Alaska lawmakers order audit of Board of Fisheries process

The Alaska Legislative Budget and Audit Committee voted unanimously Thursday to commission a special audit of the Board of Fisheries, directing state auditors to examine whether the board followed its own statutes, regulations, and public-process requirements over nearly three years of meetings.

The audit covers board activity from October 12, 2023 through July 1, 2026. It will measure the board's conduct against fishery statutes and regulations, the Administrative Procedure Act, and the Executive Branch Ethics Act. Legislative Auditor Chris Curtis said her division has the capacity to begin work in August, with fieldwork expected to take four to six months.

What Prompted the Audit

Rep. Louise Stutes, who chairs the House Fisheries Committee and requested the audit, told the committee the action was overdue. "These concerns were proven factual when our own Attorney General recently overturned 5 regulation proposals adopted by the Board of Fish, citing ethics acts violations," Stutes said. "Board decisions are consequential, often impacting thousands or tens of thousands of Alaskans within a single action."

Some committee members, including Sen. Scott Kawasaki, questioned whether parts of the request used inflammatory language and stressed that the audit should be guided by neutral, objective criteria focused strictly on process rather than outcomes.

Stutes drew a clear line between process and outcomes. "This audit request is not based on any outcomes of what the Board of Fish has done," she said. "We are asking it based on the process on which those outcomes were determined. The process, not the end result."

Curtis said the board's own rules give auditors the measuring stick they need. "The board's process is set out in regulation and statute, and that's what we will use to help evaluate and determine and answer the audit objectives," she said.

What Comes Next

Sen. Scott Kawasaki said he ultimately supported the request. "Given the breadth of stakeholders' concerns and with current litigation, the Attorney General overturning several proposals, and the amount of concern that Representative Stutes has heard, it felt like it was appropriate to have an objective and independent look at the board's processes and procedures," Kawasaki said.

The committee amended the motion during the meeting, on the suggestion of Sen. Bill Wielechowski, to extend the audit's start date back to October 12, 2023 — the beginning of the fall board cycle — from the original request date of November 28, 2023. The committee then voted unanimously to approve the amended motion.