Cordova council member warns pink salmon absence may force hard service choices

A Cordova council member warned Wednesday that the city may face hard choices about services this winter as the near-total absence of pink salmon in Prince William Sound suppresses the fuel-tax revenue the city depends on.

Council Member Mickelson, speaking during general council comments at a meeting otherwise focused on a municipal ordinance and a remote sellers sales tax agreement, said the situation reflected his own prediction but urged residents to prepare. "We're going to have some extremely hard choices to make this winter," he said. "What services we value the most and which ones we are willing to maybe suspend, and hopefully only temporarily."

Mickelson said the concern stemmed from reduced fuel-tax revenue because tenders are not operating and "almost every single salmon fishery is closed." He also noted that the gillnet season was "most likely going to be a disaster" and warned of "huge ripple effects" on taxable income revenue. The comments came despite the Alaska Department of Fish and Game's 2026 forecast of a 21.31 million total Prince William Sound pink salmon run, including 4.726 million wild fish.

Council Member Collins, a former gillnetter, said the outlook is bleak. "It's not looking good so far."

Mayor Smith acknowledged the concern was likely already weighing on the council. "I think that's probably been on everybody's mind," she said.

The warning was not tied to any formal budget action.