I fish commercially in Cook Inlet to support my family, and I know people from across the state who do the same. That’s why I was so disappointed in Dan Sullivan when he ran the Alaska Department of Natural Resources. Sullivan routinely put the interests of Outside corporations above the interests of Alaskans. For example, he has boasted about a ruling he made that found a Cook Inlet salmon stream was “suitable” for large scale coal strip mining, despite the fact no one anywhere has ever re-built a fish stream after such intensive development.

He also led the charge on House Bill 77, and the controversial provision allowing DNR to ignore every other fish habitat law on the books so DNR could issue sweeping general permits for a variety of activities that would impact salmon streams.

Sullivan routinely sided with Outside companies at the expense of everyday Alaskans, and his policies only reinforced the “death by a thousand cuts” phenomenon that has led to the demise of salmon runs in the Lower 48. As a lifelong Alaskan, we need leadership that stands up for our fisheries and the countless families and communities who rely on them.  

Rob Ernst

Kenai