Bully politics harm all salmon user groups
Posted: Friday, June 20, 2014 10:04 am
As the representative for the Alaska Salmon Alliance based in Kenai and Anchorage, I have been doing community outreach in the Mat-Su Valley for the past 18 months, in an effort to bring sport, personal use, subsistence and commercial user groups together on common research themes, wild stock enhancement in rivers and to start a dialogue that can lead to long term management solutions. The Mat-Su Fish and Wildlife Commission has systematically blocked these efforts.
The alliance has listened to Ricky Gease, Delo and others distort the economic value of recreational fisheries in Alaska and the U.S. for years. Gease’s distortions have been categorically debunked in the most recent National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Economics of the U.S. report covering the year 2012. Gease’s claims, which are characteristic of U.S. and Canadian recreational groups, are based on inflated economic multipliers and old information from studies done in 2007 that do not reflect the effects the downturn in the U.S. economy had on Alaska tourism that began in 2008.
A 2013 economic analysis of the Kenai Peninsula and Anchorage bowl-based commercial fishing industry conducted by the reputable Northern Economics firm, shows a $350 million economic footprint, (using a conservative multiplier of .6, vs. KRSA and Mat-Su Borough’s 7); 5,000 jobs; 2,335 CFEC salmon permit holders (each of which represents a small business); and a $108 million payroll. Data used is based on official state of Alaska and National Marine Fisheries Service mandatory reports for commercial fishermen and processors. The alliance has recently made presentations to the Resource Development Council and the Joint Kenai/Soldotna Chamber of Commerce on this new report. The Kenai based commercial fishing industry is on a par with the Cook Inlet oil and gas industry in terms of annual payroll and regional economic footprint, according to an Northern Economics report commissioned by the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce in March.
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