The Aleutians East Borough is asking the state to investigate whether a member of the Alaska Board of Fisheries acted ethically during a vote on restrictions to the Area M salmon fishery.
Borough Mayor Alvin Osterback and representatives from several tribes in the region say they filed a complaint with the Alaska Department of Law on Feb. 23. They say a member of the Alaska Board of Fisheries had a conflict of interest when he cast a tie-breaking vote last month in favor of restricting the Area M fishery.
The complaint argues that Curtis Chamberlain of Anchorage should have recused himself because he is an attorney at the Calista Corporation, a Western Alaska Native corporation that has advocated for stricter limits on the fishery.
The vote came during the Board of Fisheries’ contentious February meeting that addressed management of the commercial salmon fishery on the Alaska Peninsula. The issue is part of a broader debate over whether fishing in the region contributes to declining chum salmon returns to Western Alaska rivers, where Calista has most of its shareholders.
Neither Chamberlain nor representatives from the corporation immediately responded to requests for comment.
In the complaint, the Aleutians East Borough and regional tribal leaders argued the board’s actions could have significant economic consequences for the communities that depend on the fishery.
Mayor Osterback said in the statement that the board was “failing Alaska’s fishermen and its fish.”
A Department of Law representative said in an email that the office would not comment on the complaint because it is confidential under Alaska’s 1975 Ethics Act.
Anyone can file a complaint with the Attorney General if they think a public officer has violated the act. The legislation does not establish a required timeframe for the department to investigate alleged ethics violations.
