We write as fishermen, Tribal citizens, processors, deckhands, plant workers, small business owners, teachers, parents, and community leaders from across Area M and the Aleutians East region.
For us, this is not an abstract policy debate. It is about whether our communities remain viable enough to continue to live here.
At the Feb. 18-24 Alaska Peninsula/Aleutian Islands/Chignik Finfish meeting in Anchorage, the Board of Fisheries will consider proposals that would sharply reduce June fishing time and constrain the adaptive tools built in recent years. These tools are working to reduce chum harvests. The board members know this from the data presented to them by state of Alaska biologists. We ask the board to step back from the narrative and focus on the record, science, and real-world consequences…