35 



The Seattle Tniio. Sunday, Novoniber 10, 1991 -- ivoni page story 



Critics say members of panel set up to manage rich fisheries zone 

 off Alaska are watching over their own self-interests at the same time 



The Unjied States' nchest hshen, is 

 coniroUed by a fwteraJ councU so ' 

 nddled with con/bns of mierrsi 

 that us aaians resuJl in millions of 

 dollars m benefils to some council 

 mpjnt>ers or their companies 

 Cniij:« say self-serving votes by council 

 members are also leading to lost jobs here 

 and anificial higher consumer pnccs for 

 (ish 



The group, called the North Paofic 

 Fishery Managemeni CounciL was set up 15 

 yedrs ago lo manage the SI bdlion a year 

 AJaska Tishery in the federaJ zone berween 

 three and 200 nults offshore. 



But It wasni untJ recent years, when 

 Amenca/i fishermen oegan fighting Amen 

 can fishermen, rather than the Japanese for 



INSIDE 



}7f:;;5;. 



A case history ot one ftsfteffnan'and 

 how council actions affect [lim. 

 Busin«s9,E1 '.((J :;•■ 



jrce, iha: the 



puhiic 



Tammany Hail of tbe Paafic v ' 



"The poLiDcs are so blatant il forces you 

 as a protective measure lo become part of 

 the problem." says Waller Pereyra. a ScartJe 

 businessman and member of the council 



fishjng businesses. Two are industry -group 

 employees One is a consultant who makes 

 no secret of the fact he hof^es to make 

 money off his mside expertise. 



Pereyra. perhaps more candid than most, 

 admmed that he performs government busi- 

 ness w-irh an eye on his own trawler 

 Cf-mpanies' botium lines 



"I sllDuldn't even be on the council 

 making these kinds of decisiorts that I have j 

 conflia on - absolutely." he sajd "I think 

 that's true of every member of the council It 

 should be in the hands of professional 

 managers. " 



Pereyra, for instance. loses millions o' 

 doQart , in potentiaJ revenue because oi 

 coundl-lffiposed limits on fishing for a type 

 of bottom fish caJJed pollock Perevra. citinp 

 sdenlific studies on optimum .yielo. is iryinji 

 to get the council to kiosen the limits 



Under current praaice, most of the 

 council members are appointed preciseiv 

 because of their industry erpenence Thev 

 are required to file finanoal-disclosure state 

 ments and take an oath to vote in the 

 national Witeresl 



But some council members say the 

 national mterest is often equivalent to their 



Please see FISHING oq a le 



