Fishing boats and other vessels are docked in the harbor in Sitka, Alaska, on June 8, 2023. (Michelle Theriault Boots / ADN)
Every year, fishermen make thousands of decisions that affect their season. Where to fish. When to leave the dock. What gear to buy. Whether to hire another crew member.
This year, the biggest fishing decision many Alaskans will make won’t happen on the water. It’ll happen at the ballot box.
The leaders elected this year will make decisions that influence Alaska’s fisheries long after the campaign is over. That is why fishermen, crew members, processors and coastal residents cannot afford to sit this one out.
Every election cycle, candidates across Alaska talk about the importance of fisheries and seafood to our state’s economy. But once Election Day passes, the real work begins. Fisheries are shaped not by campaign slogans but by the thousands of decisions that follow.
Many people think fisheries are managed only by the Board of Fisheries or the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. Those institutions are critically important, but they do not operate in isolation.
Governors appoint the commissioner of fish and game, nominate members of the Board of Fisheries and recommend appointments to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. Legislators determine whether the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has the resources to conduct stock assessments, maintain weirs, monitor fisheries and provide the science managers depend on. Federal elected officials influence NOAA Fisheries budgets, disaster relief, infrastructure investments, seafood purchasing programs and appointments that influence national fisheries policy.
Long before regulations are debated or seasons are opened, elected leaders are helping determine who is making fisheries decisions and what information and resources are available to support them.
Those decisions matter because the health of Alaska’s fisheries affects far more than the people who own boats.
When fisheries struggle, crew members lose work. Processors reduce shifts or close their doors. Fuel docks sell less fuel. Harbors become quieter. Schools lose students as families move away. Local businesses lose customers. Municipal governments lose revenue needed to maintain essential public services.
Fishing is not simply another industry in coastal Alaska. In many of our communities, it is the economic and cultural foundation that supports everything else.
Today, that foundation is under increasing pressure. Across the state, fishing communities are navigating declining returns, changing ocean conditions, rising operating costs, aging infrastructure, uncertain markets and growing competition for access to the resource. No election will solve these challenges overnight, but public policy helps determine how Alaska responds to them.
Whether your priority is healthy salmon runs, sustainable commercial fisheries, strong subsistence opportunities, thriving sport fisheries, working waterfronts, strong science, seafood markets or resilient coastal communities, those priorities depend on elected leaders who understand the importance of fisheries to Alaska’s economy, culture and future.
Alaska’s fishing communities have too much at stake to sit on the sidelines. Learn where the candidates stand. Ask how they will approach the decisions that shape Alaska’s fisheries and fishing communities. Then make your voice heard.
Don’t leave one of your most important fishing decisions of the year to someone else.
Vote.
Michelle Stratton is a commercial fisherman and the executive director of the Alaska Marine Community Coalition.
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