercial, or personal-use fishing battle over Cook Inlet fish, could be a less polarizing figure. Read the rest here 08:47
