text: Alaskans, and even more so, non-Alaskans, make tons and tons of money off of OUR fish.  The State of Alaska and her residents, however, LOSE $27.2 Million a year subsidizing the fishing industry and those people.  You can keep spinning it and saying that "HALF of the fish taxes that go into the state general fund" but the bottom line is--The State SPENDS MORE money to support the commercial fishing industry than it RECEIVES---that is called a LOSS.
  
  Again--it is very simple math.  Credits and debits.  No matter how you spin it--we are losing money.  Losing millions and millions of dollars to non-residents personally benefiting from harvesting OUR fish, all while we cut our children's PFD dividend.  Losing money does not help, nor benefit Fairbanks, Palmer, etc.  Saying it does, does not make it so.  Losing money--subsidizing a multi billion dollar industry-- hurts us.
  
  Read the report:
  http://www.iser.uaa.alaska.edu/Publications/2015_12-FiscalEffectsOfCommercialFishingMiningTourism.pdf