FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) - Alaska sport fishing groups are opposing one of Gov. Bill Walker’s picks for the state Board of Fisheries.
The groups say Walker is trying to break an unwritten rule about the balance of power between commercial and sports fishing interests with his nomination of Duncan Fields of Kodiak.
The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports that 16 outdoor sporting organizations have urged state legislators to reject Fields’ nomination, saying it matters where someone is from and what that person’s experience is.
Walker picked Fields to replace Alan Cain, a retired Alaska Wildlife Trooper who lives in Anchorage. If Fields were confirmed, Alaska’s largest city wouldn’t have a board representative.
Fields has worked in commercial fishing and fisheries policy. In an interview with Kodiak radio station KMXT, he pushed back against the criticism.
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Information from: Fairbanks (Alaska) Daily News-Miner, http://www.newsminer.com
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