Homer Alaska - Seawatch

Opposition is mounting from several fronts to a bill introduced in the state Legislature by Rep. Bill Stoltze, R-Chugiak, that would create a priority for personal use fishing over commercial and sport in times of shortage.

The one-paragraph bill, titled, "An act providing for a priority for a fishery that is restricted to residents when fishing restrictions are implemented to achieve an escapement goal," would not affect the subsistence priority already in place via state statute. However, it states, "when the harvest of a stock or species is limited to achieve an escapement goal, the Board of Fisheries shall place restrictions on all other fisheries before restricting personal use fisheries."

The bill inflames the already high emotions running around the state's primary personal use fisheries, dipnetting for salmon in the Kenai, Kasilof and Copper rivers.

In testimony before the House Fisheries Committee last month, Stoltze identified the issue as between resident and nonresident users, stressing that many commercial and sport users are nonresidents.

"It's about this world-class protein for Alaskan residents first."

It's also an allocation issue, according to Jennifer Yuhas, legislative liaison with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

"The department does not take a position on allocative issues," she told the committee. "The department implements management strategies as they are directed by the Board of Fisheries.

Most legislators have historically been reluctant to delve into fisheries allocation.

Sitka commercial and sport fisherman Matt Donahoe agreed that it was allocative in testimony before the fisheries committee.

"I'm concerned that this bill is a reallocation of the resource," he said. "Our fisheries group has always supported personal use, but to prioritize it above commercial fishing ... it seems like this is a resource grab."

Donahoe said that while the bill would not affect him personally right now, he is concerned about future consequences.

"In the future, in hard times, if you're reallocating fish away from the commercial fishermen, who are vital to their communities, to a different user group, I'm really concerned with that. I would prefer the status quo, far and away," he said.

Ricky Gease, executive director of the Kenai River Sportfishing Association, spoke in support of the bill, saying it would elevate personal use to the same level as state subsistence, which is open to all residents in state waters, as opposed to federal subsistence, which takes place in federal waters and is open only to rural residents. He added that it would be in keeping with state policy toward consumptive fisheries.

Other supporters were less articulate in their reasoning. Byron Haley, president of the Chitina Dipnetters Association, merely told the committee that their board of directors had voted unanimously to support the bill.

Letters of support sent to committee chair Bryce Edgmon, D-Anchorage, followed that brevity, mostly consisting of one line asking legislators to support the bill.

Letters of opposition so far have far out-numbered letters of support, at 34 to 10.

Most of the letters in opposition of the bill came from small fishing communities that would be devastated by the collapse of the commercial fisheries.

Life-long Cordova resident Mark King wrote, "Our very lives depend on the return of the salmon, and it is of utmost importance to us that the resource remain healthy and strong."

He added that Cordova's main industry has been commercial fishing for the past 130 years, and that Fish and Game is doing a credible job of managing the resource.

Some question the necessity of the bill, pointing to the past two years in Upper Cook Inlet when the commercial fleet was shut down during what should have been the peak of the season, and personal use continued unabated.

With regard to the Copper River, Jerry McCune, president of the Cordova District Fishermen United, told the committee that what the bill hopes to accomplish is already happening. McCune told the committee that by the time run strength is determined to be weak, the commercial fishermen have already been shut down before dipnetting even starts, due to the long run the fish have to reach Chitina, where the dipnetting takes place.

McCune said that while there was a restriction on personal use harvest of king salmon due to low numbers last season, the sockeye harvest was not affected in spite of the weak run. He did point out that there were no hours added to the personal use fishery, as there is with strong runs.

"I would oppose the bill because ... they're already going to shut us (commercial) down, and personal use is not going to get shut down unless the run is absolutely not a good run."

The bill, HB266, has not passed out of the House fisheries committee. Reps. Carl Gatto, R-Wasilla, and Craig Johnson, R-Anchorage, have signed on as co-sponsors.

Listen to the fisheries committee testimony at the Gavel to Gavel site, www.ktoo.org/gavel/, for Feb. 9. The full bill and related documents can be found at www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/ with a search for HB266.

Cristy Fry has commercial fished in Homer since 1978. She also designs and builds gear for the industry. She can be reached at realist468@gmail.com.