A bill by Gov. Mike Dunleavy allowing fish farms in Alaska, which has banned them for the past 35 years, is getting a little bit of misunderstanding and a whole lot of opposition from legislators and interest groups, including some of his closest political allies.
House Bill 111 would allow inland farms for species such as tilapia, catfish and carp — but not for salmon, although some opponents of the bill are focusing on that species in their comments. In response, Dunleavy released a six-minute video on his YouTube channel Monday night defending his proposal.
“This bill does not allow the farming of salmon,” he said at the start of the video. “That is an iconic Alaskan species of fish, the five species of salmon. It also won’t allow Atlantic salmon to be grown in Alaska.”
“It allows mom-and-pop operations, families — whether you’re you’re in a city, you’re in a you’re in on the Kenai Fairbanks Matsu, or remotely — it allows you to legally be able to grow, for example, rainbow trout or Dolly Varden which, right now, there is no commercial fishery on that. There is no competition in terms of competing with our wild-caught salmon. But it will allow people to grow these, these, these fish in livestock tanks in their garage or livestock tanks out back.”
The bill also specifies the farmed fish have to be in an “escape-proof” barrier and be sterile so they can’t reproduce if they do escape into the wild.
Alaska does permit shellfish farms, but finfish farming is banned by a law enacted in 1990.
HB 111 was referred to the House Fisheries Committee, where its fate appears dubious. Committee Chair Louise Stutes (R-Kodiak) and House Speaker Bryce Edgmon (I-Dillingham) released a joint statement opposing the bill.
“Alaska’s commercial fishing industry, our coastal communities, and fishing families across the state are suffering through historically poor market conditions, inconsistent returns, and unfair trade practices,” the statement asserts. “Make no mistake, the industry will recover; however, lifting a ban on freshwater finfish farming sends the wrong signal, at the wrong time. It also erodes the spirit of the current ban and provides a foot in the door for possible salmon farming in Alaska.”
Among the other policymakers quickly expressing opposition were two conservative Republican legislators who align with Dunleavy on most issues.
“Friends don’t let friends eat farmed fish,” Rep. Sarah Vance, a Homer Republican, wrote in a social media post. A similar social media sentiment was shared by Rep. Jamie Allard, an Eagle River Republican, who wrote “Alaska First” above an image by artist Ray Troll stating “Fish are not for farming. Eat wild salmon.”
Other opponents of the bill include many fisheries, environmental and tribal officials.
“Even fresh water fish farming is not good.” Richard Chalyee Éesh Peterson, president of the Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, wrote in a social media post Monday. Peterson said it’s also important policymakers research fish farms since “farmed fish is pretty gross not the healthy food some are led to believe it is.”
“I am hopeful our Governor turns his attention to working to enhance our sustainable wild fisheries and address the harmful practices of trawlers; if they changed gear type they could be much better,” Peterson wrote.
Dunleavy, who issued an executive order in December to recreate a state Department of Agriculture, argued in his video fish farms can be part of that economic growth effort.
“We import catfish, we import tilapia, we import other types of fish grown in other places in the world,” he said. “Why not grow trout here in Alaska for Alaskans’ consumption? We’ll have a better product. We’ll have another small growth industry that does not interfere at all, does not hurt the commercial fisheries for salmon.”
Support for Dunleavy’s proposal was expressed by some seafood industry officials and publications.
“We have reached what I think is a major historic moment in the history of the Alaska seafood industry,” wrote John Fiorillo, executive director for IntraFish, a Seattle-based industry publication. The article states “a new bill introduced by Alaska’s governor could lift the state’s 35-year ban on finfish farming — potentially saving its struggling seafood industry.”
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.
