Bycatch Task Force News Today

Increased electronic monitoring. A chum salmon bycatch cap for pollock trawlers. Protections for Kodiak Tanner crabs. Better estimates of halibut discards. Unobserved crab deaths caused by fishing gears. A review

Alaska Fish and Game Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang addressed attendees, both in-person and virtual, at last week’s ComFish, the annual commercial fisheries exposition held each year in Kodiak. His topics were

The State of Alaska’s Bycatch Review Task Force has presented its final recommendations to the governor. It has been argued in the past that state engagement in federal management policy

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has released its preliminary numbers for the size and value of this year’s commercial salmon harvest in Alaska.

1. Suppose you are governor and you have a majority in the State Senate and House that would support you on a budget. How would you craft a budget (including an Alaska Permanent Fund dividend) in the face of shifting revenues from petroleum and permanent fund earnings? What options would you consider, such as new revenues (income or sales taxes), cuts in services, or adjustments to the dividend? In other words, how would you solve the issue of a long-term sustainable fiscal plan?

There is a range war going on in the Bering Sea.

“We were asked to come out and take a look at the school in Napakiak, and talk to folks about some of the issues and concerns out in this neck of the woods,” said Gov. Mike Dunleavy.