Not all Alaska Native villages benefit from fish quota program

Wednesday, June 19, 2013  

Not all Alaska Native villages are benefiting from a federally-created fish quota program, according to The New York Times.

Congress established the Western Alaska Community Development Quota program to promote economic development and address poverty in villages within 50 miles of the Bering Sea. On the surface, the program has been a success -- the pollock fishery brings in more than $1 billion a year.

But some villages with small populations appear to see the lion's share of the benefits, according to the Times. The program uses the same allocation formulas that Congress developed in 1996.

The Coastal Villages Region Fund, which represents villages with the largest populations, is seeking to change the formulas. “The groups with the largest amount of people receive less fish per person,” a spokesperson told the paper. “It’s just not fair.”

The program hasn't led to widespread infrastructure improvements either. Of the 15 villages near Nome, only five have complete sewer service and running water, the Times said.

Get the Story:
Spoils of the Sea Elude Many in an Alaska Antipoverty Plan (The New York Times 6/19)