August 24, 2026
We were disappointed to learn last week that the USDA is moving forward with its plans to remove Roadless Rule protections for more than 9 MILLION acres of the Tongass National Forest, opening it up to destructive industrial logging and road construction. This decision endangers Southeast Alaska’s sustainable fisheries and the thousands of fishermen and businesses that depend on it.
In a press statement with Salmon State, Uncruise, and The Boat Company, ALFA executive director Linda Behnken said:
"Fisheries support the economy, culture, and Southeast Alaska way of life. And they do so sustainably, year after year, providing we take care of the forest, rivers and estuaries that the fish depend on. Compromising the fisheries, which annually contribute over $800 million in economic impact to this rural region, for short-term timber extraction funded by the federal government is an unthinkable trade off.”