00                      SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 29                                                                    
01 Relating to the labeling of finfish as wild or farmed.                                                                  
02 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
03       WHEREAS there are significant differences between farmed finfish and wild finfish;                              
04 and                                                                                                                     
05       WHEREAS farmed finfish spend their entire lives in captivity, and the raising of                                
06 farmed finfish in captivity involves the ingestion of significant amounts of antibiotics, dyes,                         
07 and other chemicals by the fish; and                                                                                    
08       WHEREAS wild finfish develop in the wild oceans and provide more healthful food                                 
09 for the consumer than farmed finfish; and                                                                               
10       WHEREAS the ingestion of significant amounts of antibiotics, dyes, and other                                    
11 chemicals by farmed finfish may concern some consumers of finfish products; and                                         
12       WHEREAS a consumer should be able to determine when purchasing finfish whether                                  
13 the fish has been farmed using antibiotics, dyes, and other chemicals or is wild; and                                   
14       WHEREAS confusion as to whether finfish has been farmed using antibiotics, dyes,                                
15 and other chemicals or is wild may cause consumers to avoid finfish completely; and                                     
16       WHEREAS Alaska prides itself on its wild salmon and other finfish, and the sale of                              

01 wild finfish is a significant part of the state's economy; and                                                          
02       WHEREAS labeling finfish products as having been farmed using antibiotics, dyes,                                
03 and other chemicals or as wild would help consumers to make intelligent purchasing decisions                            
04 and would enable consumers to purchase finfish products with confidence as to what they                                 
05 were buying; and                                                                                                        
06       WHEREAS a national approach to the labeling of farmed finfish would be helpful                                  
07 because finfish products are shipped to markets all over the United States;                                             
08       BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the United States                                        
09 Congress to pass legislation that would require finfish to be labeled as having been farmed                             
10 fish using antibiotics, dyes, and other chemicals or as wild fish.                                                      
11       COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Richard B. Cheney, Vice-                               
12 President of the United States and President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Strom                                    
13 Thurmond, President Pro Tempore of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable J. Dennis Hastert,                                    
14 Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; and to the Honorable Ted Stevens and the                                  
15 Honorable Frank Murkowski, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S.                                             
16 Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.