Rep. Jimmy urges HB 125 to rebalance Board of Fisheries; tribal leaders and elders back measure

Representative Jimmy told the Senate Community and Regional Affairs Committee that HB 125 would restructure Board of Fisheries membership so each major user group—subsistence, commercial and sport—has equal seats (two each), aiming to give subsistence users a stronger voice in fishery management.

Representative Jimmy described the local importance of timing for drying fish and subsistence practice, saying such local knowledge informs policy choices the board makes about seasons and closures.

Tribal and community testimony

Fritz George, a longtime subsistence practitioner and former council member, supported the bill and urged stronger measures—including temporary commercial reductions—to let salmon runs recover in some systems.

Sharon Hildebrand, chief chairman of the Tanana Chiefs Conference, told the committee that although commercial harvest accounted for roughly 98.6% of harvested wild resources in 2017, subsistence harvests are vital to rural communities and less than 1% of total harvest by weight. She described the Yukon River salmon collapse since 2020 and its impacts on food security and community wellbeing.

"For many families, the emotional toll is heavy," Hildebrand said, urging lawmakers to ensure fisheries policy reflects the constitutional subsistence priority and to provide fair board representation for subsistence users.

What’s next: Representative Jimmy invited committee members to visit his district; no formal vote was recorded and committee concluded its agenda for the day.