What steps would you take to help restore depleted salmon populations and ensure salmon runs remain strong in Alaska?
U.S. Representative
Mary Peltola
Democratic candidate for U.S. Representative
I helped bring together over 118 tribes from Western Alaska with a unified voice working to bring back abundant salmon returns in our home rivers. As I testified to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation in 2018, the failure to acknowledge and fully integrate traditional knowledge of Alaska tribes in managing fisheries undermines efforts to protect our salmon stocks and preserve our traditional ways of life. We must also address conflicting federal and state management regimes and biases. Additionally, I fully support efforts to reduce the wasteful bycatch of Alaska’s seafood by foreign high seas fishing corporations.
(Listen to the Kodiak Fishery Debates on KMXT for a more in-depth exploration of fishery policy. You can read reporting on the debate from the Alaska Beacon here.)
Sarah Palin
Republican candidate for U.S. Representative
We MUST enforce existing conservation laws and make sure that illegal fishing — especially by foreigners — is punished. Many Alaskans depend on being able to fish for salmon and other species to feed their families and draw their livelihoods, and I’ll make sure they are able to continue doing that. Our communities dependent on healthy salmon runs deserve no less!
(Listen to the Kodiak Fishery Debates on KMXT for a more in-depth exploration of fishery policy. You can read reporting on the debate from the Alaska Beacon here.)
Chris Bye
Libertarian candidate for U.S. Representative
Right now, the system is a race to the last fish. That is not management, that is a car wreck similar to the striped bass or Grand Banks cod fishery. If commercial fishermen, the fishing industry, Native corporations and, most importantly, Alaskans want salmon for the next 50 years and beyond, it is imperative that we adopt sustainable harvest methods that are responsive and reflexive to the needs of all Alaskans.
1) Place upriver community (such as Holy Cross or Upper Kalskag) representation and coastal representation (such as Emmonak or Hooper Bay) on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council in place of out-of-state interests.
2) Phase out bottom trawling. Akin to “clear cutting,” the ocean floor is indiscriminately impacting the ocean’s food web. This practice needs to be phased out.
3) Continued research with outputs. It is not enough to merely observe the decline. Research must be designed to improve the population. Researchers would have to provide their results to various affected communities throughout Alaska, not just Anchorage and Juneau. Lastly, research must include actionable proposals that improve population numbers.
4) Increase bycatch innovation from professional, experienced commercial crews and captains. Few others understand this profession and its technology better.
5) Every vessel must have an observer, even C/Ps such as Arctic Fjord II.
(Listen to the Kodiak Fishery Debates on KMXT for a more in-depth exploration of fishery policy. You can read reporting on the debate from the Alaska Beacon here.)
Nick Begich
Republican candidate for U.S. Representative
While Alaska had a record-breaking salmon harvest in Bristol Bay, salmon populations on the Yukon, the world-famous Kenai kings and salmon runs in other regions of the state continue to decline. Limiting bycatch and overfishing; investing in ongoing research focused on ocean food chains, currents, population variance, genetics; and predator monitoring and control will all help ensure that Alaska’s fisheries remain reliable and predictable sources of sustenance, enjoyment and revenue for Alaskans. To achieve this, we must reauthorize Magnuson-Stevens, continue to fund all-important scientific research that supports informed and accurate decision-making and ensure that the North Pacific Fishery Management Council represents the interests of all user groups. Alaska fisheries form a foundational component of America’s food supply, providing delicious and healthy sources of protein for families across America. People across Alaska and even the world travel to our state to enjoy this resource in our sport fisheries, and the tourism that flows powers small businesses from guide services to hotels to aviation and more. Critically, Alaska fisheries provide a source of food security upon which both rural and urban Alaskans rely. Each of these uses is important for Alaska and for America as a whole, and as a result it is crucial that we properly balance harvests and these interests to ensure a maximum sustainable yield.
(Listen to the Kodiak Fishery Debates on KMXT for a more in-depth exploration of fishery policy. You can read reporting on the debate from the Alaska Beacon here.)