Farmed fish.

• Author: McCorkle, Vern
• Position: From the Publisher - Brief Article - Editorial

But this might not have to be the fate of other species of fin and shellfish. Even though Norway, the world's No. 1 salmon farming nation, is into halibut farming in a big way, as are some other countries, and black cod is being successfully reared and marketed by British Columbia and Washington state, there may still be a small window for Alaska, if we have the courage to act decisively. Don't hold your breath.

In a few days, Alaska's fisherman will attend ComFish Expo 2002 to talk about what ails their industry. Politicians will likewise troop to Kodiak to outbid each other in fixing the problems of a depressed world economy and lowest-in-history prices. Truth be told, politicians can do nothing. Nor can the industry if it is unwilling to pull itself out of a "canned salmon" mentality and into the fresh fish reality of today's...