A bevy of fishermen left Thursday’s Kodiak Island Borough Assembly meeting with grins on their faces.

Longliner Steve Branson, president of the Crewmen’s Association, said after the meeting that it went better than he expected.

He noted that as the assembly weighed a resolution on Gulf of Alaska groundfish rationalization, no one spoke in opposition.

The resolution is the result of a joint City Council and Borough Assembly meeting a month ago to develop a unified position on proposed fisheries management plans.

It urges the North Pacific Fishery Management Council to take time to thoroughly study the effect of any plans on fishing communities, with particular emphasis on the impact to the workforce.

Branson said he hadn’t read the resolution closely enough to note what assemblyman Mel Stephens brought up, that every rationalization option before the fishery council includes fish processor shares, quotas or linkage.

Stephen’s amendment urges the council to develop and bring forth an additional option that doesn’t include divvying up a share of the fish quota to the processors.

He said the practice, which has proved a controversial means of protecting processor interests, is anti-competitive.

As Stephens finished reading his amendment, fishermen in the audience applauded and murmured, “I like this guy.”

Assemblywoman Sue Jeffrey argued the amendment isn’t “anti-processor,” but just gives the community information about another option.

The amendment and resolution met with unanimous support from the assembly.

The amended resolution will be presented to the fishery council for their meeting Dec. 7-13 at the Anchorage Hilton Hotel.

Assemblyman Tom Abell said he came to the meeting intending to vote against the resolution. He said he had envisioned more meaningful discussion among interested parties before the borough developed any position on the contentious issue that will likely have a significant impact on Kodiak Island.

But he took comfort that every speaker at the public hearing Thursday supported the resolution.

“Everyone testified this is a good start,” Abell said. “If this is a good start, we’ll get this out.”

Other communities in the Gulf of Alaska ought to adopt similar resolutions, Branson said.

“If they were all on the same page as this … I think it would really be helpful,” he said.

Assemblyman Cecil Ranney said crab rationalization was a wake-up call throughout the region.

“We are working around the Gulf with various communities,” he said.

Ranney said he wants the fishery council to focus on what the effect of rationalization will be on fishing communities.

“If that delays it, so be it,” he added.

In fact, Mark Levenson of the F/V Sea Dream said its potential to slow the process down is the very reason he supports the resolution.

“I like it the way it is now,” he said. Rationalization will just put money in the hands of a few deluxe fishing boat owners in Seattle and Oregon, Levenson believes.

Jeffrey said she remembers the salmon fishing policy work group in the early 1990s and that it wrestled with many contentious issues successfully.

“I believe in working together and battling out the differences,” she said, calling for a similar Gulf group.

The widespread job loss from crab rationalization can be the impetus for forming a united front as the fishery council weighs Gulf of Alaska rationalization, she said.

“The silver lining of crab rationalization is it got everyone’s attention,” Jeffrey said. “If any good can come from crab rationalization, it is that we are looking at this as a community.”

As the meeting drew to a close, assembly members said it was important to continue the discussion, possibly with a work group to hammer out a community-wide position.

Julie Bonney of the Alaska Groundfish Data Bank told the assembly developing a united position will be difficult because it is not a matter of Kodiak against an off-island group as with other fish issues. Instead, elements of Kodiak have different interests at stake with rationalization.

She said in the end, the work group would probably agree to disagree.

Bonney added that any management plan can be adjusted, as she predicts will happen with crab rationalization.

“To assume anything that is passed is set in stone forever and will never change is incorrect,” she said.

Alexus Kwachka, who runs a boat and spoke in favor of the resolution, was less optimistic.

“If they don’t get it right on this one, we’re going to be in a world of crap,” he said.

He said the fishery council might tweak the plan, but when Gulf of Alaska rationalization is implemented, it will be a done deal.

“Plans in place, once they’re in place, they’re in place,” he said.

“I’m not an economist. I’m a grunt. I’ve been bitching about this for two years, and you need to get involved,” Kwachka said.

“Please get involved. Please send people (to the fishery council meeting). Please get on the same page as the city,” he added.

Assemblyman Reed Oswalt urged completing such a study as soon as possible.

“We need to round up the wagons and get them in a circle,” he said.

Oswalt said knowing concretely the effects of crab rationalization would give the borough added leverage in the debate on Gulf of Alaska rationalization.

Fisherman Chuck Thompson, said he wanted to clear up some misperceptions about the Gulf of Alaska rationalization plans.

“To think that one group has been working on this is not at all true,” he said, adding that individuals who saw the “storm building” became involved to shape the options.

Thompson also said that the fish will continue to come to Kodiak.

“There’s not one factory on the mainland that has the capacity to unload or process one load of groundfish off our larger boats,” he said. “It’s a non-issue.”

Conjuring up images of the Boston Tea Party and American Revolution, Thompson said the basis of the movement was the importance of free enterprise and open markets.

“No group of fishermen or processors should have the right to crack that foundation,” he said.

“I want you to send the letter. I want you to take a stand,” Thompson said. “My children are depending on you.”

Mirror writer Kristen Inbody may be reached via e-mail at kinbody@kodiakdailymirror.com.