James Brooks
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Alaska Beacon
From left to right, Nick Begich III, Republican candidate for U.S. House; Alaskan Independence Party candidate John Wayne Howe; and Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, hold up paddles indicating their opposition to fish farming in Alaska. Howe had jokingly looked at Begich III’s paddle before making a decision.
Bycatch draws fire from all candidates
Begich III and Peltola both said that they support legislation that would accelerate relief payments during disastrously low fish harvests, and both emphasized that the farm bill under consideration in Congress should provide more equitable treatment for Alaska seafood when compared to agricultural products that come from land.
Howe said he also supports the relief legislation — something he wasn’t familiar with until recently — but thinks payments should come in silver or gold, rather than American dollars, which he predicted would collapse in value.
Begich III and Peltola each advocated measures to reduce bycatch, the unwanted fish caught while fishers target another species.
The state of Alaska has repeatedly closed or limited subsistence and sport salmon fisheries due to low salmon returns, but commercial fishing trawlers are permitted to catch significant numbers of salmon as bycatch in federally regulated fisheries, an issue that has caused conflict between fishing communities. In September, two Kodiak trawlers accidentally caught 2,000 king salmon, hitting a federally mandated limit and closing a valuable groundfish season.
Peltola and Begich III each said they support additional research and technology development to limit bycatch. While bycatch has become a target for criticism in the state, scientific research has not yet settled on it as a primary cause of Alaska’s low salmon returns.
Peltola said she would support the creation of a reserved seat on the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council — which regulates federal fisheries offshore — for a member of an Indigenous tribe. Begich III and Howe said they oppose the idea.
Begich III and Peltola differ on the use of foreign workers in Alaska’s fishing industry. Seafood processors frequently bring in seasonal labor under the H-1B visa program, and Peltola said she supports continuing the practice. Begich III opposes it.
“There’s a 4% unemployment rate in Alaska. I want to make sure that we’re prioritizing Alaskans who want to work first, before we start prioritizing people from outside of our nation to come in and take those jobs,” Begich III said.
In 2022’s four-way U.S. House race, Peltola won just under 50% of the vote within Kodiak city and its suburbs. Begich III was third in the city, behind fellow Republican candidate Sarah Palin.
On Oct. 8, attendees appeared to favor Peltola marginally over Begich III. During an intermission, a group of high school students rushed to take selfies with Peltola.
“She seems like a really nice person, and with her being the only woman up there, it’s really nice to see a female up there to represent,” said Jhade Luna, one of the students.
As attendees left the auditorium, many said they felt Peltola and Begich III were evenly matched, with Howe trailing.
“They seemed actually informed on what the fisheries here entail and the struggles that fishermen throughout the state are facing currently and in the future,” said Clifton Ivanoff, a fisherman.
“I think Begich [III] answered some of the early questions maybe a little bit better than Peltola, but I think she just showed she’s got more knowledge of fisheries toward the end,” said Ryan Burt. “And John Wayne Howe is something else.”
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Publish date : 2024-10-10 11:20:00
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