March 24, 2025 — Membership on the Alaska Board of Fisheries would be restructured to guarantee representation for the state’s different fishing sectors under a bill pending in the Alaska Legislature.
The measure, House Bill 125, would require that the board have designated seats to represent commercial, sport, and subsistence harvesters.
Two members would represent each of those sectors, and another member would represent the scientific community under the bill’s provisions. The subsistence representatives would be nominated by the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN), according to the bill. The science representative would be nominated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, according to the bill.
The Alaska Board of Fisheries, with members appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Alaska Legislature, makes allocation and regulatory decisions that are carried out by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
The bill would help the board pay more attention to subsistence and protect the resources upon which rural residents depend, said the sponsor, Rep. Nellie Jimmie, D-Toksook Bay.
“What this bill (does) I see as bringing an equal voice to the table for subsistence users, not only in my district, but in rural Alaska and all of Alaska. I see this as a positive step forward to bringing sustainability to the fisheries for subsistence users as well,” Jimmie said at a hearing of the House Fisheries Committee on March 18.