Dunleavy: Fish farming bill would benefit Alaska’s fishing industry; others not so sure

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s recently proposed legislation lifting a ban on certain types of commercial fish farming is receiving some pushback in the Alaska Legislature.

In a Monday video posted to YouTube, Dunleavy laid out his reasoning for the bill, which permits only certain non-salmon fish to be farmed.

“This bill does not allow the farming of salmon — that is an iconic Alaskan species of fish,” Dunleavy said in the 6-minute video. “It also won’t allow Atlantic salmon to be grown in Alaska.

“But here’s what it does: It allows mom-and-pop operations, families — whether you’re in a city, you’re on the Kenai, Fairbanks, Mat-Su, or remotely — it allows you to legally be able to grow, for example, trout.”

Alaska’s News Source reached out to the governor’s office for an interview and was referred to the video that their office produced and released.

Dunleavy said new farmed fish farming would not compete with salmon, but rather, would aim to expand the fishing industry to other types of fish that the state currently imports and help make Alaska more food secure.

“We’ll have another small, small growth industry that does not interfere at all, does not hurt the commercial fisheries for salmon,“ Dunleavy said. ”We’ve got work to do on the commercial fisheries for salmon. That’s problematic, but this in no way hurts that, damages that, displaces that.”

Fish farming has been a target of opposition in the past, and several lawmakers in Juneau have already voiced concerns or opposition. While HB 111 specifies that new fish farming industries would only be allowed in closed water systems, and the fish would be sterile, some still see the practice as risky.

Sen. Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, who sits on the Senate Resources Committee, said he heard “universal” opposition to it when he asked constituents, and that the bill is unlikely to go far beyond committee.

“There’s tremendous concern,“ Wielechowski said. ”We’ve got probably the best fishery in the world here in Alaska, and I know the governor is proposing to do this only in closed waters, but we have floods all the time. Fish escape all the time.”

In response to food security concerns, Wielechowski said there are other options, such as upgrading the Don Young Port of Alaska or increasing the use of greenhouses.

“Food is a problem in Alaska, there’s no doubt about it,” Wielechowski said. “It’s not an easy fix.”

As for Alaska’s fishing industry, Wielechowski said that other issues need to be addressed, such as trawler bycatch in international waters and suffering salmon stocks.

“I think the key is to continue to research this and fund the research,” Wielechowski said, “so that we can figure out what exactly is happening out in our oceans, what’s happening in our local waterways that’s causing this problem.”

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