By SUZANNE DOWNING
April 9, 2026 – A fight over funding for Alaska’s fish hatcheries intensified on the House floor Wednesday after the Democrat-run majority rejected an amendment to restore money, despite having received a letter weeks earlier that the cuts could force closure of the Ruth Burnett Hatchery in Fairbanks.
The dispute traces back to an earlier House Finance fisheries subcommittee meeting chaired by Rep. Nellie Jimmie, where funding for the Anchorage and Fairbanks hatcheries was reduced. During that hearing, Republicans pointed out that the commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game was in the room and ready to testify about the impacts of the funding change.
Jimmie did not allow the commissioner to testify, and the funding cut advanced out of subcommittee.
The clip of Jimmie saying no, she would not allow the commissioner to comment can be seen here: https://www.ktoo.org/gavel/
Lawmakers had already been formally warned about the consequences. A March 9 letter from Fish and Game Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang to House Finance co-chairs Andy Josephson, Calvin Schrage, and Neal Foster explicitly stated that the proposed fund source change would force program cuts and threaten hatchery operations. The letter explained that replacing unrestricted general funds with federal Dingell-Johnson funds would not work because those federal dollars were already fully allocated.
“If this fund source change is approved, the DSF [Division of Sport Fisheries] will not have sufficient federal DJ funds available to maintain essential fisheries management programs and operate both the Ruth Burnett Hatchery in Fairbanks and William Jack Hernandez Hatchery in Anchorage,†the commissioner wrote.
The letter further stated that closure of the Fairbanks hatchery “would be the necessary path forward†under the proposal. The facility employs six full-time and four part-time workers and produces trout, Arctic char, coho, and Chinook salmon used to stock more than 100 Interior lakes annually.
The commissioner also warned that the hatchery supports Interior Alaska sport fishing, tourism, and Chinook restoration efforts, and helps reduce pressure on wild stocks.
Despite that warning, the funding reduction moved forward from the Finance subcommittee, with the promise the funding could be restored by the House Finance Committee. No correction was made in House Finance.
When the operating budget reached the House floor Wednesday, Rep. Rebecca Schwanke offered Amendment 28 to restore the hatchery funding, as proposed in the governor’s budget.
Debate stretched for hours as Republicans argued that the Legislature was about to sacrifice matching federal funds through the Dingell-Johnson Act of 1950, which provides a permanent federal funding source to state-run fish and wildlife agencies for aquatic conservation, boating access, and fishing research.
During the debate, Rep. Mia Costello requested an at-ease so all members could receive copies of the March 9 letter at their desks, proving that the consequences had been communicated weeks earlier. Democrat-causing Rep. Schrage, who had received the letter earlier, testified in the House proceedings on Wednesday that the whole issue was a surprise to them, even though he was one of the original recipients of the letter last month.
Members of the Democrat majority argued the amendment came too late and should have been addressed in subcommittee. Republicans countered that the subcommittee chair Rep. Jimmie had blocked testimony from the commissioner, the very official who had authored the warning letter.
The amendment ultimately failed on the House floor, 19-21. The Democrat majority prevailed.
Two Fairbanks-area Democrat representatives — Maxine Dibert and Ashley Carrick — voted against restoring the funding, despite the likely closure of the Ruth Burnett Hatchery in their own community, where  hatchery smolt stocks Interior lakes and supports personal fishing opportunities across the Fairbanks, Delta, Tanana, and Glennallen areas.
According to Commissioner Vincent-Lang’s March letter, the hatchery released nearly 500,000 fish in 2025, including Arctic char, Chinook, coho, lake trout, and rainbow trout. The two women were unmoved and voted to close the hatchery.
Several House Democrats said the Senate can fix the problem when the budget reaches that body; that was their cover for voting “no” to restoring the funding.
3 thoughts on “Democrat majority rejects hatchery funding; two from Fairbanks vote to close Ruth Burnett hatchery”
Why is government funding these hatcheries anyway. These hatcheries should be operating as a private business and come up with its own money.
I bet the government money it received they didn’t even pay taxes.
Our legislators are just as government dependent as their voters are.
There are Many programs, non profits, and even the cutting of departments and consolidations of divisions needing eliminating reductions
These are the type of Heated debates They are avoiding not doing the right action reducing government and how much spending is spent
There should be so much cutting going on up there at the capital that all the legislators women are crying their eyes out while all the men legislators are screaming that you think they will be giving themselves a heart attack
If a world event like a Great Depression happened in our lifetimes cutting everything out of government will not be happy time
It’s better to make harder decisions while we still have money than wait even then Alaskans will likely experience a mini depression because our businesses and churches are dependent on government money being spent on its products, services, and tithes and donations to ministries. That’s how government dependent Alaska is.