Board of Fisheries committee to take up remote testimony and process changes Oct. 21

The Alaska Board of Fisheries Committee on Board Process, Management, and Research Needs will take up remote testimony and Department of Law recommendations for improving board procedures when it meets by webconference Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 9:30 am. Written comments are due through the board's website by 11:59 pm Oct. 18, and the public can also testify live.

The committee consists of board chair Marit Carlson-Van Dort, Tom Carpenter and Mike Wood. The session continues a meeting the committee held Sept. 25.

At that earlier meeting, fishermen told the committee the board sometimes rewrites proposals after testimony closes, leaving the public no say on the final language. The committee made no change in response.

The board allowed remote oral testimony during the 2021-2022 cycle but dropped it the next cycle, according to a 2024 advisory committee proposal that sought to require it permanently. On Sept. 25, Carlson-Van Dort called virtual participation "another one that I've struggled with," adding that she has gotten many requests for it over the years and that a room of 300 people could double or triple in size if testimony opened online. A written comment submitted to the board argued that in-person sign-up favors paid representatives over rural fishermen, guides and subsistence users.

Alaska News has previously reported on the Legislative Budget and Audit Committee's unanimous July vote to audit the board's process after the attorney general overturned five regulations, citing ethics violations.