00                       HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 26                                                                     
01 Requesting the National Marine Fisheries Service to relocate the Alaska Fisheries                                       
02 Science Center Steller sea lion research team to Alaska.                                                                
03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
04       WHEREAS the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has listed the Steller sea                                 
05 lion as endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973; and                                                        
06       WHEREAS NMFS released a biological opinion on November 30, 2000, which                                          
07 would significantly restrict the groundfish fisheries in Alaska; and                                                    
08       WHEREAS currently there is no clear scientific data on which to base this restriction;                          
09 and                                                                                                                     
10       WHEREAS Senator Ted Stevens was successful in securing the funds needed to                                      
11 coordinate a comprehensive research and recovery program for the western Alaska Steller sea                             
12 lion and to conduct an independent scientific review of the November 30, 2000, biological                               
13 opinion; and                                                                                                            
14       WHEREAS the western United States stock of the Steller sea lion is located in waters                            
15 adjacent to Alaska; and                                                                                                 
16       WHEREAS it is vital to study the recent decline of Steller sea lions in Alaska waters                           
01 on an ongoing basis throughout the year; and                                                                            
02       WHEREAS the NMFS research program involved with study of the western Alaska                                     
03 Steller sea lion is based in Seattle at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center; and                                        
04       WHEREAS recent restrictions on the travel of NMFS staff have prevented key                                      
05 personnel based in Seattle from traveling to Alaska to participate in Steller sea lion recovery                         
06 meetings; and                                                                                                           
07       WHEREAS it is important that Alaskans who are directly affected by the status of the                            
08 endangered western Alaska Steller sea lion have local access to NMFS personnel conducting                               
09 critical sea lion research to discuss the actions necessary for sea lion recovery;                                      
10       BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully requests the                                      
11 National Marine Fisheries Service to relocate all portions of the Alaska Fisheries Science                              
12 Center associated with research on the western Alaska Steller sea lion from Seattle to a                                
13 facility that is located in western Alaska.                                                                             
14       COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Don Evans, United States                               
15 Secretary of Commerce; Dr. William T. Hogarth, Acting Assistant Administrator, National                                 
16 Marine Fisheries Service, United States Department of Commerce; and to the Honorable Ted                                
17 Stevens and the Honorable Frank Murkowski, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young,                                  
18 U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.