Charlie Swanton
Deputy Commissioner

Charlie Swanton Charlie Swanton serves as Deputy Commissioner for the Department of Fish and Game and Alaska Commissioner to the Pacific Salmon Commission.

Charlie came to Alaska in 1979 and began his ADF&G career as a Fisheries Technician for the Division of Commercial Fisheries. Since 1981, Charlie has held key area and regional research and management positions in geographic areas that span the state. Concurrently, he earned Bachelor of Science degrees in biology in 1983 and in fisheries science in 1984 from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and a Master of Science degree in fisheries with an emphasis in salmon population dynamics and statistics from the University of Washington, Fisheries Research Institute.

Charlie's career has given him exposure to fisheries on the Alaska Peninsula, in the Chignik and Kodiak areas, throughout the broad Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim region based out of Fairbanks, and in Southeast Alaska. This widespread experience, coupled with three decades of fisheries knowledge, has earned Charlie statewide respect.

In 2010, he completed his residency as a Fellow of the highly selective National Conservation Leadership Institute, a world-class leadership development program. Charlie also received the 2012 University of Alaska Fairbanks Alumni Achievement Award for Business and Professional Excellence.

Charlie has been an Alaska resident for more than 34 years.