Strong lobby more than a hobby for some

This is the third in a non-consecutive series of columns about behind-the-scenes life as a member of the Board of Fisheries.

In the two previous columns we discussed the time commitment necessary to serve as a member of the Alaska Board of Fisheries (BOF) and the pre-meeting reading load required to be minimally prepared to participate. For those who missed the columns, about 120 days per year covers the time and as much as 5,000 pages of reading material must be covered prior to each meeting for preparation. There are normally four to six scheduled meetings per cycle or year.

In this column, we’ll discuss the lobbying efforts which a BOF member needs to address. This lobbying, or “member education” as some folks prefer to call it, is essentially never-ending during the active part of the meeting cycle and continues even in the off-months.

Because my wife answers the phone as a large part of her job, she had wanted an unlisted telephone for a number for years. After my appointment to the board, we got that unlisted number. Our “old” number was listed. Everybody wanting to talk to me about fisheries issues began using that number to contact me. The phone started to ring constantly. These calls came anytime during the day, from as early as 5 a.m. to well into the late evening hours, including weekends and holidays. I connected the listed number to an answering machine in my office. I tried to get the word out that e-mail was a better way to contact me.

Some folks mailed information. That material was simply added to the pre-meeting reading workload. I also received the occasional CD, DVD, or book in the mail from a concerned stakeholder who happened to have their information in that format.

The favorite lobbying approach was a face-to-face “meet and greet,” often over a coffee or any of the three daily meals. Breakfast lobbying only happened to me during an actual meeting, when someone wanted to discuss a particular issue and the only free time for either of us was the morning meal. Lunch or dinner meetings were the more “normal” lobbying times and they didn’t happen only during meetings. I probably went to lunch or dinner a half-dozen times off-cycle over three years with folks interested in telling me their views on a specific issue. Sometimes they were local. Occasionally they travelled to my neck of the woods from other parts of Alaska or even from out of state, combining a “business” lunch with other items on the trip.

During meetings, from a few minutes prior to the beginning of each day’s session, throughout breaks and immediately after the daily session ended also were lobbying opportunities that folks were not shy about using. “Happy hour” was a favorite lobbying time for many, but wasn’t always the best time for me. I was usually tired from the day’s just-completed session.

These dinner meetings can be a little tricky. Some folks try to “buy” influence with the BOF member(s) by paying for the potentially expensive meal and drinks. Offers for fishing trips and other similar items also are occasionally made. The information provided isn’t always accurate either. If we were told things that couldn’t be confirmed by other sources, the data in question was suspect, but often was all we had to work with on a given issue. Because of the influence of one current board member, the other members started paying their own way at these after-hours meetings to eliminate any question of influence. That broke with tradition, but was a smart move for the board members.

Most people were polite and understood that time was precious. They would usually try to make their points in whatever time frame the member would allow, but there were exceptions. Here are a few.

At the Chignik meeting my first year, an inebriated gentleman arrived at the meeting and wanted to have his say right then.

He had missed the public testimony period and the sign-up for committees. The chairman asked him to sit down. He did. I went out to talk with him after the session wrapped for the day. That calmed him down. He just wanted to be heard.

On a break during the Upper Cook Inlet meeting, I really had to go to the bathroom. I’m almost sprinting to the head. A gentleman stopped me and started with his “spiel.” I listened as long as I could and then told him either he lets me go or I pee on his leg — his choice. He let me go. Similarly, I had a woman lobbying me at the Sitka meeting who tried to follow me into the men’s room until I closed the door in her face.

At a meeting in Fairbanks, I introduced a proposal to correct what was, at the time, considered to be an “error in regulation” and asked that it be considered at a future meeting. On the next break, a gentleman who had been involved in the original situation leading to the “error” requested to speak to me. He didn’t view my proposal as a correction and verbally threatened me for having introduced it. The threat situation was handled by the appropriate people.

Lobbying can take many forms and range from polite discussion to threatening statements. A BOF member needs to learn how to deal with these efforts in an ethical and transparent manner.

Howard Delo is a retired fisheries biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. You can leave him a message by e-mailing sports@frontiersman.com.