Ruffner Appointment to Alaska Board of Fish Passes House Hearing, now being Questioned in Senate
SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Juneau Resources Weekly] by David Theriault April 15, 2015
The Ruffner Appointment has upset the Status Quo at the Board of Fisheries.
Gov. Walker’s appointments to Board of Fisheries continue to buck tradition. His first choice, Roland Maw, faced questions on his ability to serve impartially before he withdrew his nomination amidst controversy on hunting violations in Montana. Now lawmakers are concerned that Walker’s replacement, Robert Ruffner, can not be easily labelled.
Over the years, seats on the seven member Board of Fisheries have been held by three commercial fishing representatives, three sport fishing representatives, and a lone subsistence member. No law requires that seats are held by representatives from specific user groups but Governors in recent memory have maintained that balance.
Gov. Walker broke from that tradition when he appointed Maw, giving the commercial fishing industry four representatives ...
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