SJR 20: Relating to the Western Alaska Community Development Quota Program, the inshore/offshore allocation process, and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council Comprehensive Rationalization Program.
00SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 20 01 Relating to the Western Alaska Community Development Quota Program, the 02 inshore/offshore allocation process, and the North Pacific Fishery Management 03 Council Comprehensive Rationalization Program. 04 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 05 WHEREAS the Western Alaska Community Development Quota (CDQ) Program is 06 a fisheries development program involving the federal Department of Commerce, the North 07 Pacific Fishery Management Council, the State of Alaska, and 56 Bering Sea coast, Aleutian 08 Islands, and Pribilof Islands communities; and 09 WHEREAS the CDQ program has set aside 7.5 percent of the available Bering Sea 10 pollock quota during 1992 through 1995 for Bering Sea coast, Aleutian Islands, and Pribilof 11 Islands communities; and 12 WHEREAS the amount of pollock available for harvest under the CDQ program is 13 more than 100,000 metric tons per year and has an approximate annual value of $20,000,000; 14 and
01 WHEREAS the CDQ program allocates the available harvest of pollock among 02 eligible communities, local fishermen's organizations, and local economic development 03 organizations who in turn reinvest the proceeds from the harvest and processing of the pollock 04 in additional local fisheries development projects; and 05 WHEREAS the CDQ program has been expanded to include halibut and sablefish 06 (black cod); and 07 WHEREAS the CDQ program is important to the economic development of the 08 Bering Sea coast, Aleutian Islands, and Pribilof Islands communities; and 09 WHEREAS the North Pacific Fishery Management Council established the CDQ 10 program as a component of the inshore and offshore allocation of Bering Sea pollock; and 11 WHEREAS the CDQ program represents an unparalleled opportunity for long-term 12 stable economic development for the communities of the Bering Sea coast, Aleutian Islands, 13 and Pribilof Islands; and 14 WHEREAS the social and economic welfare of many Alaska coastal communities is 15 largely dependent upon continued access to and utilization of the vast pacific cod and pollock 16 resources off the shores of Alaska; and 17 WHEREAS access to and utilization of the pacific cod and pollock resources has been 18 assured under the inshore/offshore allocation adopted by the North Pacific Fishery 19 Management Council; and 20 WHEREAS the increased harvesting capacity of the large industrialized offshore 21 fishing fleets have developed an advantage over the catcher boat fleet that harvests fish for 22 shoreside processing plants; and 23 WHEREAS the North Pacific Fishery Management Council is preparing to adopt a 24 comprehensive rationalization plan for groundfish and crab in the Bering Sea and Aleutian 25 Islands area; 26 BE IT RESOLVED by the Alaska State Legislature that the North Pacific Fishery 27 Management Council is respectfully requested to allocate groundfish and crab to the Western 28 Alaska Community Development Quota (CDQ) groups and support the continuation of the 29 inshore/offshore allocation process as parts of any comprehensive rationalization plan that the 30 council prepares. 31 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Ron Brown, Secretary of the
01 U.S. Department of Commerce; Richard B. Lauber, chair of the North Pacific Fishery 02 Management Council; and to the Honorable Ted Stevens and the Honorable Frank Murkowski, 03 U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska 04 delegation in Congress.