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Board of Fisheries Update

SEAGO wrote to the Board of Fisheries with our recommendations for the proposals to be considered at the State-wide meeting in March.  We plan to attend the meeting and give public testimony on several initiatives.  We want your voice to be heard. Please write to john@seagoalaska.org  with your comments/suggestions.

A full list of proposals is here: http://www.boards.adfg.state.ak.us/fishinfo/meetinfo/2009-2010/state-props.pdf .

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Meet the New NOAA Administrator

Eric C. Schwaab, was named the new head of the National Marine Fisheries Service on February 10 – announcement here:  http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2010/20100210_fisheries.html
As a follow-up he is conducting a nationwide conference call on March 15. This is a chance for you to speak directly to NMFS leadership. Here is his communication and conference call instructions:

Dear Constituent,
As I settle into my new job as NOAA’s Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, I want to take the earliest opportunity to hear from and get to know stakeholders from around the country.  I am inviting you to participate in an informal stakeholder call to introduce and familiarize myself with the interests and viewpoints of you and your community.

Monday, March 15, 2010
2:30p.m. Eastern Time
1-888-469-1095
Verbal Passcode: SPORT

This call has been arranged in the afternoon Eastern time to accommodate our stakeholders in Alaska and Pacific Islands Regions.  Should you have any questions or need further information, please contact Andrew.Winer@noaa.gov or Laurel.Bryant@noaa.gov.
As a former state natural resources manager, and the former Resource Director at the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, I have had the opportunity to work with many of you at the state and local levels as well as the federal level.  I look forward to this new opportunity to work with you and your colleagues from around the country as we continue to advance science-based management for sustaining our nation’s marine resources. 
Sincerely,
Eric C. Schwaab
Assistant Administrator for Fisheries

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Say Hello to Forrest Braden, SEAGO's most recent board member

SEAGO is pleased to announce longtime charter operator and key industry contributor, Forrest Braden, as our newest Board Member. Forrest runs a successful charter operation out of Gustavus and has been active in charter industry activities for many years.   Tom Ohaus, SEAGO’s President, welcomed Mr. Braden on board in February: “Forrest has a sound understanding of both the business and political aspects of the charter industry. He is an excellent addition to our Board and we appreciate his participation.” A brief bio follows:

Forrest began his company True North Sport Fishing in Gustavus, Alaska in 1997 after finding his way north from the Southern California ocean sport fishery.  His professional fishing experience includes 8 years on day and long range fishing boats out of San Diego followed by an additional 15 years on Alaska waters.

Out of concern for the future management of Alaska’s sport fisheries Forrest became actively involved in standing up for sport fishing rights shortly after his arrival in the state.  Through research, letter writing, verbal testimony, and participation in sport fishing advocacy groups he has worked to protect and advance the interests of the guided fishing industry in Alaska for the last ten years.

Outside the fishing arena Forrest is pursuing a degree in business management from Brigham Young University in Utah where he currently winters with his wife and seven children.  He enjoys quality family time, learning to play the guitar, and church service.

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SEAGO Participates in Pacific Salmon Treaty Mitigation Fund Utilization

As a result of the 2008 Pacific Salmon Treaty negotiations (treaty effective 2009-2018), mitigation money was promised to Alaska and Canada as part of the agreement.  $7.5 million in mitigation money for Alaska was approved as part of the FY2010 Federal budget.  A stakeholder panel was formed to make recommendations to the Governor’s Fish Cabinet regarding the best use of the money.  Details of this taskforce are presented in the posted document here.   The panel includes four commercial troller representatives, SEAGO President Tom Ohaus, SEAGO Vice-President Russell Thomas, one additional resident sport fishing representative, and a representative from SE Conference and another representative from the native communities.  The group met in January and determined their recommendations would include money going to the following areas:  Enhancement, infrastructure development, marketing, and direct payments to the commercial troll fleet.  The group will meet again in March to make specific recommendations regarding the amounts of money in each category and restrictions that should be included to ensure the money actual mitigates the loss resulting from the 2008 Treaty deal. 

The panel is advisory and their recommendations must be ultimately approved by the Governor. 

Initial funding secured in the pending federal budget would be appropriated by the Alaska Legislature in the spring of 2010 and available for expenditure after completion of the state budget process (likely after July 1, 2010).

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Save Alaska Sportfishing Campaign

SEAGO is building a coalition with recreational anglers to make our combined voice more effective.  More information is here and here.

We have developed a multipoint communication program to get your customers involved. It’s easy to implement, doesn’t cost you anything, and angler feedback shows that it enhances your reputation with your clients. Please contact John Blair, john@seagoalaska.org  right away for details.

 

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Statewide Alaska Fishing Association Initiative

SEAGO has directly participated in organizational activities since its inception and the organization is just about ready for launch. In February initial management elections took place with Reuben Hanke elected President and SEAGO board member Russell Thomas was elected Vice President of the organization.  Look for announcements soon. Special thanks go to the Kenai River Sportfishing Association, KRSA, for taking the primary leadership role in this important program.

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SEAGO 2010 Membership - Your financial support is much appreciated!

The SEAGO annual membership drive is currently underway. Over the past year our organization has built a strong track record of accomplishment and promises to increase our effectiveness even more in 2010.

 “We tackled issues at the Board of Fisheries, at the Alaska legislature, and with the various federal agencies, and we are getting results”, says John Blair, Executive Director. “SEAGO has worked very hard to solidify our standing in sportfishing matters, and I think all would agree that we have proven to be dedicated, persistent, and most of all, respected for taking a professional approach to our problem solving. In a sentence, SEAGO speaks with the voice of reason.”

Please Sign Up Now
It is time consuming and very expensive to speak out on behalf of sportfishing and we need your financial contribution to continue. We fully understand the difficult economy and have created an installment payment plan, a 'pay what you can afford' approach, and more.   

• For detail information about our accomplishments, 2010 plans, and registration info, read the membership package, or
• If you already know all the great things SEAGO does to support guides and lodge owners, just open the registration form and instructions.

SouthEast Alaska Guides Organization Dedication, Accomplishment, and the Voice of Reason

Investing a couple of minutes of your time now will ensure that you have a voice of reason representing you throughout the year. And because there is strength in numbers, ask a friend to join too!

Thanks in advance for your continued support of SEAGO. If you have any questions in advance, please contact John Blair at john@seagoalaska.org

 

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News from Around the Web

SEAGO searches the Internet for articles that have relevance to Alaska sportfishing. Please forward any interesting articles you find to John Blair john@seagoalaska.org  and we will publish them in our next newsletter. Note that some of the links are time sensitive and may be non-functional by the time you receive this newsletter; we apologize in advance.

Finally, please understand that SEAGO does not necessarily agree the contents of any of these articles.  

Here are some recent stories we found around the internet:

 

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