00                CS FOR SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 15(RLS)                                                              
01 Relating to imports of salmon from Chile.                                                                               
02 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
03       WHEREAS salmon farms produced almost 1,800,000,000 pounds of product                                            
04 worldwide in 1999; and                                                                                                  
05       WHEREAS Chile is the growing giant of the farmed salmon industry; and                                           
06       WHEREAS imports of farmed salmon from Chile have grown by 120 percent in the                                    
07 last five years, and Chile is now the world leader in the farmed salmon industry, with                                  
08 production expected to grow significantly each year; and                                                                
09       WHEREAS the total 1999 Alaska salmon harvest was only 898,600,000 pounds; and                                   
10       WHEREAS the harvest of salmon in Alaska can increase only fractionally due to                                   
11 natural factors and the inherent conditions associated with the harvest of wild salmon; and                             
12       WHEREAS salmon farms in Chile operate in a low-cost labor environment with                                      
13 heavy government subsidization and without the regulatory constraints that govern the Alaska                            
14 fishing industry, giving Chile a major advantage in the costs of production; and                                        
15       WHEREAS Alaska salmon is harvested by independent fishermen and is processed in                                 
16 plants that bring critical economic benefits to many remote Alaska communities; and                                     

01       WHEREAS the commercial fishing industry in Alaska is the largest private sector                                 
02 employer in Alaska, and wild salmon is the primary product for most coastal fishing ports in                            
03 Alaska; and                                                                                                             
04       WHEREAS the bulk of the harvest of Alaska salmon is marketed as a fresh product                                 
05 from May through October, and Chile can supply fresh farmed salmon throughout the year,                                 
06 making it difficult for our fishermen to sell Alaska salmon in the domestic market;                                     
07       BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully urges the United                                  
08 States Department of State, while negotiating trade agreements with Chile, to consider the                              
09 numerous negative effects that farmed salmon from Chile has on the economy of Alaska; and                               
10 be it                                                                                                                   
11       FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature strongly supports the                                        
12 imposition of import restrictions and increased import tariffs on salmon products from Chile.                           
13       COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Colin Powell, United States                            
14 Secretary of State; the Honorable Don Evans, United States Secretary of Commerce; and to                                
15 the Honorable Ted Stevens and the Honorable Frank Murkowski, U.S. Senators, and the                                     
16 Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.