Insidious fisheries legislation
Letter to the Editor
How would you like to enter a poker game rigged against you because the bigger bankrolls could buy extra cards from the deck?
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The Alaska Legislature has created this stacked deck against fishermen with their permit stacking legislation, House Bill 251 (sponsored by Rep. Bill Thomas).
Under HB251 to compete in my fishery with the top 10 percent of the fleet, I would have to buy another gillnet permit or watch a portion of my catch go to my competitors with an extra permit and extra privileges, such as longer nets, more area or time. If that guy next to me has an extra 100-fathom net or an extra day, no matter how hard I work, he's going to get some of my income.
What the Legislature gives to some, it has to steal from the rest of us. The intent is to squeeze out a portion of the fleet while enriching the people at the top. Much of the lobbying for this scam came from individuals already owning two permits. They will get a bigger piece of the pie and everyone else will drop down a notch on the income scale. The guys barely making it now may have to sell out.
This is the most insidious legislation yet to come out of our Legislature in its misguided efforts to "help" the fishing industry. I have a message for lawmakers: Stop trying to help me. With friends like you, I don't need any enemies.
Mike Saunders
Haines