“Julie Bonney (Alaska Groundfish Data Bank) is the Kodiak Fisheries Advisory Board representative for the 5 large closed-class processors currently suing the SOC/NOAA/NMFS on the Rockfish Amdt. 88 in hopes of restoring the Rockfish Pilot Program. She also manages the Big-5 cooperatives that were linked to those processors under the Rockfish Pilot Program. This is not an appropriate time to appoint what could be a key player in the lawsuit’s discovery to NOAA’s MAFAC. What was going through the mind of the Secretary of Commerce?”
So it becomes blatantly clear that NOAA intends to give the Gulf of Alaska to the highest impact, most wasteful fishing group, the trawlers. As we have watched the NPFMC process in the past and seen clearly that Julie Bonnie and her merry band of draggers have repeated turned aside attempts to make the Gulf of Alaska a sustainable place for fishermen of all stripes by assuring that bycatch is credibly controlled, and resources are fairly distributed. That NOAA would select such a completely biased person to serve on this group is a slap in the face to those who would prevent a complete give away of the Gulf of Alaska groundfish resources to the dirtiest gear group, comprised of something less than 40 vessels. Outrageous. But not a big surprise, as we have warned before. NOAA is in bed with the draggers and the process industry to the detriment of us all.
Keep yer flippers thawed,
