A new report compiled by the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust (ASFT) in Sitka finds that Southeast Alaska communities are losing access to fisheries, but also identifies opportunities for implementing new ways to restore such access for the region. 

“Based on what we heard from the dozens of community members who participated in our survey, it is clear that Southeast’s communities, particularly Indigenous communities, are losing access to fisheries and their future access remains uncertain,” said Linda Behnken, ASFT board president. “However, it is also clear that we have some real opportunities when it comes to designing and implementing new tools to help restore this access and ensure that local needs are being factored into larger discussions and decisions concerning Southeast’s economy.” 

The report, released June 18, compiles findings of a regional survey ASFT distributed to area residents this spring in collaboration with the Sustainable Southeast Partnership (SSP) — proposing ways to address issues. The report was funded by the Southeast Conference through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Southeast Alaska Sustainability Strategy initiative.  

ASFT said the goal is to assist local communities by providing data and information for future dialogues and community development planning, increasing awareness and encouraging more funds for fishery access-related projects. Participating communities included Angoon, Craig, Haines, Kake, Ketchikan, Klawock, Klukwan, Juneau, Sitka, Wrangell, and Yakutat.  

Responses from these communities universally identified the fisheries as a crucial element of Southeast Alaska’s culture and economy moving forward. Respondents expressed concern about their ability to access and have a sustainable livelihood from local fisheries through traditional harvesting, commercial or recreational fishing. 

Respondents’ key concerns included the changing climate and environment of Southeast Alaska and a sense of unpredictability for the future of marine resources. They expressed a lack of confidence that current scientific approaches to fishery management will be adequate in light of significant changes affecting the region and its resources due to climate change. 

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The report also discussed existing systems of governance that challenge access to fishery resources, challenges with limited access management at the state and federal levels and loss of community infrastructure such as processors, fish buyers, cold storage, marine services and/or transportation often initiated with the trend in outmigration of fishery access in remote communities. 

Many participating area residents said the utmost priority is protection and perpetuation of a traditional way of life, with commercial fishing considered secondary, as a tool to bridge the traditional and cash economies. 

They discussed the rapid growth of tourism in Southeast Alaska as something feeding competition and tensions between local-commercial and traditional-use harvesters and non-local harvesters in the sportfish sector. 

The report included recommendations for building more equitable and accessible fisheries in Southeast Alaska, including incorporating climate change variability and unpredictability into fishery management tools to facilitate fishery access and to ensure that other industries, including tourism and mariculture, do not further limit fishery access.   

Recommendations also included establishing regional entities to hold quota/permits (such as regional Community Quota Entities and regional fisheries trusts) and more investment in community infrastructure. 
Behnken said that ASFT was grateful to everyone who shared their thoughts on this complex topic. 

“We hope that this report will uplift their voices and be a chance for the public, policy makers, and others to better understand some of the challenges that many Southeast residents are facing so that we can collectively find solutions and build a resilient and vibrant future for Southeast’s fisheries and communities,” she said. 

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In winning both the Pac-12 regular season and conference tournament titles, Arizona put up some of the best pitching numbers in the country and led the nation in a trio of categories.

The Kevin Vance effect was real, and it’s made the Wildcats a desirable destination for pitchers hoping to improve their pro prospects.

Arizona has landed a second potential weekend starter from the NCAA transfer portal, getting a commitment Tuesday from former Baylor right-hander Collin McKinney.

The 6-foot-5 Texas native comes to Tucson with three years of eligibility, but with a big 2025 season could get drafted. He’s coming off a 2024 campaign as a redshirt freshman (he sat out 2023 due to injury) in which he started 14 games for Baylor and was 3-6 with a 6.70 ERA.

McKinney struck out 60 batters in 49.2 innings but also walked 35 and allowed 11 home runs. He had back-to-back 10-strikeout performances midway through the season but didn’t go more than four innings in any of his final seven starts.

He is Arizona’s second portal pickup, both righties who have started throughout their college career. Last week the Wildcats landed ex-Rutgers RHP Christian Coppola.

Coppola is ranked by 64Analytics as the No. 30 transfer, while McKinney is No. 168. For perspective, none of the players Arizona has lost to the portal was ranked in the top 1,000.

The UA is likely to lose all three weekend starters with righties Clark Candiotti and Cam Walty graduating and lefty Jackson Kent expected to get drafted and start his pro career.

“While SCA 2 was one of many efforts to help address the housing crisis, the November’s ballot will be very crowded, and reaching voters will be difficult and expensive,” Allen said in a statement. “In addition, the legislature recently passed my SB 469, which substantially addresses some of the most significant concerns about how Article 34 might be impacting housing production.”

SB 469 clarifies that the use of state affordable housing dollars does not trigger Article 34’s requirement for voter approval. Allen said his focus is on determining whether these efforts are “making a significant dent in addressing the problem,” adding that quickly building more affordable housing is a priority.

Backed by the California Real Estate Association, the forerunner to the current California Association of Realtors, Article 34 was first adopted by voters in 1950. Realtors played on voters’ fears that affordable housing would lead to greater racial integration of exclusively white neighborhoods.

CAR issued a formal apology in 2022 for its past support of Article 34, with association President Otto Catrina condemning the actions and vowing to address the legacy of its “discriminatory policies and practices.”

The organization “remains a strong supporter of the repeal of Article 34 … which adds unnecessary hurdles and costs to the creation of affordable housing,” CAR spokesperson Sanjay Wagle said in a statement.

Wagle noted that a majority of Californians support repealing the provision but cited research showing a voter education campaign would be needed to explain the article’s effects.

“The cost of such a campaign in an election year with so many initiatives on the ballot made this campaign more costly and difficult, thus making it more logical to pursue a repeal on a future ballot,” Wagle wrote. “We thank Sen. Allen and Sen. Wiener for their efforts on this repeal effort and look forward to working [with] them and other stakeholders on this issue in the future.”