Fish Alaska: Thank you, Mr. Ross, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to sit down with us. It is much appreciated. Please take a moment to let us know a little more about you and your family —things we don’t ever find on the evening news or in any press kit or bio.

Ross: Barb and I celebrated our 34th wedding anniversary on June 22, 2002. In 1968, we left for Alaska from my home state of Wisconsin four days after we were married. We have four children: Greg, 32, is a teacher at Mears Middle School in Anchorage. Brian, 29, is a 1994 graduate of the USNA and is a captain in the USMC stationed at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina. Tim, 26, is an engineer working for Wilder Construction in Anchorage. Amy, 24, is a police officer with the Spokane Police Department.

All of our children were raised with guns and fishing poles, and all are avid outdoors enthusiasts. I came to Alaska to enjoy the many hunting and fishing opportunities, and Barb and I have taken the kids, from an early age, on many fishing, hunting, and other outdoor trips. Now they have started to take us on their outdoor trips. As an attorney in Anchorage, I’ve represented individual Alaskans, families, and businesses for many years, and now I’d like to represent all Alaskans. That’s why I’m running as a Republican for governor.

Fish Alaska: Can you share some of your favorite Alaska fishing stories with our readers?

Ross: For Father’s Day last year, Greg took me fishing on his friend’s halibut charter boat and I caught an 87-pound halibut. That’s the largest fish I’ve caught in Alaska, or anywhere else for that matter. In the 1970s I went to Grosvenor Lake and caught a 39-inch trophy northern pike that weighed 16 pounds. Later that day, I caught a 44-inch northern that weighed over 20 pounds, which I released since I had kept my earlier fish to have it mounted. The book Exploring Katmai National Monument stated, at the time, that no northern pike over ten pounds had ever been reported caught in Katmai before mine. I also caught a trophy Arctic char that weighed 10.5 pounds at Ugashik Narrows. The most fun I have had, however, was taking our kids fishing. Brian, at age twelve, caught a 47-pound king salmon while I was with him. The biggest king I ever got was 38 pounds.

Fish Alaska: What are your favorite areas of the state? Where do you go to get away from it all?

Ross: The three boys and I are in a partnership in the old Tyone Mountain Lodge at Tyone Lake, Alaska. There are grayling there, if you know where to look, and we do. We also fish for lake trout, and Brian once caught a 13-pounder with a body that seemed small when compared to the size of the fish’s head. I also own a fly-in cabin in the Talkeetna Mountains where we fish for rainbow trout. The biggest fish I’ve caught there was 22 inches, but I’ve seen bigger come from that lake. The fellow I was with caught it only five minutes before I caught mine, so we had to share the limelight that day. I enjoy fishing the Swanson River canoe trails, the Naknek River, and Ugashik Narrows—any place where a fellow can get away from others and enjoy Alaska’s wildness.

Fish Alaska: What is your view on the long-term future of sport fishing in Alaska and how can we ensure that what we have today is here for others tomorrow?

Ross: Unfortunately, at least in Anchorage, jogging on the Tony Knowles’ coastal trail is what many of our citizens consider a real Alaskan “outdoor experience.” This is sad; such folks might as well live in Cleveland. Alaska has so many varied activities available for people who live here, if they are just willing to get out into the backcountry.

We need to ensure future generations appreciate the lifestyle and opportunities we have here. The best way I know to make certain that happens is for each of us to take a youngster fishing every opportunity we can. Not only will the young person have a good time, but we will also have the wonderful experience of sharing in that youngster’s early fishing experiences. We also need to remove politics from the management of Alaska’s fish and wildlife resources and let decisions be made by professional biologists according to our constitutionally mandated principle of sustained yield.

Fish Alaska: Some resource management issues have become quite contentious, sport vs. commercial fishing, halibut charter GHL/IFQ’s, subsistence, and the general allocation of state resources to name but a few. In many ways it seems that so many voices shouting in opposition to one another almost disrupts the completion of any sound and beneficial policy. In your view, is there a common ground to be found between the various interests, and if so, how do we bring them together to work towards fair and equitable solutions?

Ross: As governor, I intend to challenge provisions of ANILCA that mandate federal management of our resources, through pressure on our congressional delegation and through court action as well. Alaska’s fish and game resources must be managed by Alaskans and not by the Feds. Also, unfortunately, our resources are too often managed based upon what is politically advantageous to the decision-maker and not upon sound biological principles. That, too, will change when I am governor. Common ground between users can be achieved with responsible leadership from the governor’s office, through the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and the Boards of Fish and Game. All users need to be shown that they will get a fair shake, but no user-group’s desires should have priority over what is best for the resource. The resource must always come first.
Fish Alaska: Can you walk us through some of the more fundamental concerns the state will face in the future with regards to all sport, commercial, and subsistence fisheries?

Ross: The subsistence issue must be resolved. Until that happens, confrontation will continue and politics will rule. The first priority must be protection of the resource. Only in times of shortage of the resource should there be a priority for subsistence use, and that priority should be for those who need the resource to feed themselves and their family. Priority should not be based on an individual Alaskan’s zip code. Once we wrest control of our resources back from the federal government, Alaskans of goodwill can sit down together and resolve the subsistence issue. With proper management through sound biological principles, utilizing seasons and bag limits, methods and means, we can satisfy all of the user groups’ desires.

Fish Alaska: We seem to be at a strange sort of crossroads in our development as a state, in between industries that once carried us but now have fallen on difficult times (commercial fishing), while tourism and sport fishing are beginning to really thrive. In your opinion, how important are sport fishing and tourism to Alaska?

Ross: Fishing, both sport and commercial, and tourism are important to Alaska’s economic well-being and a vital part of the Alaska lifestyle. Unfortunately, neither fishing nor tourism, as industries, are sources of high-paying jobs. In order to have a strong economy, Alaska must also benefit from oil and natural gas development, timber harvesting, hard rock mining, and the basic service industries. One of our greatest problems is that many of our state’s industries, including tourism and commercial and sport fishing, are controlled by outside influences. We need to regain control from these outside interests so Alaska can have more control of its destiny.

Fish Alaska: There was some apprehension among the state’s many small businesses in the tourism/sport fishing industry that we were on the threshold of a lackluster summer, as some potential visitors could have been inclined to stay home. What is your take on this summer’s tourist season and how important will it be in determining what’s to come in future years?

Ross: We seem to be running scared when we should not be doing so. Earlier predictions of a catastrophic reduction in Alaska-bound travel seem to have evaporated. Those in the travel and tourism industry who offer a good product at a fair price will prosper while those who don’t will suffer. That is just business as usual. Of course, there will always be fluctuations in the numbers of travelers to Alaska, as well as business fluctuations in other industries. That is why Alaska must develop a long-range fiscal plan. (My plan can be viewed on my web page: www.rossforgovernor.com.) So too, if we protect the fishery resource and manage it properly, getting the politics out of the decision-making process, then sport fishing and related tourism have bright futures ahead.

Fish Alaska: Alaska’s sport fisheries seem to exist at two divergent points: those with difficult or expensive access (fly-out or remote access) and those with frequently intense pressure (mainly on the road system). Where is the balance to be found, if any, between an acceptable level of access to the fisheries, the preservation of the quality of the habitat, and the desire for the “Alaska Fishing Experience”?

Ross: There is no one solution to the question you pose, just like there is no one fishing experience that is better than others. Some fishermen simply want to catch fish while the out-of-doors experience comes secondary . . . witness the king salmon fishing available in Ship Creek in Anchorage, for example, or the red salmon fishing available at the Russian River on the Kenai Peninsula. Others, like me, prefer fishing in less crowded conditions, enjoying the solitude even if the “catching” is not always so assured. We must see to it that all interested Alaskans have access to quality sport fishing opportunities that meet their time constraints, temperament, and financial resources. We have to ensure that fishing opportunities are maintained along the road system as well as through the various air taxi and boat operations. We can provide for each of these needs by reasonable regulations that encourage such businesses, by proper management of the resource itself, and by opening up of more of Alaska’s sport fishery opportunities with an expanded road system. I intend to do those things.

Fish Alaska: Another very unique aspect of Alaska is the amount of interest the state receives from people living elsewhere. Alaska—or the idea of Alaska—is something Americans care about, whether they live in Talkeetna or Tallahassee. How do we, as residents of the state, make sure our interests are protected?

Ross: In some ways “outside” interest in Alaska is good and in some ways it is potentially harmful. When outside interests come to think that they have the right to make decisions for we Alaskans, then we are in real trouble. Some members of Congress think this way now. That is why we need to maintain a strong Alaskan Congressional delegation in Washington, D.C. Other outside interests find they have greater influence in Alaska by playing to some of the politicians we have elected here who have desires for national office. We need to elect representatives who strongly believe that Alaska comes first, ahead of their own political future and agendas. One of the top jobs of our next governor is to protect Alaskans from undue outside influence and ensure that Alaskans determine their own destiny, while encouraging all outsiders to visit here and experience the beauty of Alaska firsthand.

Fish Alaska: Is there anything else you’d like to mention or discuss?

Ross: I came to Alaska to participate in the outdoor opportunities Alaska seemed to offer. When I first arrived, Alaska was called “The Great Land” and we were all proud to be Alaskans. Unfortunately, over the years Alaskans have become divided. We have Natives vs. non-Natives, urban vs. rural, commercial vs. sport fishermen, etc. I want to bring Alaskans back together and restore that pride in simply being “an Alaskan.” I want to ensure that the promise made so many years ago by the phrase “The Great Land” is finally realized, so our children and grandchildren have the same or even more opportunities to enjoy life in Alaska.

And finally, you have a great magazine, and I appreciate the opportunity to speak to your readers. Keep up the good work!