Kodiak looks at doing economic impact report for cod

Kayla Desroches/KMXT

Kodiak is looking into commissioning an economic impact report for the Pacific cod fishery.

Recently, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council cut Pacific cod quota by 80 percent due to declines in stock. Fishermen are now gearing up for a thin season.

The Kodiak Fisheries Work Group discussed the possible analysis at its meeting last night.

Executive Director of the Alaska Groundfish Data Bank, Julie Bonney, spoke before the work group and suggested they wait a year before investing in such a report.

“A, we’re going to figure out whether people can actually catch cod. B, we’re gonna understand whether or not the science is true and the cod aren’t there in the system like we think it is, and C, we’re gonna understand what’s gonna come in 2019 and 2020 ‘cause best case scenario is we have a good recruit in 2017 and start fishing again in 2021 or 2022.”

According to a letter from the consulting service, the McDowell Group, an analysis and memo on the lost ex-vessel value, first wholesale value, and local tax revenue would cost about $7500 (seventy-five hundred dollars).

The same letter stated that a more comprehensive analysis on direct and indirect effects to the fleet and processors would cost two or three times as much.

The money would need to come from the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly and Kodiak City Council, which fisheries analyst Heather McCarty acknowledged have been short on funds.