Fish Factor: Budget cuts continue to affect Alaska fisheries in all regions

Cuts affecting Alaska’s fisheries will be spread across all regions and species, depending on the final budget that is approved by state legislators.

As it stands now, the total commercial fisheries budget for FY 2017 from all state and federal funding sources is about $64 million, a drop of $10 million over two years.

“With cuts of that magnitude, everything is on the table,” said Scott Kelley, director of the Commercial Fisheries Division at the Dept. of Fish and Game.

Last year 109 fishery projects were axed, and another 65 are on the cut list for the upcoming fiscal year that begins on Jul...