Alaska Bycatch Task Force Met With Skepticism

In January, Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced an 11-member task force to study Alaska’s fishing industry’s issue with fishing bycatch intake. But so far the decision has produced doubt, skepticism and confusion. Here’s more on reaction from the state’s task force plans from KSTK radio:

At an almost six-hour meeting Friday (February 11), the task force heard presentations from the state Department of Fish & Game, North Pacific Fishery Management Council staff, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration with data and information about bycatch of many species, including salmon, crab and halibut. Task force members questioned the experts about existing bycatch data.

Kevin Delaney holds the seat on the task force designated for sport and personal use fishermen. He told his fellow task force members they need a clear focus to be effective.

“If we just start throwing data at the wall hoping something sticks, we’re just going to spend the next nine meetings doing the same darn thing that the North [Pacific Fishery Management] Council has already done and the Board of Fish has already done,” Delaney said. “We’re here because a problem has risen to the top loud enough that the governor called us together.”

Over the last year, some of the loudest voices advocating for action to reduce bycatch have come from tribal organizations in Western Alaska, in communities that have seen subsistence salmon harvests dramatically reduced, or stopped entirely. 

It’s a really informative report with a lot of strong points being made.