Something's fishy on the Board of Fish

Here's what's going down. The state Board of Fisheries (BOF) is going to hold a February meeting, put on a kangaroo court and enact regulations that will likely make commercial fishing in Cook Inlet a memory. Here's why: governors Palin, Murkowski, Knowles, Hickel, Cowper and Sheffield didn't appoint a single Cook Inlet commercial fisher to the BOF. Gov. Jay Hammond was the last to do that, with the appointment of Dannie Garroutte, a drift fisher from Ninilchik (served 1975-80).

Isn't that odd? The Cook Inlet basin includes Anchorage, has the bulk of the state's population and many Cook Inlet commercial fishers, and yet six governors chanced to not appoint a single one. In that same span (since 1979), 12 Cook Inlet basin sportfishers have served on the BOF. They are: Calvin Fair of Soldotna ( 1977-79), Russ Dunn of Anchorage (1975-80), Bix Bonney (Kenai River guide, 1983-87), Bud Hodson of Anchorage (1986-93), Mike Chihuly (Ninilchik saltwater guide 1988-93), Irv Carlisle of Soldotna (1990-93), Tom Elias (president of the Alaska Sport Fishing Association 1991-93), Larry Engel (former Fish and Game sportfish biologist, 1993-2003), Dr. Dick Bower of Soldotna (1993-96), Dan Coffey (Anchorage attorney who crafted the "fish initiative," 1997-2002), Ed Dersham (Anchor Point guide, 1997-2005) and Howard Delo (Wasilla sportfisher critical of drifters 2007-).

To his credit, Gov. Steve Cowper appointed Mike Haggren, a Kodiak resident who drifted in the inlet. Before Haggren had the opportunity to actually sit at a BOF meeting, however, he was cited for a commercial fishing violation. Cowper had the courage and good sense to give his resignation. The same can't be said of current board member Jeremiah Campbell, a Murkowski appointment from Seward. Campbell, who has a guide business, was cited for a Fish and Game violation, but he will be in full participation at the upcoming BOF meeting because the same governor who criticized the Murkowski machine for dishonesty in oil and gas issues is unwilling to clean up her own administration.

Why can't Cook Inlet commercial fishers get a fair shake? I don't know, but I have an idea there's "something rotten in Denmark," and it comes from politics, not salmon.

Brent Johnson

Clam Gulch