Back on August 7th, Gov. Parnell wrote to U.S. Commerce Secretary, Gary Locke, requesting:
[T]hat you declare a fishery disaster under Section 312(a) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA) for Yukon River Chinook salmon fisheries. "MSA § 312(a) authorizes various forms of federal assistance through the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) when the Secretary of Commerce finds a commercial fishery failure due to a fishery resource disaster. I ask that you make such a determination for Yukon River Chinook salmon fisheries and enable those affected by this significant resource disaster to access federal assistance. I understand that the Association of Village Council Presidents and Alaska Federation of Natives have made similar requests and I fully support their efforts in this regard."
In the letter (reproduced below) the Governor explained the seriousness of the problem in detail. Concluding, the Governor noted:
I hope these provide the information you need to make a determination on this request. We have been providing run assessment updates and technical information to assist National Marine Fisheries Service Alaska Region in their analysis of the situation. We are committed to providing any additional information you may require.
"I urge you to make a prompt and favorable determination on this disaster request."
It has been 66 days since the Governor made the request. Nobody in the Governor's office has heard back, either with requests for more details, or with information on the progress of assessment of the request. This is a serious issue. The Obama administration should realize that Winter in Alaska is coming any hour now. Here's Gov. Parnell's August 7th request:
