March 14, 2007

Alaskan fishermen against US proposal to develop aquaculture
 

United Fishermen of Alaska (UFA), a commercial fishermen advocacy group based in the state's Juneau city, have raised strong objections against the US government's proposal to develop local fish farming.

The organization's president Bob Thorstenson expressed his concern that subsidised fish farms would compete with local fishermen.

The proposal involves allowing fish farms to run in US waters three to 200 miles (about 4.8 to 322 kilometres) offshore, with the objective of raising the domestic fishing industry's competitiveness.

Bill Hogarth, director of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service, saw the issue from a different perspective, commenting that wild fishing and aquaculture complement rather than compete against each other.

However, UFA board member Bruce Wallace warned that the significant increase in overseas fish farms badly hit Alaska's salmon fishing industry in the 1990s, as prices tumbled.

Wallace said a better way to boost global competitiveness of US seafood would be to support the sale of Alaskan fish.