Mr. Johnson will represent the Commercial Fishing stakeholder group on the CIRCAC Board. A lifetime resident of the Kenai Peninsula, he has fished commercially in Cook Inlet for most of that time. “Gathering advice, reading what the experts say, and planning, all increase the likelihood of a trip or a project having positive results.”

He was first elected to the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly in 2010, serving three terms. He was reelected in 2019 and served as Assembly President from 2021-2024.

Remembering the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989, Brent recalls listening to longtime Alaska Department of Fish and Game Biologist Ken Tarbox explain the dynamics of freshwater inputs to Cook Inlet and how that would effect the potential for oil entering the Inlet (oil from the Exxon Valdez was observed in Cook Inlet almost as far north as Anchor Point). A conversation with his father, who warned, “better get ready to deal with the oil”, gave a different perspective. “Those cedar logs we pick up on the beach don’t grow near Cook Inlet,” his father said. Right away, Brent says, he realized that both men were right. He says that’s an example of why a citizen’s advisory council is important; various people have perspectives that are valuable for planning and responding to incidents. “Council members can be the ears and mouths for local people,” he says.

Mr. Johnson has also served on the Kenai-Soldotna Fish & Game Advisory Board, Kenai Peninsula Fishermen’s Association, Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association, Kenai Peninsula Borough Planning Commission, and on the Kasilof Regional Historical Association.