Cruise Ship Survey
Dear Editor: The lack of restraint on cruise ship tourism in Sitka has left me feeling helpless. For this reason, I encourage every Sitkan who cares to speak up and voice their opinions. The city of Sitka has limited all persons 14 years of age and older to submit a survey with their hopes regarding upcoming years of tourism in town, and while many of us feel that 500,000 annual visitors is too much, we’re struggling to pinpoint just how much is too much, so let’s make a comparison just for perspective: Juneau is our state capital and a close neighbor to Sitka at just 100 miles away. Their resident population sits around 32,000 people and their ‘‘town’’ receives roughly 1,100,000 cruise ship passengers annually. Sitka has a residential population of around 8,500 (about a quarter the size of Juneau), yet we received around 550,000 cruise ship passengers in 2023. Per capita, Juneau received 34.37 passengers per resident while Sitka received 65.88 passengers per resident last year.
While I don’t condone turning Sitka into a ‘‘mini-Juneau,’’ I do make the comparison so we have a ‘‘ballpark’’ figure of how much may be too much. Using these numbers, Sitka could theoretically ‘‘handle’’ an annual cruise ship visitor tally of just under 300,000. But such a simplistic comparison fails to account for several things: Juneau is able to offer a variety of entertainment options (icefield helicopter tours, the Mount Roberts Tram, Taku River Lodge, Tracy Arm Tours, Allen Marine Tours, etc.) that allow them to disperse overwhelming congestion away from the city center, and they boast roughly 150 miles of state and city roads, making the transportation of said visitors more manageable. Sitka is much more limited in space and transportation, meaning that we still might not be able to comfortably accommodate the same rate per capita as our capital.
Regardless of how exactly you want Sitka to move forward, it is crucial that each of us becomes involved in this conversation; the fate of Sitka’s future depends on the courage and conduct of what the citizens do today. Voice your opinion. Take the city’s survey at https://www.cityofsitka.com/TourismTaskForce.
Dan Evans, Sitka
Tourism
Dear Editor: I concur with the thoughtful letter Chuck McGraw wrote last month – tourism has a positive impact especially on the cost to provide services by our city government which is most important to citizens on fixed income.
It also has major positive impact on our business community, but in addition it also has a major positive impact on Sitka Tribe of Alaska, Sitka Fine Arts Camp, Sitka Sound Science Center, Fortress of the Bear and the Alaska Raptor Center, to name a few.
Our beauty, diversity, culture, pride and the fact we respect, like and take care of each other is not lost on the tourists. And when I talk to them we all lament why the rest of our country cannot do the same. I know our city government and tourism leaders are trying to mitigate some of the negative impacts on tourism and with your help they will do so. I hope everyone has a good 2024. God bless.
Gary Paxton, Sitka
Thank You, Hitchcocks
Dear Editor: Sitka Rush Soccer Club honors Bridget and Randy Hitchcock for their commitment and service to the growth of youth soccer opportunities in Sitka. From participation under Community Schools, to founding Sitka Youth Soccer, to merging with Alaska Rush, the Hitchcocks created recreational and competitive soccer opportunities for hundreds of Sitka youth for over seven years. Their commitment to the club inspired dozens of volunteers who share the same vision – to provide an affordable, inclusive, team sport option to kids in our community and see soccer grow and thrive here.
While the Hitchcocks are stepping down from the board at the end of 2023, they leave behind a program that boasts annual enrollment numbers in the mid-200s; provides three traditional seasons, two camps, and a competitive winter futsal season; a base of 30-plus active volunteers comprised of parents, teenage players, and soccer loving young adults; and a 12-member strong board keen to expand recreational and competitive opportunities for all in Sitka.
Thank you, Bridget and Randy Hitchcock, for all you have done to see the beautiful game succeed here.
Sitka Rush Soccer Club
Board of Directors
Witness for Peace
Dear Editor: The community is invited to attend a New Year's Day Witness for Peace in Gaza, Monday, January 1, noon to 1 p.m., at the roundabout. Everyone is welcome to join for part or all of the hour. Following the vigil, those who are interested are invited to the Unitarian Fellowship Hall for warm drinks, a warm environment, and an hour of Peace Mediation hosted by Auriella Hughes. Additional vigils will be planned until there is a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. For more information, contact Cindy Litman, 530 574-3468
At least 21,320 civilians have been killed and 55,603 injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The death toll from Hamas’s attack on Israel stands at 1,139.
Israel has now expanded its air and ground offensive in the Gaza Strip to the densely populated urban refugee camps where the military had told Palestinians to seek shelter earlier in the war. Since Christmas Eve, Palestinians have suffered some of the deadliest days of the 12-week-old conflict to date.
In addition to violence from Israeli military airstrikes and artillery, half the population of Gaza is at risk of starvation, and 90 percent regularly go without food for a whole day.
The United States has an oversize political and military influence in Israel. The U.S. funds, arms, and supports injustice, inequality, and violence perpetrated by the Israeli government. Despite record levels of violence against Palestinians by Israel, the U.S. continues to offer Israel impunity and blocks efforts at accountability. The U.S. provides $3.8 billion in military aid to Israel every year. Now President Biden is seeking $14.3 billion in additional supplementary funding for Israel that would go almost entirely toward weapons.
For violence to end, U.S. policy must change. Although a small step, a vigil is one way we can call on our elected officials to support a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
For thousands of years, Jews have been working to build societies shaped by dignity, equality, justice, responsibility, and unity for all people. Consistent with my values as a Jew, I must say "not in my name."
Cindy Litman, Sitka
Trawl Bycatch
Dear Editor: On December 19, 2023, the Amendment 80 (A80) trawl fleet sued to prevent implementation of the Bering Sea halibut bycatch regulation that ties bycatch limits to halibut abundance. While not unexpected, the refusal by the A80 fleet to share in the conservation responsibility for halibut is disturbing.
Legal documents for this action identify that the A80 trawl companies were responsible for 23.8 million pounds of halibut mortality from 2010-2019. Bycatch levels not only exceeded limits set for the directed fishery but in some years bycatch threatened to preclude the local halibut fishery completely.
Bycatch is deducted from the total allowable catch before catch limits are set for the directed halibut fishery. Bycatch limits, set when halibut were far more abundant, have never been triggered. Meanwhile, catch limits for the directed halibut fisheries have been steadily reduced as halibut abundance has declined to protect the stocks from overharvest.
After six years of analysis, testimony, and debate, the Council voted to connect bycatch limits to halibut abundance, lowering bycatch caps when stocks are low to prevent overfishing. Council action reduced bycatch limits below then-current trawl bycatch levels by only 2.4%. Based on current abundance, the caps set by the Council action are now above the estimated 2023 trawl bycatch mortality number and above the trawl bycatch average from 2018-2022 – but even that sharing of conservation is too much for the A80 fleet.
Over two-thirds of the direct earnings from the halibut fishery accrue to Alaska communities. Overall, 78 percent of fishery participants are Alaska residents and Alaska shore-based plants process almost all the halibut harvested off Alaska. The most recent data summarizing SE Alaska resident participation (2022) shows that SE Alaska residents fished 567 halibut permits, harvesting 6.2 million pounds of halibut worth $39.5 million in ex-vessel values. All that is at risk with this lawsuit.
ALFA and long-term allies will intervene in the lawsuit on the side of federal managers to protect halibut stocks and our fishing communities.
Linda Behnken, Executive Director,
Alaska Longline
Fishermen’s Association
