Lawmakers press Fish and Game over vessel maintenance as Equinox faces $300K overrun
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Summary
Lawmakers criticized a $225,000 maintenance allocation after officials disclosed the research vessel Equinox faces roughly $300,000 in overages and the research vessel Kestrel is in dry dock with an estimated $1.3 million bill; department officials said vacancy savings and redirection of funds covered the immediate overages but warned future budgets will likely need more maintenance funding.
Legislators sharply questioned the Department of Fish and Game on Feb. 10 after officials disclosed the research vessel Equinox is about $300,000 over its projected costs and the research vessel Kestrel is in dry dock with an estimated $1.3 million maintenance bill.
"How are we gonna do it? Where are we gonna get the money from?" Representative Stutes asked, calling the $225,000 maintenance request approved by the legislature "a joke" given current cost pressures.
Administrative Services Director Bonnie Jensen told the subcommittee that the legislature reduced a $450,000 request for state vessel, vehicle and aircraft maintenance to $225,000 and that the Kestrel dry‑dock work has absorbed much of available maintenance funding. "This is going to cost an estimated amount of 1,300,000.0," Jensen said, and she explained the division redirected available maintenance authority to cover Kestrel. Jensen said some overages for the Equinox were covered by keeping certain positions vacant and using vacancy savings.
Commissioner Doug Vincent Lane said shipyard invoices are not yet final but the division estimates roughly $300,000 in overages on the Equinox. He said the Equinox is being prepared in Oregon and is expected to arrive and be operational in Homer soon. "We expect that to be a fully operational vessel moving forward," he told lawmakers, while acknowledging additional funding will likely be needed in future budgets to maintain the state fleet.
Representative Stutes and others warned that underfunding maintenance risks leaving vessels and aircraft unusable and could cascade into lost survey capacity. Jensen and the commissioner said the department prioritized core surveys and critical management obligations when reallocating funds, but confirmed that some projects were delayed or not pursued because of the cuts.
Lawmakers asked for follow‑up detail on shipyard invoices, the planned maintenance schedule and how vacancy savings were applied. The subcommittee indicated it would seek additional documentation in a future meeting.