Who bought Craig Medred a newspaper?

Discussion area for political and legal issues affecting Alaskan salmon fisheries.
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Once and Future
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Who bought Craig Medred a newspaper?

Post by Once and Future »

Dale from ATA mentions a court decision that will help sport fishing interests achieve the setnet ban they are seeking for the Kenai river, by allowing it to be put to a vote. In related news, the Anchorage Daily News has been sold. It is no longer a McClatchy newspaper, and has been renamed "Alaska Dispatch".

OK, beyond that, in case you didn't know, Craig Medred is an "outdoor" writer who believes commercial fishing is a relic of the past and should be done away with so sport fishermen don't have to compete with us. Example: In a recent article of his, he states that commercial fishermen "kill" fish. When he discusses sport fishermen, he says they "catch" fish.

Medred might have fallen from favor with the old Anchorage Daily News management, because his articles had become very infrequent. Under the new management, he has multiple articles per issue. Meanwhile, a writer I used to enjoy because of her fundamental understanding of many facets of Alaska culture, Julia O'Malley, is no nowhere to be seen. (For example, she understood why fur coats are necessary in Alaska.) And I haven't noticed Laine Welch or Wesley Loy blogging about commercial fishing issues. However, I am reading that paper much less these days.

Add to this the fact that sport interests now have more political clout than us when it comes to getting individuals appointed to the fish board.

Make no mistake, powerful interests are spending and scheming to take away our way of life. Obviously, Alaska Dispatch will be attempting to brainwash their readers into voting for setnet bans.

Now I have read past posts where fishermen are holding grudges against ATA for having policies in the past that favored some fishermen over others. It's very possible that hard feelings are justified. But the point is, who else is going to fight for your livelihood right now? Maybe UFA, I guess. So reconsider supporting ATA, and if you still can't, maybe support UFA. Are there any other suggestions? The enemy would love to divide and conquer us, and many fishermen harbor petty hatred that gives them pleasure when another gear group is made to squirm. But we all smell the same to the sporties.

With our noses to the grindstone in our small fishing communities, we can deceive ourselves into thinking most of the world appreciates us. But we must realize the majority of votes lie outside our harbor towns, and concentrate on how the world at large perceives us. Slapping a "No Farmed Fish" sticker on the dock at Pelican accomplishes nothing. Our survival depends on us fighting wisely.

Oh, and remember, Craig Medred approves of your not supporting ATA. He'd probably like to shake your hand.
Salty
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Re: Who bought Craig Medred a newspaper?

Post by Salty »

Nice piece, thank you.
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