The Bob Penney/AFCA proposed ballot initiative to ban setnetting is currently being opposed by the State of Alaska in an appeal to the state Supreme Court. While the appeal is pending, signatures are being gathered in the process to certify the initiative (30,000 statewide signatures are required) and get the question on the 2016 ballot.

ASA considers the proposed ballot initiative a bad idea in many ways. It will not do a thing to conserve or rehabilitate king salmon stocks. It is a job-killer at a time when the State of Alaska can’t afford to lose any jobs. It would undermine a healthy southcentral seafood processing industry at a time when the state needs every cent of its existing tax base. It allows special interest greed to use advertising blitzes and the ballot box to allocate state resources.  ASA is also dismayed to hear reports of signature collectors using deception in their practices.

Andy Hall, the President of the Kenai Peninsula Fishermen’s Association, wrote a commentary – “Anti-setnet initiative based in greed, not conservation of Kenai salmon” – published in the Alaska Dispatch on 12/22/14.  On 12/27/14,  Shannon Moore added her perspective on the issue in her column – “We can’t save Kenai kings by destroying Cook Inlet setnetters.” Two days later, Joe Connors reiterated AFCA’s documented lies about the nature of set gillnetting and conservation of kings in an op-ed – “To save our kings, Cook Inlet set netting must go.”  Robert Ruffner, Executive Director of the Kenai Watershed Forum for almost 20 years, felt compelled to speak the truth in his commentary on 1/1/15 – “Solving fishery issues requires honest dialogue.”

Bob Penney, Joe Connors and their elite friends have been sowing the seeds of contempt and loathing toward commercial fishing in their public relations for many years, preparing the way for initiatives like this. We hope Alaskans will see through the greed and self interest that is motivating them to demonize and try to eliminate a traditional Alaskan industry and lifestyle that harvested king salmon sustainably for over one hundred years, until commercial sport-fishing began its uncontrolled, explosive growth 25 years ago.