Washington, Oregon crab interests take aim at CDQs, Alaska council majority

Begich says he’ll work to make sure idea “never sees the light of day”

(page 1 of 5)

Washington and Oregon individuals with stakes in the Bering Sea crab fishery are taking aim at the Alaska majority on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council and the Community Development Quota program.

Citing concerns about potential council actions that could restructure the Bering Sea crab fishery to improve crew compensation, a letter sent to the Congressional delegations, governors and state legislatures of Washington and Oregon alleges discrimination by the six-member Alaska majority and blasts the CDQ program for enjoying unfair competitive advantages that are crowding out private businesses.

The undated letter sent sometime in late August was signed by former North Pacific council member David Fluharty, marine biologist Dayton Alverson, Puget Sound Ports Council President Vince O’Halloran, former North Pacific Fishing Vessel Owners Association President Dennis Peterson and Bering Sea crab pioneer Kris Poulsen.

Alverson is also a former chairman of the North Pacific council Scientific and Statistical Committee. Poulsen’s son, Ed Poulsen, is the executive director of Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers and a member of the North Pacific council Advisory Panel.

Ed Poulsen has also been the lead representing vessel owners and quota shareholders in discussions on ways to improve crew compensation for Bering Sea crab crewmen. A planned report on the effort originally scheduled for the upcoming council meeting in Dutch Harbor has been delayed until December.

The letter from Kris Poulsen, et al, describing the CDQ groups as “predatory” was presented to the city of Newport, Ore., in support of a Sept. 13 resolution seeking an additional two seats for Oregon on the North Pacific council.

While the Newport resolution supports two additional seats for Oregon on the North Pacific council, the Poulsen letter asks for two additional seats for Washington and another for Oregon.

The current 11 voting members of the council include six members from Alaska, including Department of Fish and Game Commissioner Cora Campbell, three from Washington, one from Oregon and National Marine Fisheries Service Alaska Region Administrator Jim Balsiger.

The Poulsen letter suggests Balsiger should be considered a member of the Alaska delegation, and it would create a 14-member body with seven members from Washington and Oregon.

Alternatively, it suggests, the council should be required to have 8 votes of 11 to institute any further quota share programs.

Alaska Sen. Mark Begich said the idea is going nowhere.

“As chairman of the Senate Oceans Subcommittee, I will work to make sure this proposal never sees the light of day,” Begich said in a statement provided by his office.

The CDQ program was passed by Congress in 1992 to aid 65 economically depressed Western Alaska communities that are divided into six non-profit corporations that with tax exempt status.