00Enrolled SCR 13                                                                                                         
01 Encouraging the Department of Corrections to provide canned Alaska pink salmon to inmates                               
02 of the Alaska prison system.                                                                                            
03                                         _______________                                                                 
04 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                             
05      WHEREAS pink salmon is an inexpensive source of omega-3 fatty acids, which have                                  
06 been shown to decrease the risk of heart disease, inflammatory processes, and certain cancers;                          
07 and                                                                                                                     
08      WHEREAS Alaska salmon has been linked to improvements in or prevention of                                        
09 certain kinds of cancer, ulcerative colitis, psoriasis, arthritis, asthma, lupus erythematosus,                         
10 depression, and certain kinds of mental illness; and                                                                    
11      WHEREAS most people can improve their health by consuming salmon in their diet                                   
12 two to four times a week; and                                                                                           
13      WHEREAS improved health of inmates will reduce medical treatment costs for                                       
14 inmates of the Alaska prison system; and                                                                                
15      WHEREAS salmon is a traditional Alaska food; and                                                                 
16      WHEREAS Alaska prisoners who are housed outside of the state receive little or no                                

01 Alaska foods in their diets; and                                                                                        
02      WHEREAS inventories of canned Alaska pink salmon are available in the state for                                  
03 Alaska correctional facilities and in Seattle for shipping to correctional facilities outside of                        
04 Alaska that house Alaska prisoners, including the Florence Correctional Center in Arizona;                              
05 and                                                                                                                     
06      WHEREAS, at the beginning of the 2003 salmon fishing season, a projected stock of                                
07 60,000,000 tall (14.75 ounce) cans of pink salmon will remain in surplus, with another strong                           
08 year of pink salmon returns predicted for the 2003 fishing season;                                                      
09      BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully encourages the                                     
10 Department of Corrections to provide canned Alaska pink salmon to Alaska inmates housed                                 
11 in correctional facilities in the state and to Alaska inmates housed in correctional facilities                         
12 outside of the state three times a week to promote inmate health and cultural well-being.