Board of Fisheries seat open again after Ruffner rejection

Gov. Bill Walker has yet another appointment to make to a shorthanded Board of Fisheries, and this time the Legislature won’t be in the equation.

After the second of his two board nominations failed to replace resigned chairman Karl Johnstone, Walker will have to appoint a new name from a long list of applicants by May 19. There is no official call for applicants, but applicants are encouraged to submit resumes to the governor’s Boards and Commissions office no later that May 15.

There will be no confirmation hearing for whomever Walker nominates to the vacant seat. That person will serve as a fully powered out-of-session appointee for the year until the 2016 legislative confirmation hearing.

This upcoming Board of Fisheries cycle is entirely dedicated to finfish, which includes salmon. The board has meetings scheduled for Bristol Bay, Arctic/Yukon/Kuskokwim, Alaska Peninsula/Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands/Chignik, and statewide finfish from October 2015 through March 2016.

The Legislature voted 30-29 against confirming Walker’s Board of Fisheries nominee Robert Ruffner during the end of session confirmation hearing on April 19.

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