Individual Fishing Quotas: by Craig Medred

There are some very knowledgeable and lucid Alaskan writers speaking out on some issues in the seafood-o-sphere these days. One writer I've always liked has been writing on outdoor stuff for the Anchorage Daily News. He was the outdoor and fishing columnist when I got to Anchorage twenty years ago. There's a guy that found what he likes to do and did it well. I think I'm going to include letters like these in this blog for a permanent record, in these archives anyway. They are easy to get at.

IFQs make sure other folks won't get a crack at something like these 80 acres, of Alaska at it's finest, a big black cod IFQ holder has. Don't get me wrong, it couldn't have happened to nicer folks.

And, the Monday after a trip to the Fish Expo in Seattle requires a ton of other duties, like looking at why the furnace isn't working, and returning the rental car. So enjoy Craig's article on IFQs. I was lobbied in Seattle to reprint a fisherman's letter to a editor, and I will if I can find it. Some fishermen's letters are just classic (like in pulling all the tinsel and ornaments off an issue), and need to be spread around some more. And if it's for the good of the industry as well as coastal residents, and is constructive, I'll print it here. Not to worry, I have a hard time not bashing people too.