July 2, 2026 — In an uncommon move, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce selected the second-choice nominees submitted by the governors of Alaska and Washington for two open seats on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, bypassing both governors’ preferred candidates.
The appointments, announced June 26 as part of 22 selections across the nation’s eight regional fishery management councils, name Forrest Bowers of Alaska and Chad See of Washington to three-year terms beginning in August.
For Alaska’s open seat, Gov. Mike Dunleavy had nominated Märit Carlson-Van Dort, chair of the Alaska Board of Fisheries, as his first choice. Bowers, who currently serves as acting director of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s (ADF&G) Commercial Fisheries Division, was listed as the governor’s second choice.
Bowers brings more than 30 years with ADF&G, beginning as a seasonal technician in Kodiak before serving nearly a decade as deputy director of the Commercial Fisheries Division. He succeeds Rudy Tsukada, chief operating officer of Coastal Villages Region Fund, who is completing his first three-year term on the council.