Southeast Alaska seiners could vote on buyout next year

摘要

Proponents of a plan to reduce capacity in the Southeast Alaska salmon seine fleet are hopeful permit holders can vote by early next year on whether to buy out some of their fellow fishermen. The effort got a boost this spring when the state Legislature passed a bill supporting the buyout. Purse seiners remaining in the fishery would shoulder a 40-year federal loan of up to $23.5 million to retire potentially dozens of fishing permits.