03/18/1998 05:06 PM House FSH

HJR 55 - ALLOCATION OF POLLOCK AND PACIFIC COD                                 
Number 0131                                                                    
                                                                               
CHAIRMAN AUSTERMAN announced the next order of business to be HJR
, relating to the allocation of pollock and Pacific cod.                     
                                                                               
Number 0138                                                                    
                                                                               
REPRESENTATIVE HODGINS made a motion to move HJR 55 out of                     
committee with individual recommendations and attached fiscal note.            
                                                                               
Number 0140                                                                    
                                                                               
REPRESENTATIVE IVAN objected.                                                  
                                                                               
Number 0153                                                                    
                                                                               
REPRESENTATIVE GENE KUBINA stated that he wanted to say something              
for the record.  He stated that it first seemed like a cut and dry             
answer, that we would want to do everything possible to support the            
onshore based processors because one would think that they are                 
hiring more Alaskans and paying more taxes.  However, he stated                
that the offshore sector is providing more of a benefit to Alaska              
then they have, as they are now hiring more Alaskans and helping to            
diversify the salmon industry.  He explained that he is going to               
vote to move the bill out because he believes there has been                   
politics played.  He stated that he has always said that the                   
legislature should not be involved in allocation issues, but he                
believed that it was politics that turned over a decision by the               
North Pacific Fisheries Management Council (NPFMC) not once but                
twice, on the allocation issue.  He stated that by supporting HJR
, he is being consistent regarding his view on allocation issues,            
as it is not right for Washington D.C. to change decisions by the              
council either.  He added that the onshore sector needs to think               
about the issue, he is not sure how much of that is American owned.            
He suggested the onshore sector looked into their abilities to                 
diversify as well.                                                             
                                                                               
Number 0195                                                                    
                                                                               
REPRESENTATIVE IVAN stated that his objection to moving HJR 55 is              
because it is an allocation debate that belongs to the NPFMC.  Also            
because the offshore sector is partnered with the Community                    
Development Quota (CDQ) groups and has provided more jobs and                  
higher wages for the communities.  He stated that his objection is             
inorder to support the CDQ groups that he represents.                          
                                                                               
Number 0211                                                                    
                                                                               
REPRESENTATIVE OGAN stated that he agreed that it was not a cut and            
dry issue.  He said "there is going to be some Alaskans that win               
and some that lose in this and if there is going to be some                    
Alaskans that lose, let the feds to it to us like they do it to us             
on everything else, instead of doing it to ourselves."                         
                                                                               
Number 0224                                                                    
                                                                               
CHAIRMAN AUSTERMAN stated that it is a cut and dry situation in his            
mind, he would like to get 100 percent of the processing done                  
onshore, to build the tax base and economic base of the state of               
Alaska.                                                                        
                                                                               
Number 0242                                                                    
                                                                               
REPRESENTATIVE OGAN stated that he did not think this would have a             
tremendous effect on what is going to happen but he would hope that            
if more fish are allocated onshore they will give deference to                 
constituents of Representative Ivan.                                           
                                                                               
Number 0258                                                                    
                                                                               
CHAIRMAN AUSTERMAN stated that wanted to make another comment.  He             
disagreed that the decision should be made by the NPFMC.  He stated            
that the allocation issues that have gone before the government                
appointed Board of Fisheries and Board of Game should stay out of              
the Legislature but the NPFMC's interests are separate from what               
the state of Alaska's issues are and, at times, interests are.                 
Individual Fish Quotas (IFQ) are an example of why the state of                
Alaska should have been a lot more involved in that issue as that              
resource was given away.  He stated that is important for the                  
legislature to be involved in what happens with the NPFMC.                     
                                                                               
Number 0278                                                                    
                                                                               
CHAIRMAN AUSTERMAN called for a roll call vote.  Representative                
Hodgins, Kubina and Austerman voted in favor of HJR 55.                        
Representative Ogan and Ivan voted against HJR 55.  HJR 55 moved               
out of the House Special Committee on Fisheries.