New Legislation to Protect Alaska's Fish and Wildlife

Alaska State Representative Craig Johnson is introducing a bill to protect Alaska's native fish and game. The Wildlife Violator Compact would help wildlife enforcement by keeping wildlife violators at bay through revocation of licenses. Basically, there are "member" states that participate in the Wildlife Violator Compact (WVC), and these states share a database. The database holds records for wildlife fishing and game violators. If violators don't answer charges in one state, they wouldn't be able to get a hunting or fishing license in another member state. Read the entire proposal here

Kind of like sexual violator databases, the WVC would keep tabs on those who commit crimes, at least until they answered their charges in a court of law. The idea behind it is that wildlife violators should be brought to justice like other criminals, they shouldn't be able to just skip states and escape responsibility for their violations.

Protecting Alaska's native wildlife is what allows us to continue enjoying Alaska fishing and other outdoor pursuits. The WVC keeps our interests in mind to that end. But, the question is, for those who don't know the law and commit crimes that must be answered in court, is this law fair?

Imagine if you were a tourist visiting Alaska and you kept a fish that should have been released (like a smaller rainbow trout.) You get caught. What if the penalty isn't just a fine, but a court appearance? Many are unable to fly back to Alaska for a court date due to the high cost of airfare. The WVC would ensure that the visitor might not be able to fish in their home state. Should a violation like that be punished this way?

Seems to me that this legislation would help our wildlife enforcement officers and make it easier to identify wildlife violators, keeping Alaska's fish and wildlife safe, but it needs to be done in a manner that is fair. Every state has different regulations and some are certainly more strict and better enforced than others.

Another Reason to Eat Wild Alaskan Salmon

We all know that wild salmon is better than farmed salmon. With the research in this article, there are lots of good reasons to stick to eating wild salmon instead of farm-raised. For those who live in Alaska, the choice is an easy and even economic one. For other people living across the USA, it seems that the only options are to buy wild Alaskan salmon or eat canned pink salmon.

"We live in a fast-paced consumerist culture, so it shouldn't surprise you that what happened to our poultry and cattle farming through the years is being mirrored in salmon farming..."
http://washingtontimes.com/article/20071107/FOOD/111070020/1017/food

Fishermen Who Don't Want King Salmon

Can you imagine fishermen being unhappy with catching king salmon? Well, for commercial Pollack fishermen, that is the case. They may face restrictions and fishing caps if they end up with too many king salmon in their nets. Meanwhile, the bycatch could mean trouble for Alaska's king salmon populations and the sport fishermen who love them.

"The Bering Sea pollock fishery is one of the world's largest commercial seafood harvests, and times are good overall. But the fleet is facing a dangerous problem -- salmon bycatch, or the unintended netting of chinook and chum salmon that swim with the pollock..."
http://www.adn.com/money/industries/fishing/story/9424156p-9336428c.html

Find out more about Alaskan king salmon fishing

Kenai Fisheries Experience Growing Pains

"Kenai residents say that other Alaskan dipnetters are putting their fishery in danger, creating coastal erosion, polluting the water and littering along the Kenai and Kasilof rivers..."
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/102807/coa_20071028032.shtml

Seems to me like the last statement of the article makes the most sense. As the fisheries become more popular, there need to be tighter controls, more enforcement from officers and more facilities (like garbage cans) so people can do the right thing. As for the fisheries being created for a specific group of people, that just doesn't seem right. All Alaskan residents should be free to use the fisheries because they were paid for by everyone.

Learn more about Kenai River Fishing

Alaska Cruise Fishing Excursions

When you go on an Alaska cruise, there's no better way to experience the "real" Alaska than to try your hand at Alaska sport fishing. Most cruise lines offer trip excursions at each port. Excursions are packaged activities that are organized by the cruise line.

Why should you book a fishing excursion through your cruise ship?

Booking a fishing excursion through your Alaska cruise can simplify your plans because you don't have to do the same research to find a fishing guide or rent fishing tackle, the cruise line has already done it for you. Also, you don't need to worry about returning to the ship late and having it leave without you. The cruise ship will always wait until all of the organized shore excursions have returned before the ship leaves the dock. And, most importantly the quality of your fishing excursion is probably going to be very good because it has been evaluated and approved by the cruise line.

What is the downside of booking a fishing excursion through your cruise ship?

Well, depending on the particular fishing excursion, it could be crowded with other cruise passengers. Also, let's say the excursion is for King Salmon Fishing, if you're in Alaska during mid April, that excursion probably won't be offered and if it is, you won't be catching a lot of fish. If you use a local guide, he can cater the trip to the fish that will be in season the time of year that you're visiting. Another big caveat of fishing shore excursions is the cost. For 3 hours of fishing (counting transportation time to your fishing location) a shore excursion will cost you around $150 to $200. The prices go up from there if the excursion involves a float plane or a longer time frame.

Find out what your cruise line offers and start planning your trip from there. See more on Alaska cruise fishing

New Resource for Alaska Anglers

New Alaska fishing website, Alaska Fishing 411 gives information about fishing locations, fishing licenses, fly fishing and more.

Check it out http://www.alaskafishing411.com