< back to 2025 Candidates

Casey Coupchiak (Seat G Candidate - Open Residency)

Seat G – Casey Coupchiak’s Candidate Statement

I am Casey Coupchiak, a Yup'ik woman from Togiak and a third-generation Bristol Bay permit holder. My family’s legacy of fishing these waters stretches back millennia. For 16 years, I have proudly commercial fished my family’s drift permit, instilled with a profound respect for quality and preservation by my late grandparents, Willie and Mary, who initially obtained our S03T permit. This intergenerational commitment compels me to run for the BBRSDA Board, bringing an energetic, fiscally responsible, and results-oriented perspective to our cooperative.

We face a hyper-competitive global market. The BBRSDA’s core mission must be to aggressively secure a premium price for every pound of our sockeye. My platform echoes my Grandmother Mary's insistence on premium quality and sustainability of this great resource and is centered on three core priorities for maximizing our fleet tax dollars:

1. Aggressive Market Innovation: We must push for data-driven, strategic marketing campaigns that focus on higher-value domestic and international markets, leveraging our unparalleled story of sustainability and quality to command the prices our premium product deserves.

2. Resource Protection and Advocacy: A strong market is meaningless without a protected resource. My extensive experience in watershed defense, including my work with the Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay (CFBB) on landmark legislation like the Bristol Bay Forever Act, gives me unique insight. I will ensure the BBRSDA remains a strong partner in securing permanent protections for the Bay.

3. Quality and Investment for the Future: I am committed to increasing the transparency of board decisions and ensuring our investments directly benefit fishermen, particularly through supporting on-the-water quality initiatives like ice and refrigeration improvements and fostering the next generation’s involvement in the fleet.
My life has been shaped by the rhythms of this region. I am ready to fiercely protect this irreplaceable resource and build a profitable, sustainable future for all. I am here for the fleet, by the fleet. I ask for your vote in the upcoming elections.

Casey Coupchiak
F/V Mera
caseycoupchiak@gmail.com
(907) 980-1890

Seat G – Casey Coupchiak’s Responses to Candidate Questionnaire

1. Why do you want to be a BBRSDA board member?

   I am running for the BBRSDA board to advocate directly for the Bristol Bay drift fleet. For 16 years, I've fished these waters, inheriting my family's permit and continuing a multi-generational legacy in the Bay. My experience has shown me the critical need for strong representation that understands both the tradition and the future of our fishery. Beyond my personal fishing career, I already advocate for the well-being and sustainability of Bristol Bay through my work with Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay (CFBB).
   
   My perspective as a Yup'ik fisher from Togiak aligns directly with the BBRSDA's core mandates. I am committed to advancing the quality and market success of Bristol Bay salmon, a principle instilled in me from a young age. Furthermore, I will prioritize addressing fishery-related infrastructure requirements and fostering research and education programs essential for the long-term sustainability of the world's largest wild salmon fishery. I will also work to engage younger generations, ensuring the continued vitality of our industry.
   
   For the drift fishermen of BBRSDA, my focus will be on:
   - Maximizing Permit Value: Working to increase the overall market value of Bristol Bay sockeye, directly benefiting permit holders through stronger returns on their catch.
   - Improving On-the-Ground Logistics: Advocating for upgrades and efficiencies in critical infrastructure, from offloading to processing, to streamline operations for the fleet.
   - Promoting Quality Initiatives: Supporting programs and research that empower drift fishermen to deliver the highest quality product, enhancing our salmon's reputation and demand.
   - Ensuring A Sustainable Future: Championing practices and policies that protect the health of the salmon runs and the ecosystem, securing the fishery for future generations of drift fishermen.
   
   My life has been shaped by Bristol Bay, and I am dedicated to serving the fleet. I ask for your support to help ensure the prosperity and longevity of our invaluable fishery.

2. What do you think is the most important mission for the BBRSDA and why?

   I strongly believe that protection of the resource and quality are of utmost importance, but since we the fishermen are funding the BBRSDA, our focus should always be on maximizing returns to fishermen in our fishery. It is natural that looking out for fishermen's best interest will include protecting the resource and producing a quality product, but we must always look to get a fair price for our limited resource that we only have access to. We hold a valuable commodity and should be compensated fairly. Like other commodities, this should be based on what the markets will bear.
   

3. In your view, what are three priorities the BBRSDA should focus on (within the legal limits referred to above) and why?

   As stated above, I believe our most important priorities should be maximizing returns for fishermen, protecting the resource, and providing a high quality product. Thus, advocating for and providing access to technology that saves fishermen money and provides for a superior product are both very important. Continuing to advocate against destruction of the watershed from any angle should always be a priority. Without a healthy watershed, our salmon are in danger, which endangers our very existence as well.

4. The BBRSDA's Strategic Plan lists specific strategies for maximizing the value of the Bristol Bay salmon fishery.  Do you believe those strategies are an effective guide for accomplishing that goal, and if not, how should they be modified?

   I believe the BBRSDA Strategic Plan provides a necessary and effective framework for accomplishing the core mission: to maximize the value of the Bristol Bay fishery for our members. The four program areas (Marketing, Quality, Sustainability, and Outreach) are correctly identified as being inherently connected.
   However, a strategic plan must be a living document. While I fully support the goals, I believe the execution strategy needs refinement to better leverage our unique position and maximize the return on permit holders’ investment.
   
   1. Quality Program: Focus on Implementation and Fair Return
   I strongly agree with the goal of maximizing quality and value. As a small business owner and a fisher, I know that quality is a key differentiator for Bristol Bay Sockeye.
   
   Modification Needed: Fair Distribution of Profits. I believe the current Quality objectives are processor-centric. Processors already incentivize quality because they share the goal of maximizing value. The BBRSDA's role must be to work hand-in-hand with processors while simultaneously ensuring that the fleet receives a fair distribution of the increased profits derived from that high quality. We need to foster relationships that encourage transparency and equity in the supply chain.
   Implementation over Innovation: The focus should shift from supporting random new research to aggressively implementing existing, proven quality technology and ensuring fleet-wide access and education on its proper use.
   
   2. Marketing Program: Target the Direct Marketers
   The objectives to increase awareness and value are sound, but the target audience for collaboration needs tighter focus.
   
   Modification Needed: Prioritize Permit Holders. I do not believe BBRSDA resources should be used to support random individual distributors and retailers. They are independent businesses. Resources could be much better used to support permit holders who are also direct marketers (our members). These fisher-direct businesses are the most passionate and authentic communicators of the Bristol Bay story.
   
   Refocus Content: The BBRSDA must focus on providing unique, high-level content demonstrating why retailers should carry our superior product. We should be educating consumers and distributors on the sustainability and health benefits of wild-caught sockeye. We should avoid recreating parallel content already being created by other organizations.
   
   3. Sustainability Program: Integrating Advocacy and Policy
   The goal to Protect and Preserve Our Fishery is critical, but the objectives are passive. My work with CFBB and AKMIN has shown that resource defense requires active policy engagement.
   
   Modification Needed: Formalize Advocacy. While the plan mentions protecting habitat, it should explicitly include a commitment to active, legislative advocacy. This includes leveraging the BBRSDA’s political influence and financial resources to defend against existential threats like the Pebble Mine project and support measures like the Bristol Bay Forever Act. The BBRSDA cannot afford to sit on the sidelines when the future of the watershed is at stake. We need to maximize sustained yield by minimizing foregone political leverage.
   
   By implementing these modifications, the BBRSDA Strategic Plan can move from a strong framework to an action-oriented mandate that generates maximum value and ensures long-term viability for every permit holder.
   

5. Please explain your position on the Pebble Mine project.

   This is an issue of existential importance for every single permit holder and resident of Bristol Bay. My position on the Pebble Mine project is unequivocally opposed, and my commitment to securing permanent, legally binding protections for the region is absolute.
   
   I view the Pebble Mine proposal not merely as a political issue, but as the single greatest economic and environmental threat to the world's most valuable wild salmon fishery and Bristol Bay as a whole.
   

6. Is there another issue that you would like to respond to?