Legislators have rejected Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s nomination of conservative radio talk show host Mike Porcaro to serve on the state’s Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission.
In a tie vote on May 7, state legislators just said no to keeping Porcaro on as an CFEC commissioner, a post he has held since his appointment last summer.
Porcaro, who has never fished commercially and has no ties to the commercial fishing industry, said he did not ask for the job but was willing to accept it when the governor’s office offered it.
When he was nominated for the $136,000 a year post in August of 2023, Dunleavy spokesman Jeff Turner issued a statement describing Porcaro as “longtime Alaskan and successful business owner with comprehensive knowledge and participation in Alaska’s business, nonprofit and public policy spheres.”
Turner said that Porcaro’s background would “bring fresh insights and perspectives” to the agency.
The two-member CFEC, established in the 1970s, is tasked with issuing permits and vessel licenses to qualified individuals in both limited and unlimited fisheries and provides due process hearings and appeal processes for disputes related to limitations on fishery participation.
State law requires that CFEC commissioners have a broad range of professional experience and no economic stake in commercial fishing vessels or permits. Experience in commercial fisheries is not a requirement.
The current other CFEC commissioner, Glenn Haight, has worked in a variety of fisheries development and natural resource policy related roles dating back to the mid-1990s. Most recently, he served as executive director of the Alaska Board of Fisheries.
Porcaro’s appointment occurred in August, but no formal announcement was made at the time by the governor’s office. Porcaro, who was inducted into the Alaska Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2009, has previously had Dunleavy as a guest on his radio show.
The seat that Porcaro had been appointed to wasn’t supposed to be up for reappointment until March 2025. As of press time, it was unclear whether the governor would renominate Porcaro to the board or pick someone else to fill the seat.