In March, Representative Nellie Jimmie introduced HB 125. This bill would designate seats on the seven-member Board of Fisheries to represent specific interests. The bill would designate two seats to represent commercial fishing, two seats to represent sport fishing, two seats to represent subsistence fishing, and one seat to represent the scientific community. An early version of the bill included a role for AFN in nominating potential members for the governor’s selection, but that language has been removed on revision. Nevertheless, AFN supports HB 125’s goals of increasing representation for subsistence uses on the Board of Fisheries.
