Alaska Department of Fish and Game outlines FY26 budget priorities, staff shortages and tech investments

Juneau — The Alaska Department of Fish and Game briefed the House Finance Committee Fish and Game Subcommittee on Jan. 28 on the department's FY26 governor's budget request, staffing gaps and technological investments to support fish and wildlife management.

For the record, Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, opened the presentation and framed the department's constitutional and statutory responsibilities around sustained yield and management of fisheries and wildlife. "For the record, my name is Doug Vincent Lang, and I'm honored to be the commissioner for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game," he said.

The department's FY26 request includes targeted new funding intended to restore projects cut last year, pay for maintenance of vessels and aircraft and fund continued surveys and stock-assessment work. Administrative Services Director Bonnie Jensen detailed line-item and fund-source changes in the governor's request and a structural change to present facilities operations and maintenance costs separately "to comply with Alaska statute 37.07.020(e)." Jensen said the department asked for increased interagency receipt authority to accept rental payments from divisions and pay facility rent; that interagency authority rises roughly $8 million in the request.

Why it matters: The department told legislators it relies on accurate stock assessments and habitat review to set harvest and subsistence levels. Commissioners and staff said cuts to revenue sources used last year forced more-conservative management decisions, and the FY26 request seeks to restore some of that capacity.

Budget and revenue details: The department reported roughly $250 million in total annual program activity, including about $70 million in general fund support; the commissioner described a broader economic return he attributed to fisheries. Department leaders said the FY26 governor's request includes roughly $1.4 million in unrestricted general fund (UGF) increases for salary/benefits and about $1.75 million in increased federal authority for the agency. Personal-service adjustments in the request total roughly $225,000; other line-item adjustments account for the remaining requested increases.

Funding mix and shortfalls: Bonnie Jensen said federal funding is the largest share of the department budget (about 35%), other receipts about 33% and UGF about 28%. She said Fish and Game funds form the single largest component within the "other" category. Commissioner Vincent-Lang and staff warned that revenues tied to the seafood industry have fallen; they said a roughly $750,000 reduction in CFEC-related receipts last year constrained commercial fisheries work. Vincent-Lang said restoration of that funding through the governor's budget would permit the department to resume previously cut projects, but added the restoration depends on the Legislature approving the governor's proposals.

Vessels and aircraft: Vincent-Lang told the committee the department included maintenance funding for vessels and aircraft in the base FY26 request for the first time. He described a donated replacement vessel from Trident Seafoods that required retrofitting and is currently in dry dock; he said he expects it to be operational by summer and noted the FY26 request includes funds for an additional boat officer to staff a larger vessel. On aircraft, the commissioner said the agency has moved toward a mix of in-house aircraft and contracted air services after contracting constraints during COVID, and that the department will provide members with an inventory and pilot counts if requested.

Technology investments and limits: Representatives asked about drones and artificial intelligence. Vincent-Lang said the department is piloting drones for salmon counts and using AI to speed the review of aerial photos for species such as caribou. He cautioned that larger-area wildlife counts still face FAA "line-of-sight" limitations and that AI must reach a high level of accuracy before being relied on: "We just have to have some place on the order of 95% confidence that what a human counted photograph versus a a computer counted photograph are the same, but we're getting closer."

Subsistence program and staffing: Members pressed the department about the open director position for the division of subsistence. Vincent-Lang said the position is statutorily defined as a research unit conducting household surveys and advising on subsistence opportunity; he said it was last filled when the current governor took office about six and a half years ago and that an assistant or deputy has led the unit since. Bonnie Jensen later confirmed the section has fewer than five vacancies and said the vacancies are not long-term.

Vacancy rates and retention: Committee members raised concerns about a roughly 15% vacancy rate reported by the department, with the commissioner noting the figure is influenced by seasonal positions. He described recruitment and retention pressures in specialized roles (biometricians, analyst-programmers, IT and hatchery managers) and said some senior scientists and programmers had left for federal positions offering higher pay. The department said exit-survey responses indicate pay and workload are major drivers of departures; staff offered to provide HR exit data on request.

Hatcheries and budget structure: Vincent-Lang explained that Anchorage/Fairbanks hatchery budgets and Southeast hatchery budgets were separated by a prior Senate Finance decision to ensure Southeast funding equity. He said the separation complicates moving funds between units for big, one-time maintenance projects and that the department would prefer a single hatchery budget unit but will continue under the split.

Policy and environmental work: The commissioner highlighted the department's title 16 authority over projects affecting salmon and other habitat reviews, and its work on international efforts such as the International Year of the Salmon and a seven-year agreement with Yukon authorities to protect Yukon River Chinook. He said the department will pursue ways to provide limited fish for cultural camps when escapement closures are needed to rebuild stocks.

Next steps and risks: Department leaders told the subcommittee that several FY26 outcomes depend on external approvals: legislative passage of the governor's budget increments and the status of federal grants that were reported as temporarily withheld pending a federal review. The department characterized implementation risk as moderate to high for items contingent on those approvals.

Meeting context: The subcommittee heard the presentation and held an extended Q&A from members including Representative Edgmon, Representative Stutes, Representative McCabe and Representative Vance. The session lasted about an hour and adjourned at 10:59 a.m.

Ending: Legislators asked the department to supply additional detail on aircraft inventory, a federal-funds breakdown, exit-survey data and specific staffing lists; department staff agreed to provide those materials as the budget review continues.