One permit, one person will still be the norm for Bristol Bay.
The Alaska Board of Fisheries voted against a fistful of proposals that would have allowed a single person to hold multiple Bristol Bay permits. Taking care of the coastal communities, the board said, trumps the business sense of reinvestment and increased efficiency.
“There’ll be fewer people able to participate,” said board member Fritz Johnson, a Dillingham resident and commercial fisherman in Bristol Bay. “It’s a rational business decision, but I think the board needs to take a view of this...based on what’s best for coastal communities and what’s best for the resource.”
Half a dozen proposals submitted by the public offered variations of permit stacking options for driftnet and setnet operations, under which fishermen could hold and fish two permits under the same name and/or the same vessel in the case of drift permits. The board voted unanimously against each.
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