• Winter light on the Fairweather Range

    Glacier Bay

    National Park & Preserve Alaska

History of Commercial Fishing in Glacier Bay

Seiners at the Bartlett Cove dock
 
Troubled Waters

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"NAVIGATING TROUBLED WATERS"
Part 1: A History of Commercial Fishing in Glacier Bay, Alaska

by Jim Mackovjak

Title Pages
Cover, Dedication, Table of Contents, Foreword, Author's Note, Stylistic Notes

Chapter 1: Early Fishing and Fish Processing in Glacier Bay

  • Physical Setting
  • Native Fishing
  • Industrial Fishing
  • Saltery at Bartlett Cove
  • Bartlett Bay Packing Company
  • Icy Strait Packing Co. Saltery
  • Glacier Bay as a Source of Salmon, Fish Traps, and an Effort at Conservation

Chapter 2: Diversifying the Fisheries

  • King Salmon: The Fish and the Fishery
  • Halibut: The Fish and the Fishery
  • Dungeness Crab: The Crab and the Fishery
 
dungeness crab

Chapter 3: Jurisdictional Issues: The National Park Service's Role

  • Glacier Bay Proclaimed a National Monument
  • 1939 Expansion of Glacier Bay National Monument
  • The NPS and Its Mandate at Glacier Bay
  • Jurisdiction over Glacier Bay Fisheries
  • Fishery Policy, More Jurisdiction Issues
  • Salmon Trap at Point Gustavus
  • Inquiry by Crab Processing Interests Fosters Serious Discussion

Fish Report #1
Commercial Fishermen, Pelican, King Salmon, Halibut, Crab, Sharks, Gustavus Homesteaders, Harbor Seals, Shrimp

Chapter 4: Custodial Management

  • NPS Establishes a Presence at Glacier Bay
  • Statehood For Alaska Complicates the Jurisdiction Issue
  • The Wilderness Act
  • The 1960s: Commercial Fishing a "non-issue"
  • Bob Howe: Superintendent and Part-time commercial fisherman
  • 1971 Glacier Bay Master Plan
  • 1971 Wilderness Study
 
Duke Rothwell fished Glacier Bay

Duke Rothwell aboard the Adeline

Fish Report #2
Duke Rothwell, King Crab, Thompson Fish Co., Bull Moose

Chapter 5: Early Groundwork Toward a Glacier Bay Fisheries Policy

  • Tom Ritter Succeeds Bob Howe as Superintendent
  • Superintendent John Chapman
  • The NPS's Policy-Official & De Facto-On Commercial Fishing
  • Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act

Fish Report #3
Limited Entry, Magnuson Act Fosters Japanese Market for AK Seafood, Tanner Crab

Fish Report #4
Dan Foley, Tom Traibush, Charlie Clements

 
Commercial fishing for halibut in a skiff

Skiff fisherman Paul Barnes hauling in a halibut

Chapter 6: Post-ANILCA Accommodation of Commercial Fishing at Glacier Bay

  • The Humpback Whales Must Eat
  • Sea Lions
  • Memorandum of Understanding with ADF&G
  • Documenting Glacier Bay's Fisheries: Taylor Report
  • Perry Report
  • Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site
  • NPS Dock at Bartlett Cove

Fish Report #5
King Salmon, Halibut, Crab, Hoonah Cold Storage, Pelican Cold Storage, Point Adolphus Seafoods, Processing in Gustavus, Sea Otters Return, Tenders, Leslie Hillman

 

Chapter 7: NPS Moves to Curtail Commercial Fishing in Glacier Bay

  • Superintendent Marvin Jensen's Initiative
  • AWA v. Jensen
  • Organized Resistance, More Legislation
  • The 1991 Proposed Rule

Fish Report #6
King Salmon, Halibut, Crab, Pelican Cold Storage Changes Hands again, Cell Phones, Sinking of Westerly, Sinking of Oaxaca

 
Crab fisherman Charlie Clements

Crab fisherman Charlie Clements

Chapter 8: Steering Toward the "Lesser of Two Evils"

  • Bill Clinton, Bruce Babbit, and George Frampton
  • Political Change in Washington
  • Fisheries Research 1991-2003
  • Superintendent Jim Brady
  • "Pay me NOT to fish in Glacier Bay!"
  • 1997 Proposed Rule and Its Backlash
  • Mission Impossible: Seeking a Broad Concensus
  • The "Resolution"
  • The Deal, The Reaction, and Ramifications
 

Chapter 9: The NPS Implements the Legislation

  • Implementation
  • Glacier Bay's "Submerged Lands" Issue Resolved
  • Commercial Fisheries Compensation Program
  • Putting a Price on the Losses: An Economic Assessment
  • Senator Murkowski's Final Effort
  • The Compensation Process Begins
  • LAP's and the Future
  • Conclusion and Final Thoughts
 

Endnotes

Appendices

A: Commercial Fishing Timeline in Glacier Bay
B: Legislation: Public Law 105-277, and Public Law 106-31
C: Federal Register, Final Rule/Vol. 64, No. 202/10-20-99
D: List of Lifetime Access Permits
E: Breakdown by Community of LAP's
F: Dungeness Crabber Buyouts
G: Commercial Fishing Compensation
H: US Supreme Court Decision

 

Part 2: Hoonah's "Million Dollar Fleet"

  • Preface
  • Stylistic Note
  • Hoonah's Seine Fleet
  • Endnotes
  • Photogallery
 
Dory with load of halibut
Dory fishermen with a load of halibut

Did You Know?

Moose

During the summer months, moose can be observed submerging themselves in Blackwater Pond where they forage for succulent vegetation and find relief from swarming insects.