Juneau, AK
(October 12, 2018) – Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (Tlingit & Haida) is pleased to announce 4
th
Vice President Rob Sanderson Jr. has been appointed to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (NPFMC) Community Engagement Committee.
NPFMC’s Community Engagement Committee was formed in June 2018 to identify and recommend strategies to provide effective community engagement with rural and Alaska Native communities. The committee is made up of nine members who will assist NPFMC in developing successful engagement and outreach tools and processes to facilitate improved communication and understanding between rural communities, tribes and the NPFMC.
“Rob has been a long-time, tireless advocate on fisheries and his expertise and experience will serve our interests well,” said President Richard
(Chalyee Éesh)
Peterson. “For far too long our voice as Native people has been absent from these discussions at the federal level and with his new seat at the table, Rob will assure that no longer is the case.”
VP Sanderson is Haida of the Eagle moiety, Stuts Clan. His Haida name is
Gu’usuwaa
. He has served as a Tlingit & Haida Delegate since 2000 and is currently serving his 6
th
term on the Executive Council. Sanderson is a strong leader on important Alaska Native issues such as fisheries, subsistence (our way of life) and transboundary mining. He represents the Tribe on the Indigenous People’s Council for Marine Mammals (IPCoMM), United States Forest Service (USFS) Alaska Tribal Leaders Committee and the Alaska Native Harbor Seal Commission to name a few. He is also a member of the Alaska Native Brotherhood Camp 14.
"I look forward to working with the North Pacific Fishery Management Council’s Community Engagement Committee members to develop approaches to improve communication and understanding between rural and Alaska Native communities and the NPFMC,” said VP Sanderson. “We’re experiencing many difficulties in fisheries - low salmon returns, loss of herring, ocean acidification, warming of oceans and climate change to name a few. I’d like to encourage coastal community residents to email any concerns or issues they have related to fisheries to me at
haida2009@gmail.com
to help me understand the issues and needs in their area.”said VP Sanderson.
