Photo courtesy of the Ketchikan Gateway Borough
Ketchikan Gateway Borough Mayor David Landis has been hired as the new general manager of the Southern Southeast Alaska Regional Aquaculture Association. Landis has served on the SSRAA board for 11 years. He was formerly a manager in Saxman with the Cape Fox Corporation and worked for Alaska Title Agency in Ketchikan for the past several months. Landis says he has always enjoyed being involved with SSRAA, and saw this as a great opportunity. He says it also feels like a good fit.
“I understand commercial fishing very well having been a former commercial fisherman, not for lots of years – when I was going through high school crewing on fishing boats, and then when I was in college I ran charter boats, I’ve always enjoyed sport fishing, and the service on the board of SSRAA for all those years. It just seemed like everything fell together and I was really fortunate to be selected.”
Asked if he had any goals as general manager or felt changes were needed, Landis says part of what attracted him to the organization is how well it is run.
“It’s very well run, very professionally managed, lots of fish going into the water and coming back every year. So it’s not a fix-it operation. It’s a very finely tuned organization and it will be a pleasure to come in and continue what’s going on and what has been going on for quite some time.”
SSRAA operates six salmon hatcheries at Deer Mountain, Whitman Lake, Neets Bay, Neck Lake, Crystal Lake and Burnett Inlet. It also has remote camps at Anita Bay, Kendrick Bay and Nakat Inlet.
Landis will take over as general manager in late January. He replaces John Burke who served in that position for more than 10 years.
