Alaska is ready to celebrate its 50th anniversary of statehood and sustainable fisheries management. Before statehood in 1959, Alaska’s fishing industry was the territory’s first major industry. And still Alaska’s seafood industry is still a vital economic engine for state and regional economies. Alaska’s fisheries have seen several ups and downs to reach its present position.
Highly efficient federally approved fish traps were partly to blame for the decline, and also limited jobs for local fishermen. This fueled the fishermen’s desire for statehood and guided many of the principles of sustained yield, local area management, and public participation in the regulatory process to ensure sustainable returns for the future.
After attaining statehood in 1959 Alaska became one of the lowest salmon runs since the turn of the century, at just 25 million fish. Conversely, in 2007 Alaska celebrated the fourth largest (sustainable) salmon harvest in a century, with over 212 million fish. Denby Lloyd, current Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, told that state regulators separated the science of determining appropriate harvest levels from decisions on who gets the opportunity to harvest.
Lloyd also said that by distinguishing conservation from allocation, and by delegating in-season management authority to the local level, they have created a robust and successful model for sustainable fisheries management. Alaska’s dedication to sustainable seafood and precautionary management has become a model for the world for successful fisheries management.
