Viewpoints
Free market economies
by Mike Sallee
March 02, 2005
Wednesday
If Alaska and the federal government followed Eric Nichols' model
of free enterprise to its logical outcome in the commercial fisheries,
a few wealthy Seattle businessmen with their floating fish traps
would still control the salmon industry. We'd have two or three
super trawlers scooping up almost the entire halibut, black cod
and rockfish allowable quota in Southeast inside and outside
waters. A dozen very efficient pot fishermen could take the total
allowable catch of shrimp, crab, and probably sea cucumber as
well.
A number of small local processors here and on Prince of Wales
would benefit immensely from getting local wood. Why aren't we
looking at ways to store local valuable old growth logs here
so local and regional small processors would have a ready and
sustained supply before what's left of readily accessible wood
is gone?
I'm baffled how we can have one segment of the timber industry
complaining about timber supply while a few miles away another
segment ships round logs out of the state like there was no tomorrow.
Mike Sallee
Ketchikan, AK - USA
Related Viewpoint:
 RE:
Log Export by Eric Nichols - Ketchikan, AK - USA
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