Alaska Board of Fisheries picks Bethel and Dillingham for 2028 regional finfish meetings

The Alaska Board of Fisheries voted Thursday to hold its next Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim finfish meeting in Bethel, 7-0, and its next Bristol Bay finfish meeting in Dillingham, 5-2. The board set its other 2028-2029 meetings, including the Alaska Peninsula and statewide finfish meetings, in Anchorage.

The board held its last AYK meeting in Fairbanks in November 2025 and its last Bristol Bay meeting in Anchorage in January.

Board member Curt Chamberlain, who made the Bethel motion, said the lower Kuskokwim and lower Yukon region holds roughly 56 communities and about 30,000 people who depend heavily on subsistence. He said charter flights from villages into Bethel sometimes run about $10,000, and that communities often pool money for them before residents fly on to Anchorage. "There is a large subset of Alaskans that are, you know, are facing an existential crisis when it comes to salmon. And I think it's important that we as a board go there," he said.

Board member Tom Carpenter first objected, asking whether Bethel's flights and hotels could handle hundreds of attendees. He dropped the objection after Chamberlain cited Bethel's hotels, new fiber internet service and record of hosting large events. The Association of Village Council Presidents and the Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission had asked in writing for Bethel.

Fish and Game division director Forrest Bowers said most of his division's AYK staff are based in Anchorage or Fairbanks, so a Bethel meeting would add travel costs and the division may send fewer staff.

Dillingham drew two no votes. "My experience in Bristol Bay in the winter is that there's very little open," Carpenter said. Member Mike Wood suggested keeping the Bristol Bay meeting in Anchorage since the board had just chosen Bethel. He said most of the Bristol Bay commercial fleet and lodge operators come from out of state and fly into Anchorage, and that there is a limit to what the department should spend on travel in one season. Wood and Carpenter voted no.

Member Olivia Irwin, who made the motion, noted the board met in Dillingham in 2018, also in winter. Chair Marit Carlson-Van Dort said the board has no budget to travel outside meetings and that the department will need to take up such costs with a new administration and the legislature. "I don't think it's the job of this board to cater to those that can most afford to attend meetings," she said.

Bethel is tentatively set for Nov. 14-18, 2028, and Dillingham for Dec. 6-10.

The Area M Seiners Association has asked the board to swap the Bristol Bay dates with the Alaska Peninsula meeting. Carlson-Van Dort said she wants to hear from Bristol Bay stakeholders before deciding, and Executive Director Art Nelson asked stakeholders to send him their views.