Troll Closure
Dear Editor: On May 25, Alaska Department of Fish and Game issued a press release closing all 2017 spring troll Chinook fisheries until further notice, effectively shutting down non-terminal trolling for the month of June from Yakutat to Dixon entrance.
I fully recognize there is cause for concern for specific Southeast wild Chinook stocks and am fully committed to conserving and protecting these stocks, but from my review of the data it looks as if the fisheries that have been closed in many areas pose little or no risk to these stocks. To be clear, the closed areas include areas with zero history of harvesting Southeast wild Chinook stock during the June troll fishery. Equally surprising is ADFG’s decision to leave open fisheries with as much or more impact to stocks of concern; for example, the June sport fishery in the Sitka area remains unrestricted despite annually catching over 400 Southeast wild Chinook in recent years, while the Sitka area troll fisheries that are closed have averaged less than 300 Southeast wild Chinook per year.
By my calculation, closing the Southeast Chinook troll fisheries in June of 2017 is costing the troll fleet $2 million. This total does not take into account the additional value forgone by the processors or the economic activity lost to the communities. The spring fisheries are especially beneficial to resident Alaska trollers – especially those who live in rural communities such as Yakutat, Hoonah, Angoon and Sitka. Small boat fishermen in these ports often earn as much or more during spring hatchery openings than they do during the short summer openings.
Southeast trollers pay directly to raise hatchery Chinook through the 3 percent salmon enhancement tax. During the spring openings, typically over 35 percent of the Chinook harvested are hatchery fish; during recent summer Chinook openings, less than 3 percent of the Chinook harvested were hatchery fish. In other words, although treaty Chinook will be available to the troll fleet during the summer opening, the opportunity to harvest hatchery fish will be lost. Also of note, in 2016 the summer troll-caught Chinook price was 30 percent lower than the June Chinook price. Taken together, the June closure imposes two-fold costs on the troll fleet: trollers are losing access to hatchery Chinook that they paid to raise, and also losing premium markets for treaty Chinook.
While I am fully committed to sustainable fisheries and of meaningful conservation measures to protect Southeast wild Chinook stocks when needed, I object to unfair closures of fisheries that have a very low likelihood of harming Southeast wild Chinook stocks while other fisheries with more impact remain unrestricted. I hope ADFG will clarify the criteria on which closures are based, ensure these criteria are equitably applied, and reopen troll fisheries in areas that do not pose a threat to stocks of concern.
Jeff Farvour, Sitka
Hospitals
Dear Editor: This letter is in regards to the proposed unification of Sitka Community Hospital and SEARHC. Although I am not an Alaska Native, I and my family have received the majority of our health care at SEARHC for the last 43 years, first as the owners of a documented vessel under the American Seamen’s Act, then later by choice. I have always been happy with the care that I received there. Both of my children and two grandchildren were born there. During the year that my husband Dexter was dying of cancer, he received such caring and compassionate outpatient care there, that I cannot imagine it could have been better anywhere in the world. Of course, I know many people who have received wonderful care at Sitka Community Hospital as well, and my most recent grandchild was born at SCH. I have a great appreciation of the personalized, quality care that Sitka Community Hospital provides.
Besides quality of care, another issue that is raised regards Native hire preference at SEARHC. I for one am satisfied with SEARHC’s response that Native preference only takes effect when two applicants are truly equally qualified. A quick look around at the staff at SEARHC readily reveals that there is no undue racial preference even in current hiring practices.
While I don’t have information on all the details that must be worked out, I would like to make a plea for basing this important decision on a rational analysis of economic feasibility and the best way to deliver a broad range of medical services to every Sitkan over the long term – rather than basing the decision on politics and emotion.
What bothers me is that some people seem to be talking as if SEARHC was trying some sort of “hostile takeover.” The world seems to be more and more polarized, between “Us” and “Them.” It is happening all the time on the national and international scenes. I like to think that Sitka has a stronger sense of community than that. SEARHC is not the “Other.” SEARHC and Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital have a long history as a valuable part of our community. Why not work collaboratively to provide the best health care possible for every member of our community?
Kathy Kyle, Sitka
Thank You
Dear Editor: thank you to all my friends and family for helping me to celebrate my big 80 years birthday! I’m so happy that I live here in Sitka.
I also want to thank my wonderful kids and grandkids for all their work they did and all the good food prepared by many to share.
P.S. A special thanks to all my little friends who made some beautiful birthday cards which I have taped up on my wall to view every day.
Georgia Rogers, Sitka
Paris Climate Accords
Dear Editor: I wanted to take a moment to clarify some of the news on the Paris Climate Accords. When Trump announced yesterday that he was pulling the United States out of that accord against the advice of corporate CEOS, diplomats, and senior advisors, he made the United States one of three countries in the world who are not signed onto that treaty that outlines how the world will take on climate change. The other two countries are Syria and Nicaragua. Syria is a country that is currently some mix of total anarchy or total dictatorship that is at war as a result of the ill-advised US-led Iraq War (a war fueled by oil). Syria is now exporting terrorism to the world and has caused a terrible humanitarian crisis of refugees. With that being the state of affairs in Syria, of course they are not signing an international accord.
Nicaragua is a Central American that has a developing economy that is dependent on coffee, bananas, and sugar. It has high levels of poverty and a struggling population because of lack of good jobs, industry, or opportunities. The key thing to note is that even though Nicaragua is struggling and in a challenged state, they did not sign onto the Paris Accords because they felt that it didn’t go far enough to take action on climate change and they wanted an even stronger treat and more robust action.
Our president promised to make American great again. However, his actions are actually harming the United State’s position of leadership in the world. It took the efforts of generations of Americans including winning a world war, overcoming the Russia and Communism in the cold war, and the innovation of American businesses to create the strongest and most influential economy in the world to become THE global leader and most influential country in the world. Our president’s actions are throwing all of that away.
Andrew Thoms, Sitka
