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New!
-The
Effects of Copper on Salmon - A review of the scientific
literature by Dr. Carol Ann Woody;
-Potential Impacts of the Proposed Pebble Mine on Fish Habitat and Fishery Resources of Bristol Bay by Hauser;
-Steller's Eider Migration Survey - Bristol Bay - 2007. More things rely on clean water from the Kvichak and Nushagak River systems than just fish, including a huge sea duck population estimated at roughly 500,000 king eiders in the Kvichak Bay shoals.
Pebble Mine Thesis paper by Thomas R. Connelly;
For an excellent overview of the entire Pebble Mine
issue we recommend reading the Executive
Summary which is in pdf format.
For why the State of Alaska's permitting procedures
are flawed and will not protect the fish and game in
the case of Pebble, read
the testimony of Lance Trasky, the former head of the
Bristol Bay Habitat Division of the Alaska Department
of Fish & Game.
Fish
and Game Issues
By JACK LENTFER
Anchorage Daily News, Compass Opinion Article
Published: August 3, 2006
As a longtime Alaska wildlife biologist, I am commenting
on two wildlife policy issues that I hope voters and
candidates will address before upcoming elections.
The first issue involves the role of the Alaska
Department of Fish and Game in the review and permitting
of development projects. Writers of our state constitution
recognized the need to develop timber, oil and mineral
resources but also recognized that development must
be balanced with protection of fish and wildlife.
To accomplish this, they established two agencies,
the Department of Natural Resources with developmental
responsibility and the Department Fish and Game
with protection of fish and wildlife and associated
permitting responsibilities.
The first Alaska Legislature agreed that habitat
protection should be with the Department of Fish
and Game when it passed statutes defining basic
responsibilities of state agencies. The two-department
approach assures checks and balances in development
decisions and worked well until the Murkowski administration
disbanded the Fish and Game's Habitat Division and
moved remaining Habitat Division employees into
the Department of Natural Resources. All five Fish
and Game commissioners who had served in previous
administrations opposed this move.
After permitting responsibilities had been transferred
to the Department of Natural Resources, the commissioners
of Environmental Conservation, Natural Resources,
and Fish and Game agreed that they would speak with
one voice and not provide a written record of discussion
on controversial subjects. They stated that internal
cooperative discussion instead of written documentation,
available to the public, is good policy that will
trim red tape and promote efficiency.
This was clearly a backward step. Fish and Game
biologists in field offices, who often are the most
knowledgeable about projects in their areas, no
longer have a way to submit information directly
to those making regulatory decisions. A record of
debate, disagreement and dissenting comments is
no longer available to the public or for the administrative
record of decision. The Department of Fish and Game,
the only state agency with a mandate to conserve
wildlife and fishery resources, can no longer advocate
for fish and wildlife on controversial issues and
thereby fulfill that mandate. Also, there is no
clear way for developers to use the expertise of
Fish and Game biologists to help design projects
to minimize environmental impacts.
I suggest that voters question candidates on how
to bring transparency and full Alaska Department
of Fish and Game participation to the review and
permitting process for development projects.
A second major issue is how to put an effective
fish and wildlife enforcement program in place.
Fish and wildlife, some of our most important resources,
have subsistence, recreational, aesthetic and commercial
values. Enforcement of regulations, along with an
informational and educational component, is an integral
part of good wildlife management. The Murkowski
administration, without clear reasons or public
comment, has downgraded the wildlife enforcement
branch of state government so that wildlife enforcement
agents are spending less time on wildlife-related
activities and more time on nonwildlife activities.
A recent letter from the boards of Fisheries and
Game to the governor noted that this change has
resulted in a 24 percent decrease in fish and wildlife
patrol and investigation time and a 20 percent decrease
in fish and wildlife contacts, along with a 50 percent
increase in non-fish-and-wildlife citations and
a 75 percent increase in non-fish-and-wildlife warnings
by wildlife enforcement agents. The amount of money
that comes into the state Fish and Game fund from
fines is down significantly. This is occurring even
as the wildlife and fisheries economy of Alaska
increases. This growth includes a great expansion
of fishing charter fleets, more wildlife viewing
and expansion in the transporter industry serving
viewers, hunters and fishermen.
Instead of downgrading, the fisheries and wildlife
enforcement program needs to be upgraded with more
funding, more enforcement agents and more autonomy.
It may be time to consider return of wildlife enforcement
to the Department of Fish and Game, as worked successfully
for the first few years after statehood.
I urge candidates to become informed and develop
a position on fish and wildlife enforcement and
for outdoor users to let candidates know how they
feel on the issue.
Big projects, including the Pebble prospect and
gas pipeline, are proposed for Alaska. Voters and
candidates can affect how fish and wildlife values
are protected as these projects go forward.
###
Jack Lentfer, an Alaska wildlife biologist since
1957, has worked for the Alaska Department of Fish
and Game and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
He has served on the Alaska Board of Game and the
U.S. Marine Mammal Commission. He lives in Homer.
For more information, please contact:
Renewable Resources Coalition, Inc.
500 L Street, Suite 502
Anchorage, Alaska 99501
Telephone: (907) 743-1900
Email: info@renewableresourcescoalition.org
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