Time to end Alaska Rockfish Pilot Program

Kodiak, Alaska

By John Finley

With the City Council's decision to oppose the three-year extension of the Rockfish Pilot Program it has definitely dabbled its toe in the waters of fishery management in a serious and unprecedented fashion. They are finally moving and I hope that they, not finding the water all that threatening, will plunge the whole foot in.

It hardly needs to be said that the extension is sunk. Just like the conspirators in the Blue Dutch Affair were sunk the day the city wrote their letter on them. So all that's left to do now is put the whole foot in and oppose the IMPLEMENTATION of the Rockfish Pilot Program.

The program itself is slated to run for two years. Do we really want to go on like this for another two years? If we stop the program now we'll be busy starting new fisheries in the Gulf next year instead of bickering.

On another note: Several Kodiak residents can attest that I've been trying to shame them into running a write-in campaign for the House seat contested by LeDoux and Ogg. It's ghastly that the voters have to line up behind one or the other, knowing that neither has the courage or the inclination to call a spade a spade.

The level of debate in the race can be measured by the fact that Gabrielle has had the gall to claim credit for killing Senate Bill 113 without drawing even a comment from Ogg. LeDoux was about the last one in Alaska that turned against her hero's (Ben Stevens) law. If SB 113 had passed we wouldn't be arguing now because the cartel's plans would be in place.

I ran a write-in for that seat years ago. I think it was 26 days before the election that I filed. As unprofessional as my campaign was, I came within a few votes of winning. Things are even more polarized now than they were then so I don't think the right person could lose against these two uninspiring lawyer candidates.

All The Best

John Finley
Box 3849
Kodiak AK 99615