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Free market economies
by Mike Sallee

 

March 02, 2005
Wednesday


If Alaska and the federal government followed Eric Nichols' model of free enterprise to its logical outcome in the commercial fisheries, a few wealthy Seattle businessmen with their floating fish traps would still control the salmon industry. We'd have two or three super trawlers scooping up almost the entire halibut, black cod and rockfish allowable quota in Southeast inside and outside waters. A dozen very efficient pot fishermen could take the total allowable catch of shrimp, crab, and probably sea cucumber as well.

A number of small local processors here and on Prince of Wales would benefit immensely from getting local wood. Why aren't we looking at ways to store local valuable old growth logs here so local and regional small processors would have a ready and sustained supply before what's left of readily accessible wood is gone?

I'm baffled how we can have one segment of the timber industry complaining about timber supply while a few miles away another segment ships round logs out of the state like there was no tomorrow.


Mike Sallee
Ketchikan, AK - USA


Related Viewpoint:

letter RE: Log Export by Eric Nichols - Ketchikan, AK - USA

 

 

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