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President’s Message: Call to Action

April 7, 2025 By Caleb Martin

Memberships & Donations

A Call to Action

Now is the time to act! With the current administration now is the time for our representatives in Washington to hear our voice’s. With over 60% of our state under federal control, we find ourselves at the mercy of bureaucratic decision made thousands of miles away in Washington, D.C. This has led to ongoing conflicts over our personal freedoms, economic development, and land use. It is time for Senator Murkowski, Senator Sullivan, and Representative Begich to pushback and broaden the debate over our state’s sovereignty.

Federal agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the National Park Service (NPS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) control vast swaths of Alaska, often limiting hunting, fishing, and land use through regulatory decisions. The federal government has also taken control over Alaska’s subsistence hunting and fishing rights, often favoring rural and Alaska Native communities over urban residents. While the State of Alaska traditionally managed fish and game for all Alaskans. The federal government has increasingly imposed its own regulations, particularly on navigable waters and federal lands.

Federal management of Alaska’s trawl fisheries is a source of growing frustration among local fishermen, state officials, and conservationist who argue that Washington’s regulations prioritize large-scale industrial fishing over sustainable resource management. The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC), under federal authority has failed allowing excessive bycatch of salmon, halibut and crab, that are vital to Alaskans.

The battle over federal overreach in Alaska is far from over. While conservation efforts and environmental protection are important, the question remains: Who Should make the decision that shape Alaska’s future-the people who live here or bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.?

Lisa Murkowski

522 Hart Senate office Building

Washington DC 20510

Tel. 202-224-6665

Dan Sullivan

706 Hart Senate Office Building

Washington DC 20510

Tel. 202-224-3004

Nick Begich

153 Cannon House Office Building

Washington DC 20515

Tel. 202-225-5765

Filed Under: Current Issues

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