The Alaska House has narrowly passed a piece of legislation that will change the makeup of the state's Board of Fisheries, requiring the governor to select members who represent a wider swath of the Alaska fishing community.
If it becomes law, the bill would require two seats for representatives from the subsistence fishing sector, two representing the commercial fishing sector, two representing the sportfishing sector, and a fisheries scientist.
“My family has subsisted for generations, and many of us fish commercially,” Alaska Representative Nellie Unangiq Jimmie (D-Toksook Bay), who sponsored the legislation, said after the House passed the bill. “This bill brings balance across all user groups so that we can protect what is ours.”
The legislation drew support from the state’s Tribal communities, which have maintained that subsistence fishers need a bigger voice in fisheries management. In a joint letter, the Tanana Chiefs Conference, Maniilaq Association, Kawerak Inc., Chugachmiut, the Association of Village Council Presidents, Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, and the Inupiat Communities of the Arctic Slope endorsed the bill, all while calling for greater incorporation of traditional fisheries knowledge into management decisions.
“For too long, the voices of subsistence users have been underrepresented in fisheries management decisions, despite the essential role these resources play in our food security, culture, and way of life,” the Tribal groups said. “Establishing designated seats for subsistence users is a meaningful step toward ensuring that management decisions are equitable and fully informed by those who rely on these fisheries for their survival, including the economies they support.”
In a separate letter of support, the Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP) pointed out that while subsistence fishing “is the core of identity, food security, and cultural expression among Tribal communities in rural Alaska,” that community has been marginalized in decision-making.
“We believe that equitable representation of subsistence users is not only a matter of fairness but also essential for sustainable fisheries management,” AVCP Chief Executive Officer Vivian Korthuis said in the letter. “Policies that fail to prioritize those who depend on these resources for food security and cultural survival are policies that fail Alaska. This bill moves us closer to a governance structure that honors the diversity of users and ensures that no single interest dominate the conversation.”
While an earlier version of the bill would have had the subsistence members of the board nominated by the Alaska Federation of Natives, the final approved text has the governor nominating all members.
The legislation has received support from both the Bering Sea Fishermen’s Association and SalmonState.
“We are encouraged to see legislation that promotes more structured representation and diversity for sustainable management and not leaving it to each new administration to set its own interpretation of this overly broad statute,” SalmonState Ocean Justice Program Coordinator Jackie Arnaicar Boyer said.
The bill passed the House on a narrow 22-17 vote. It has been transferred to the Alaska Senate, which will also need to approve the bill in order for it to become law.
