United Fishermen of Alaska (UFA) last week announced its endorsement of Senator Lisa Murkowski for the United States Senate. UFA is a statewide organization representing 38 commercial fishing associations and hundreds of additional independent commercial fishermen from fisheries throughout the state and its offshore federal waters. The group organized a special endorsement meeting on August 5 after being approached by the Murkowski campaign for an endorsement prior to the August 24 primary.
“With this early endorsement, Alaska fishermen are recognizing Senator Murkowski’s extraordinary efforts to improve their businesses and the communities they live in”, said UFA President Arni Thomson.
UFA provided an early endorsement for Senator Murkowski in 2004 and now recognizes her strong accomplishments in her ensuing six years in office. The group recognized her work in 2005 to gain seafood country of origin and wild and farmed labeling as instrumental to thousands of fishing families throughout Alaska. She was honored as Person of the year in Alaska politics in 2007 for her help to Exxon Valdez oil spill claimants with tax treatment and retirement accounts for settlement payments. Most recently, she helped tens of thousands of Alaska fishermen by extending a moratorium on EPA vessel discharge permit requirements which would have taken effect on July 31, while the EPA study on the effects of runoff and discharges is still in progress.
“With this early endorsement, UFA recognizes the record of Senator Murkowski’s awareness and effectiveness in helping Alaska’s fishing families and businesses. She has risen in her stature in the Senate and worked successfully on our behalf on a wide variety of issues that affect thousands of our members,” said UFA President Arni Thomson.
UFA will consider other candidate endorsements at its Fall meeting scheduled for September 28-30 in Anchorage.
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