Concern About Future As NFMS Meeting Impacted By Federal Funding Delay

An upcoming North Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting is being impacted by newly slashed federal funding as the Trump administration cuts programs nationwide, and as radio station KUCB reports, the cuts are taking a toll on the potential to handle myriad issues facing the state.

The council meets five times a year to help set fishing policies, like quotas, regulations and bycatch restrictions. But federal budget cuts under President Donald Trump have whittled down the organization’s resources, forcing them to scale back their activities.

At a meeting earlier this month, the council said it had received less than half of its federal funds. They got another payment last week, but Executive Director David Witherell said they’ve still only received about two-thirds of their annual funding. Typically, the council receives full funding by March.

“This is a highly unusual situation that we’re in,” Witherell said. “We can normally be able to plan our meeting schedule for the year and not have to worry that the Council offices might have to close because we run out of funds to pay staff.”