This weekend, Alaska Federation of Natives delegates voted on some 50-odd resolutions, covering everything from health care to voting strategies. Two items that got approval call for serious changes to the way Alaska’s fisheries are managed.

The first resolution they voted on concerns policy-making. It expresses support for the reauthorization of the Magnuson Stevens Act, which sets the rules for fisheries management. It also calls for the North Pacific Fishery Management Council to create voting seats for Alaska tribal representatives. Right now, the 15-member council is made up of fisheries managers and representatives selected by the governors of Alaska and Washington. 

The other resolution calls for the end of bottom-trawling within 50 miles of Alaska coastline. The resolution asks the North Pacific Council to place this restriction to protect ocean habitat and to limit bycatch of subsistence food, like salmon.

While the resolution doesn’t list any specific fisheries it wants to target, it does mention user groups that it want to shield from the restrictions. The item asks for maximum protection of Community Development Quota groups, which represent Native villages and are allotted a percentage of the groundfish harvest to encourage their economic growth.  

Larry Cotter is the CEO of the Aleutian Pribilof Island Community Development Association, which participates in the CDQ program. He says he understands the frustration felt by the AFN delegates, especially those in economically depressed areas where subsistence rights are especially important.

“They look to the CDQ sector, they look to the entire groundfish and crab industry, and they see the amount of money that’s being generated,” says Cotter. “And you know, they’re upset. Because why can’t they have what they need as well?”

Right now, a federal ban is already in place on bottom-trawling in the pollock fishery. A 50-mile ban would primarily affect groundfish fisheries like Atka mackerel.