After a 30-year career with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Jeff Regnart will be stepping down as director of the state’s commercial fisheries division on Oct. 2.

Regnart explained the main reasons for stepping down were to take care of his family and aging parents, which would require him to spend too much time out of state to keep up with the demands of the position.

Jeff Regnart, outgoing commercial fisheries division director. Alaska Department of Fish and Game photo.“I just can’t be in the state full-time like this job demands,” he said.

Regnart began working in the department as a high school student, working his way from a field tech, to becoming a regional supervisor, to being appointed director of commercial fisheries in 2011.

Regnart said the biggest change he’s seen in the department has been the scaling back of new initiatives due to the state’s economy in recent years.

"We’ve gone from actually developing new programs because the funds were available to having to prioritize our existing programs or even cutting them," he said. "So now we're having to look at our programs in a different light, to decide which are critical to keep, which are part of our core programs… So we can still provide access to the resource and at the same time be fiscally responsible. We have to tighten the belt."

Regnart won’t be leaving the industry entirely though. He will be working as a consultant for the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute.

"I'm best if I keep occupied - my wife'll tell you that," said Regnart. "So I'm going to be working with ASMI on sustainability issues. So I'll be still working with Alaskan fisheries, just from a little different perspective.”