Fish Factor: Reversing the outmigration trend of fishing permits By LAINE WELCH - Fishing issues will take a back seat to budget cutting when the Alaska legislature convenes on January 19 for its 90-day session, but two early fish bills (and one hold-over) already are getting attention.

One new measure aims to stop the migration of fishing permits outside of the state.
We lost over 50 percent of our permits over the 1973 original issuance of permits,” said Robin Samuelsen of the Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation (BBEDC), speaking at a two day Alaska Sea Grant workshop last week in Anchorage titled Fisheries Access: Charting the Future.

Forty years ago at Bristol Bay, 36 percent of the more than nearly 2,000 permits were held by locals and 64 percent by nonresidents. By 2013, the numbers were 19 percent local and 81 percent nonresident. Similar trends, by varying degrees, are happening in other regions as well.

Rep. Jonathan Kriess-Tomkins (D-Sitka) said he intends to introduce a bill that would establish a permit bank to reverse the outmigration trend. The bank would buy nonresident permits and lease them to young fishermen who otherwise could not afford them. It would offer several types of fishing permits (Alaska has 65) that would be proportional and reflective of regional fisheries. A permit bank would not cost the state any money, he said, because it would fall to local communities to raise the money.

“Rural Alaska communities are really struggling, and there aren’t a lot of solutions that get talked about for how you solve the underlying problem, which is creating economic opportunity in rural Alaska,” Kreiss-Thomkins said, which was live streamed from the workshop. “I think this is a rare solution that we in the legislature, and as Alaskans, can enact to help these communities.”

Samuelsen said the BBEDC is already sponsor permits for young fishermen and that a permit bank would help facilitate that effort.

A fish bill that has already been pre-filed would let Alaskans take fisheries enhancement efforts into their own hands. HB 220 by Representative David Talerico (R-Healy) would allow “fisheries enhancement permits” as a “tool to support Fish and Game.”

The permits would allow people to take eggs, grow them into smolt and release them wherever they want into the wild. The permit also would allow groups or individuals to “enhance habitat and augment nutrients” in state waterways to support fish,” according to the bill language.

If many smaller facilities can do the work of a handful of larger, more costly facilities, it will help Alaska’s budget, Talerico told the Juneau Empire.

The enhancement permits also would be available to Native organizations and sportsmen’s groups, Talerico said, adding “Those guys know how to raise money in a hurry.”

Another tool intended “to help fish managers” will resurface this year – “The Alaskans-First Fishing Act,” which aims to give personal use (PU) fisheries a priority over sport and commercial users when restrictions are imposed to achieve a management goal. As it stands now, the three fisheries all are on equal footing in the eyes and actions of state managers. - More...
Monday PM - January 18, 2016

Alaska: Alaska Elections Division Now Offers Online Voter Registration - Hundreds of Alaskans are taking advantage of a new online voter registration available through the Alaska Division of Elections.

“I was pleased to see that since the system went live at the end of November, 592 voter registrations have been completed by citizens across the state,” said Lt. Governor Byron Mallott who oversees the division. The online system is part of the new elections management system that has been in the works for several years.
As an added bonus, the division partnered with the Department of Revenue’s Permanent Fund Dividend Division to provide a link for Alaskans to register to vote after they finish their 2016 dividend application.

“It is our hope that Alaskans completing a PFD application will take the opportunity to register to vote or update their name, address or political affiliation” said Elections Director Josie Bahnke. - More...
Monday PM - January 18, 2016

Alaska: Constitutional Amendment Proposed to Limit Legislative Sessions to 90 Days - With the second regular session of the Alaska Legislature set to convene Tuesday, January 19th, three members of the Alaska House of Representatives have pre-filed legislation to strengthen the 2006 ballot initiative that limits regular sessions of the Alaska Legislature to 90 days.

“I respect the will of the voters, and in 2006 they asked the Legislature to get the job done in 90 days, so I think we need to get the job done in 90 days,” said Rep. Dan Ortiz (I-Ketchikan). “We can’t afford to waste thousands of dollars because we were a week late getting our jobs done.”

This fall is the tenth anniversary of the ballot initiative passed by Alaskans voters in 2006 that limits the Alaska Legislature’s regular sessions to 90 days. However, the Alaska Constitution still includes language setting the length of legislative sessions at 120 days. House Joint Resolution 27 is sponsored by Rep. Matt Claman (D-Anchorage) and co-sponsored by Rep. Ortiz (I-Ketchikan), and Rep. Adam Wool (D-Fairbanks). HJR 27 would place an amendment on the November 2016 ballot to align the Alaska Constitution with the Alaska voters’ 2006 decision to limit the regular legislative session to 90 days. - More...
Monday PM - January 18, 2016

Alaska: Legislation Proposed to Spur Timely Action on Alaska Budget - In light of Alaska's urgent need to get its fiscal house in order this session, Senator Bill Wielechowski (D–Anchorage) and Representative Scott Kawasaki (D–Fairbanks) will introduce cost-saving legislation to ensure that if legislators do not pass an operating budget within the voter-mandated 90-day session, they will not receive salary or per diem until the work is accomplished. They hope to incentivize legislators to buckle down and focus on the task at hand.

While the State's constitution allows for the Legislative Session to last 120 days, in 2006 the issue was brought to a vote of the people by way of a ballot initiative, and Alaskans opted to shorten the annual session to 90 days.

"Alaskans voted for a 90-day legislative session. It is our job to pass a budget within that timeframe," said Sen. Wielechowski. "I'm hopeful and optimistic that my colleagues support the concept of keeping expenses down, not procrastinating, and getting our work done in the mandated, 90-day session." - More...
Monday PM - January 18, 2016