A sustainable fish policy for Alaska: Alaska fisheries policymaking has begun to shift from a jobs-driven exclusionary approach toward one that is more sustainable and inclusive.

• Author: Minor, Steve

Throughout Alaska's history, major fisheries policy decisions have been made in the complex environment of biological, economic, social, cultural, regulatory and/or political factors and are almost always made in response to a crisis. These mostly crisis driven policy decisions ... often result in disruption to Alaska's fisheries participants-the coastal communities, harvesters and processors who invest in and have a dependency on the fishery resource itself."

So begins the recently released McDowell Group study, "Towards a New Model for Alaska Fisheries Policy: Evaluating Interdependence and Long-Term Impacts." Undertaken by the Juneau-based McDowell Group at the request of Waterfront Associates, a long time consulting firm known for its involvement in Alaska coastal community development issues, and sponsored by a cross-section of fishing and community interests, the study attempts to identify all of the stakeholders, as well as economic and biologic impact criteria that should be evaluated in the development of sustainable Alaska fisheries policy.

In recent years, Alaska fisheries policymaking has begun to shift from a jobs-driven, exclusionary approach toward one that is more sustainable and inclusive. But Alaska fisheries policy decisions continue to be driven by crisis--whether it is global competition in the salmon industry, lawsuits filed by environmental activists or issues related to over-capitalization--and as a result we continue to run the risk of shaping policy to address short-term issues but creating long-term disruptions.

LEARNING BY MISTAKES

To make this point and establish a new framework for policymaking, the McDowell study analyzes several unintended consequences of past policy efforts including: 1) the shift in fishing quota ownership from rural coastal communities to urban communities; 2) the ways in which the local loss of high value or high-volume fisheries often leads to a domino like collapse of other fisheries and severe disruption to local economies; and 3) the extent to which previous at tempts to maximize jobs has eroded Alaska's competitive position on the market, often resulting in severe economic consequences for both fisheries-based communities and the entire industry.

The study then goes on to recommend a framework for future Alaska fisheries policy development. By analyzing the unique impacts on coastal communities, harvesters, processors, the resource and the marketplace, policymakers will be more...