Chitina dipnetters:
Senators Kawasaki, Hughes, Wilson and Wielechowski introduced SB99 on Tuesday providing priority to personal use fisheries. Senator Kawasaki urgently needs to receive emails of support from dipnetters in order to get a committee hearing for the bill. The United Fishermen of Alaska (the statewide commercial fisheries organization) is giving him a rough time over his sponsorship of the bill and they would like nothing better than to see this die in committee.
This is one of those times when I need your help. Please take the time to send an email or phone call to Senator Kawaski and/or the other sponsors in support of this bill. Let him know how important the Chitina personal use dip net fishery is to you and how assigning dipnetters' priority access to the salmon resource helps ensure Alaskans can feed themselves.
Sen. Scott Kawasaki
Email: Sen.Scott.Kawasaki@akleg.gov
Toll-Free: 866-465-3466
Fairbanks: 907-456-7423
Sen. Shelley Hughes
Email: Senator.Shelley.Hughes@akleg.gov
Toll-Free: 800-565-3743
Wasilla: 907-376-3725
Sen. David Wilson
Email: Senator.David.Wilson@akleg.gov
Toll-Free: 800-862-3878
Wasilla: 907-376-4866
Sen. Bill Wielechowski
Email: Senator.Bill.Wielechowski@akleg.gov
Toll-Free: 800-550-2435
Anchorage: 907-269-0120
The text of SB99 is below. The Alaska State Legislature's website tracks the bill here.
"An Act providing priority to personal use fisheries when fishing restrictions are implemented to achieve a management goal."
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:
* Section 1. AS 16.05.251 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:(j) Except as provided in AS 16.05.258, when the harvest of a stock or species is limited to achieve a management goal, the Board of Fisheries shall place restrictions on all other fisheries before restricting personal use fisheries. In this subsection, "management goal" means the escapement or estimated population size of the exploited stock that provides the greatest potential for sustained yield as established by the board.
Thanks for your help,
Chuck Derrick, President
Chitina Dipnetters Association
PO Box 72665
Fairbanks, AK 99707
cderrick@chitinadipnetters.com