05/02/2025 01:00 PM House RESOURCES

              HB 125-BOARD OF FISHERIES MEMBERSHIP                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
2:32:27 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR BURKE  announced that the  next order of  business would                                                               
be HOUSE  BILL NO.  125, "An  Act relating  to membership  of the                                                               
Board of Fisheries."                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
2:32:32 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR BURKE opened public testimony on HB 125.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
2:32:58 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHUCK   DERRICK,  President,   Chitina  Dipnetters   Association,                                                               
testified regarding HB  125, explaining that he  opposed the bill                                                               
unless it was amended to include  personal use fishery as part of                                                               
the Board  of Fisheries.  He  supported amendments 3 and  4 which                                                               
would  change the  make-up of  the board  by giving  personal use                                                               
fishery a voice on the board.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
2:34:37 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
KAREN  LINNELL, Executive  Director,  Ahtna Intertribal  Resource                                                               
Commission,  spoke  in  support  of  HB  125  as  written.    She                                                               
explained that in-river fisheries  and subsistence fisheries have                                                               
been  under-represented on  the  Board of  Fish  for many  years.                                                               
This bill would create balance.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
2:37:05 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MARK RICHARDS,  Executive Director,  Resident Hunters  of Alaska,                                                               
explained that the Board of Game  has similar issues to the Board                                                               
of  Fisheries  and  legislators should  consider  addressing  the                                                               
Board  of  Game  as  well.   His  organization  did  not  believe                                                               
designated  seats would  solve the  problems because  those seats                                                               
would become  just as politicized.   He posited  that individuals                                                               
in those  seats could still  vote in ways  that do not  adhere to                                                               
the  state  constitution and  what  is  best  for fish  and  game                                                               
resources  and the  residents who  depend on  those resources  to                                                               
feed their  families.   The reforms needed  on both  boards would                                                               
ensure strict adherence  to article 8 of  the Alaska constitution                                                               
which holds the  state's fish and wildlife as a  public trust for                                                               
the common use of Alaskans.   The priority should always be doing                                                               
what is best for the  resources.  He encouraged first restricting                                                               
the commercial  sector, explaining that  fish and game  have been                                                               
managed  according  to  who  brings   in  the  most  money.    He                                                               
acknowledged the  importance of  commercial hunting  and fishing,                                                               
but  that should  not override  what is  best for  fish and  game                                                               
populations and resident Alaskans who depend on those resources.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
2:39:16 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ROD  ARNO, Policy  Director, Alaska  Outdoor  Council, as  Policy                                                               
Director for the  Alaska Outdoor Council, spoke in  support of HB
,  explaining  that the  council  had  been advocating  for  a                                                               
restructure  of the  Board of  Fisheries since  1983.   He stated                                                               
that  dedicated seats  might  be  a good  direction  to  go.   He                                                               
supported adopting Amendment 4 which  provided for a personal use                                                               
fishery,  explaining  that personal  use  is  not sport  and  not                                                               
subsistence.  He discussed the  Madison Decision and the McDowell                                                               
Decision,  and the  definitions of  subsistence use  and personal                                                               
use in statute.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
2:41:33 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CRAIG  THYTHLOOK,  Fisheries   Policy  Director,  Native  Peoples                                                               
Action, explained that he represented  Native Peoples Action, and                                                               
they  supported HB  125, emphasizing  that tribal  representation                                                               
and subsistence  seats should  be a priority.   He  described the                                                               
importance of traditional ways of  life and indigenous knowledge.                                                               
He also expressed concern regarding  language referring to tribal                                                               
appointments   and  opportunities.      Regarding  the   proposed                                                               
scientific seat,  he pointed out  that the definition  of science                                                               
could be subjective.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
2:44:18 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
NANCY HILLSTRAND,  Owner, Pioneer Alaskan Fisheries,  spoke about                                                               
sustaining  fisheries and  her  concerns  regarding losing  fish.                                                               
She  emphasized  the  importance  of  having  a  person  who  was                                                               
knowledgeable  about how  to sustain  fish populations  and avoid                                                               
the  decline of  stocks.   She  proposed that  the term  "fishery                                                               
manager" on  p. 2, line  6, should  be strengthened to  become an                                                               
ecosystem manager and that there needed to be "more science."                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
2:46:47 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JAMES SIMON, representing  self, spoke in support of HB  125.  He                                                               
explained  that the  bill emphasized  fair representation  of all                                                               
Alaskans and would provide  necessary representation of customary                                                               
and traditional fisheries in Board  of Fisheries decision making.                                                               
As a  former ADF&G Regional  subsistence supervisor  who attended                                                               
many  board  meetings, he  observed  many  commercial and  sports                                                               
fishery members  claim subsistence  user status,  diminishing the                                                               
impact  of in-river  subsistence users  whose only  interests are                                                               
conservation and  the continuation of  age-old ways of life.   He                                                               
pointed out  that many subsistence fishers  lost their commercial                                                               
fishing  decades  ago  due  to poor  salmon  returns  and  market                                                               
shifts.  He posited that HB  125 should not be amended to replace                                                               
subsistence-designated  seats  with  personal use  seats  because                                                               
personal use  fisheries are already  adequately represented.   He                                                               
pointed out that the Chitina  Dipnetters Association personal use                                                               
fishery has consistently exceeded  allocation targets in seven of                                                               
the past  ten years.   He discussed  past salmon  harvest numbers                                                               
compared to recent years.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
2:49:51 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  BURKE, after  ascertaining there  was no  one else  who                                                               
wished to testify, closed public testimony on HB 125.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
2:50:05 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR BURKE announced HB 125 would be held over.