“Deep disappointment” from Alaskans at Biden Administration's trawl appointee

To re-establish balance, Biden Administration must announce impactful updates to the guidelines for the national standards

JUNEAU—The Biden Administration’s rejection today of Washington Governor Jay Inslee’s top appointees for a seat on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council is a source of deep disappointment for a broad cross-section of Alaskans.

“Balance is a swift necessity for true sustainable Alaska fisheries,” Native Peoples Action Executive Director Laureli Ivanoff said. “This decision is not just a disappointment, but a gut punch to Alaska’s Indigenous who rely upon the Council for the continuation of a way of life that has remained central to who we are. Appointing Becca Robbins-Gisclair would have been a step toward providing that balance necessary for a healthy ecosystem and thriving Alaska communities.”

“We were hoping a strong, independent, conservation-minded voice would be added to the Council,” said SalmonState Executive Director Tim Bristol. “Instead, we get pro-trawl business as usual. This decision makes it hard to have faith in a fair and balanced Council process moving forward.”

The NPFMC, which manages fisheries in federal waters off of Alaska, has faced withering criticism for its inability to meaningfully address the issue of bycatch of non-target species by trawlers. Trawlers have bycaught and thrown away an average of 141 million pounds of non-target marine life annually over the last seven years. This enormous waste has been allowed to continue while Indigenous harvest of salmon has been dramatically restricted or halted, crab fishing has been shut down and small boat commercial harvesters and resident sport anglers all face harsh new restrictions.

With the reappointment of Washington trawl industry representative Anne Vanderhoeven the voting majority of the council continues to be dominated by those with an economic interest in the trawl fleet. For years, the council has failed to take meaningful action to protect vital and valuable fish populations despite Alaskans’ heartfelt advocacy for change in response to the dramatic declines in numbers for multiple marine species, particularly Yukon and Kuskokwim-bound Chinook salmon.

The immediate step the Biden Administration must take to reestablish some sense of balance for Alaskans is to announce impactful updates to the guidelines for the national standards under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Alaska Native Tribes and other Indigenous-led entities, small boat fishing business, charter boat operators and Alaskans from across the social and political spectrum, have all called for an update to three standards under the MSA that will provide greater equity, balance, and transparency in Council and agency decision making. The MSA is the law governing federal fisheries and the decisions the Council makes. For years, the Council has deemed measures to reduce bycatch as not “practicable” because they might affect trawlers’ bottom line. This needs to change now before the public loses what little faith it has left in the NPFMC.