Alaska Gov. Bill Walker has approved the nomination of
acting commissioner of Fish and Game Sam Cotten as the head of the agency.
Cotten, a veteran commercial fisherman, is a former member
of the Alaska Legislature and Speaker of the Alaska House of Representatives. He
has served on numerous fisheries boards, including the North Pacific Fishery
Management Council, the Alaska Commercial Fishing and Agriculture Bank, and the
Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute. He has also been an advisor in fisheries
negotiations between the United States and the USSR. He has served for the past
two months as acting commissioner of Fish and Game. He was nominated by the
Alaska Boards of Fish and Game and Walker subsequently approved the nomination.
The appointment still requires legislative approval.
Cotten’s years of involvement in fish issues give him the
depth that we need to ensure we follow our constitutional mandate of sustained
yield,” Walker said.