Governor Appoints Johnstone to Board of Fisheries

December 5, 2008, Anchorage, Alaska – Governor Sarah Palin today appointed Karl Johnstone to the Alaska Board of Fisheries.

The Board of Fisheries’ main role is to conserve and develop the fishery resources of the state. This involves setting seasons, bag limits, methods and means for the state’s subsistence, commercial, sport, guided sport, and personal use fisheries, and it also involves setting policy and direction for the management of the state’s fishery resources. The board is charged with making allocation decisions while the Department of Fish and Game is responsible for management based on those decisions.

“Alaska’s fisheries are a vital part of our culture and economy, which makes sound management critical,” Governor Palin said. “Karl will be a strong voice for protection of the resource and fairness to all users. His experience and judgment will be as asset to the board as they address many fishery management challenges.”

Johnstone, of Anchorage, is a retired superior court judge who has been an active sport fisherman in Alaska since 1967. He fished commercially for salmon in Bristol Bay and herring in Prince William Sound and Southeast Alaska in the 1980s. Johnstone earned a bachelor’s degree in business and a juris doctorate in law from the University of Arizona. He practiced law until 1979 when he was appointed superior court judge. Johnstone was appointed Presiding Judge of the Third Judicial District in 1990 and served in that position until his retirement. Since then he has had a limited practice as a lawyer, mediator and arbitrator.

Johnstone fills a public seat on the board left vacant when Jeremiah Campbell of Seward resigned. His term will run through June 30, 2009.