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Sullivan has achieved much for Alaska and US fisheries
By Keith Criddle Sen. Dan Sullivan has accomplished more for Alaskan fisheries, fisheries-dependent communities, the marine environment, and maritime domain security than any senator since Ted Stevens.
Sen. Sullivan’s 2018 Save Our Seas (SOS) Act and its subsequent iterations implement actions called for in the 2009 National Research Council report, "Tackling Marine Debris in the 21st Century," which I led. The SOS Act provided resources to begin addressing marine debris on our shores and internationally. This laudable effort needs additional attention and more funding. Sen. Sullivan will make that happen.
Sen. Sullivan’s support for the U.S. armed forces and Coast Guard has fueled long overdue investments in U.S. shipyards, vessels, personnel, and training facilities. Assets that are sorely needed to respond to maritime casualties, enforce domestic fisheries law and international fisheries agreements, and respond to illegal foreign activities in the Exclusive Economic Zones and Territorial Seas of the U.S., our allies, and small nations that seek our help protecting their waters against illegal fishing, habitat destruction, and unlawful extra-territorial claims of rogue nations. Assets sorely needed to address maritime safety, national security, and environmental risks from Russia’s reckless expansion of Arctic shipping, which is expected to exceed 40 million tons in 2026 and expected to become year-round beginning in 2027, powered by Russia’s growing fleet of nuclear-powered heavy icebreakers. Much of the cargo, especially petroleum and natural gas, is transported by sanctioned shadow fleet vessels that are all too often grossly underinsured, scarcely seaworthy, and bearing flags of convenience. Sen. Sullivan’s hard work has been instrumental in securing the appropriations needed to modernize shipyards, build and crew the next generation of Coast Guard and naval vessels, and ensure many of these vessels will homeport in Alaska. Sen.Sullivan has the knowledge, seniority, and will to ensure this rebirth of America’s sea power comes to fruition.
Sen. Sullivan’s support for Alaska and U.S. fisheries includes hundreds of millions of dollars for research to increase understanding of Alaska’s marine ecosystems, conserve threatened marine species, and improve stewardship and sustainable harvests of the ocean’s bounty. His championship of Alaskan and other U.S. fisheries has slowed the flood of subsidized and often illegal seafood products entering U.S. markets. Sen. Sullivan’s Fighting Foreign Illegal Seafood Harvest (FISH) Act passed unanimously in the Senate. Sen. Sullivan is the right champion for Alaska fishery science; the stewardship and sustainable use of Alaska’s and America’s living marine resources; the social and economic sustainability and resilience of our fisheries-dependent communities; and nudging our trade partners and competitors toward ending illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing globally.
• Keith Criddle is a University of Alaska Fairbanks College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences professor based in Juneau.
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