Gillnet group looks to form regional coalition

Robert Monteith

April 16, 2009.

Efforts to set up a regional seafood development association are culminating this month in a series of meetings across Southeast Alaska. Coming to Petersburg on April 23, the informative meeting will make the case for taking 1% levy from Southeast gillnetters in order to fund Rainforest Wild.

“The hope is to update gillnet fishermen in all of Southeast and Petersburg specifically on the Southeast Alaska Regional Seafood Development Association (RSDA). We want to explain what regional development associations are, how they work, and how they can benefit gillnetters in Southeast Alaska,” said Elizabeth Dubovsky, the interim executive director. “Essentially that would create the seed money needed to then have Rainforest Wild go and access federal dollars, grants, and other opportunities to help gillnetters in Southeast Alaska. With that money, RSDA could help fund things like new infrastructure development and marketing and promotional materials. It could also go to just helping fishermen cut operations costs. Ultimately it will be up to the gillnetters to decide.”

Rainforest Wild began in Wrangell when a group of drift gillnet fishermen applied with the state to establish an RSDA for the Southeast/Yakutat region back in 2005. The group has since expanded to include representatives from Petersburg, Ketchikan, Juneau, and Haines.

A positive vote for the 1% levy would set into place an organization that is similar to what is seen in other parts of the state. Copper River and Bristol Bay have similar regional development associations and the money coming into them totals about $1 million a year, according to Dubovsky. She also said that a sunset clause would cancel the levy after a couple years should the gillnet fleet feel that the organization wasn’t pulling its weight.

“There is definitely a building of momentum behind these associations and I hope to educate gillnetters here in Southeast and get people thinking about how it can help fishermen. Whether it’s in Petersburg, Ketchikan, Juneau or Haines, it can help them get more for the fish and keep more money in their wallet,” she said.

Within the next month, all permitted gillnetters will receive a ballot in the mail. Dubovsky estimated that the first year would net the organization $160,000. A grant writer would be Rainforest Wild’s top priority in order to search out and apply for federal grants. Other priorities would be set by the new board of directors after an election among gillnetters would give shape to the organization.
Dubovsky said the focus is on gillnetters because they have shown the most interest.

“Gillnetters are the gear group in Southeast that have expressed the most interest. There are over 50 different fisheries in Southeast that could become a part of an RSDA like Rainforest Wild, but the group of gillnetters that started this a couple years ago in Southeast, I think they recognized the potential benefits to the region,” she said.

The informative meeting will be held April 23 at 6 PM in the council chambers.