The North Pacific Fishery Management Council took up the issue of Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands crab rationalization programme and asked the Kodiakans to tell them what they thought about it. It is said that they were sometimes stoic, angry, passionate and animated, but certainly not shy. More than 40 people — including councilmen, businesspeople and fishermen — testified before the council.
City councilman Jack Maker speaking to the fish council said he is not a supporter of the BSAI crab rationalization programme as it continues to remove millions of dollars annually from our local economy and Kodiak feels it every day. According to him the rationalization programme was flawed in many ways, including leaving out crew shares. He told that the programme resulted in the inequitable distribution of wealth within the BSAI crab fishery.
Fisherman Gene LeDoux informed that unlike many, he wasn’t financially affected by the rationalization program, but that didn’t mean it didn’t affect him. Maker asked the fish council to consider crew shares and LeDoux demanded crew shares. Few fishermen were questioned by members of the fish council including U.S. Coast Guard council representative Lt. Cmdr. Lisa Ragone. She asked several people if they thought the crab fishing industry was safer.
