Juneau -- The Alaska Board of Fisheries would be repealed and replaced with an independent commission to review state fisheries laws under a plan introduced in the Senate Wednesday. Senate Bill 183 restructures the board and creates the Fisheries Commission of Alaska (FCA) to make the board process more efficient and effective.

"We have an awkward system which allows commissioners on the Board of Fisheries to have financial interests in the fisheries that they make decisions on," said Senator President, Senator Drue Pearce (R-Anchorage), sponsor of SB 183. "Also, the commission has so much work to do, it is difficult for them to keep up," she said.

"The FCA will be a full-time commission composed of five commissioners, none of which shall have a vested economic interest in a commercial fishing, sportfishing, or fish processing business. This provision will remove any real or perceived conflict of interest that may occur during the decision-making process," said Pearce. "In addition, the commission will have full-time staff independent from the Department of Fish & Game."

Plans call for the current Board of Fisheries to appoint a sub-committee to study how to structure the new commission to best serve the long-term interests of the state. Senator Pearce will work with that sub-committee during the Legislature's interim period and incorporate the committee's findings into SB 183 after the Legislature returns to Juneau early next year.