By Margaret Bauman
Alaska Journal of Commerce

Organizers for a proposed regional seafood development association (RSDA) for Bristol Bay will ask salmon permit holders in late March to approve a tax on themselves to finance the organization.

The ballots going out to some 1,875 drift gillnet permit holders will ask fishermen to vote on whether they want to tax themselves 1 percent of what they are paid for their fish. "That's about 3 cents a fish," said Bob Waldrop, acting executive director of the association.

Ballots will go out in the third week of March and must be postmarked by May 1, he said.

The regional associations were authorized into law in June 2004, under legislation signed by Gov. Frank Murkowski.

The biggest benefit from such an association is one nobody talks about: "What it will be like when 2,800 permit holders start speaking with a unified voice," he said.

"Right now they are splintered. They are speaking individually," he said. "This is going to change things. In my observations talking with fishermen, they are more aggressively interested in more progressive solutions than any other segment of the industry. They are the most interested in improving the quality, and generic marketing for the region. All of these are activities that can be conducted by the RSDA."

Waldrop said Feb. 3 that the association has yet to hear from some of the 1,000 set net permit holders on whether they want to participate in the election. Meanwhile, the fledging association is conducting a series of informational meetings, including one on the evening of Feb. 27 at the Dimond Center Hotel in Anchorage, he said.

Some fishermen have argued that all the marketing should be done by the processors, or that they can't afford to tax themselves to support the organization. However, most of the comments from fishermen have been positive, he said. "People are saying it's about time that people got together and that there was an entity to do some of these things to enhance the value of fish caught in the region," he said.

Up until 1998, Bristol Bay fishermen got 75 percent of what other regions averaged for their red salmon, he said. Today they receive 60 percent of what other regions get. "Bristol Bay is falling behind," he said. "This is an issue that can be addressed by the RSDA to turn the price upwards."

Waldrop said Bill Noll, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development, recently approved the election procedures and certified the voting list. "That's a big deal," he said. "Now we are authorized to proceed with the election."

The RSDA will utilize the Bristol Bay Wild program, which dictates a plan for fish to be handled in a gentle manner to ensure quality. Waldrop said that fish bearing that certification label would help build the market reputation, benefiting consumers and fishermen. The RSDA's goal is to give the market a reason to pay more for Bristol Bay product, he said.

Margaret Bauman can be reached at margie.bauman@alaskajournal.com.