Outdoors-related legislation impacts us all

Outdoors in Alaska, by Howard Delo

While the legislature isn't scheduled to adjourn until sometime in mid-May, they are approaching "crunch time" to pass a budget and other legislation ranging from banning cell phone use while driving to naming bridges.

Let's look at some pending bills that would have an impact on hunting, fishing and other outdoor activities.

HB 93 addresses Alaska's boating safety program, boat registration and extending the sunset dates for the state boating safety act. I attended a teleconference on this bill and learned that, since the state's boating safety program was enacted, boating deaths in Alaska have declined from an average of nearly 30 per year to around 20 per year.

One preventable death is too many, but this program is having a significant impact in reducing boating fatalities. The program is only about five years old and has already reached more than 40,000 Alaskans, primarily children. Around 12,000 Alaskan boaters have been exposed to the program where the Coast Guard has certified only 3,000 folks in the same period.

This is a bill I hope passes because lives have been saved as a direct result of the program's efforts.

SB 318 would enact language protecting the individual right of Alaskans in the consumptive use of our fish and game resources. When decisions are being made about the allocation of these resources, either for commercial, sport or subsistence use or when areas are being considered for exclusion of hunting, fishing or trapping activities, this bill, if it becomes law, must be addressed in those discussions.

In this day of "lock-it-up" protectionism regarding our wildlife resources, this bill would be invaluable in forcing the anti-hunting, anti-fishing, or just plain "anti-use" folks to recognize that my consumptive interests have been around much longer than their "any use is a bad use" approach to managing nature.

HB 396 would require management of salmon and other fisheries stocks in a scenario where the important and dominant salmon stock would be managed on a maximum-sustained yield basis with sustained yield management of the other fisheries stocks in the area.

This sounds good on the surface but has definite implications. The dominant salmon species in Cook Inlet is sockeye. Under this bill, sockeye would be managed for maximum sustained yield while all the other species would receive less intensive efforts. Who benefits from this approach -- primarily commercial fishing interests.

Rather than managing all species to the best level possible, the important and dominant salmon species would receive the bulk of the management effort. I'm not sure that's in the best interest of the residents of the state or the fisheries resource, as a whole, itself.

SJR 5 is a joint resolution urging the President of the United States and the Congress to act to ensure that various federal agencies do not retain records relating to lawful purchase or ownership of firearms. These records are gathered through the Brady Handgun Bill instant background check system.

When the federal legislation creating the background check system was passed into law, it contained a specific provision that required information on lawful firearms transfers or purchases be destroyed within 24 hours. President Clinton issued an executive order directing the FBI and BATFE agencies to maintain those records for at least six months. That order has never been rescinded.

I have personally talked with a BATFE agent who acknowledged that both they and the FBI are violating the federal law by complying with Clinton's order. This one is a "no-brainer." Either President Bush or the Congress should correct this betrayal of a promise made to America's gun owners.

SB 69 would allow a member of the Board of Fisheries to declare a conflict of interest regarding some issue in front of the board and, after declaring that conflict, vote on the matter. Current regulations do not allow the member to vote on the issue once a conflict of interest has been declared.

This bill is another "two-edged sword" piece of legislation, having good intentions with possible bad repercussions.

Howard Delo is a retired fisheries biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. You can reach him by leaving a message at 352-2268 or by e-mailing editor@frontiersman.com.