03/15/1995 08:09 AM House RES

 HRES - 03/15/95                                                               
 HJR 25 - BAN TRAWLING IN EASTERN GULF OF ALASKA                             
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE BEN GRUSSENDORF, PRIME SPONSOR, said this resolution           
 is a petition or a statement to the North Pacific Fishery                     
 Management Council (NPFMC) to consider as part of their management            
 plan for the fisheries off Southeast Alaska.  He pointed out on a             
 map the area, east of 140 degrees west longitude, which the                   
 resolution refers to.  The area runs from Yakutat Bay down through            
 Southeast Alaska, and involves a very narrow continental shelf with           
 very few smooth areas.  He stated the area contains many                      
 communities which depend on fishing as their livelihood through               
 longlining or the hook and line fisheries.                                    
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE GRUSSENDORF stressed that the people in this area              
 have fished for at least 100 years and many of the economies are              
 based on fishing.  He said the economies are based locally, with              
 gear purchased locally, crews hired locally, taxes paid locally,              
 and the boats are moored locally.  He stated a concern was                    
 expressed with the trawling industry (factory trawlers) coming up             
 with everything.  He pointed out the factory trawlers are self-               
 contained, they do not pay the raw fish tax, and there is no                  
 economic activity gained from them in Southeast.  The concern is              
 not only for the economics but also for a viable fishery.  He noted           
 all stocks are allocated on how many fish can be taken out of a               
 given area.  He stated a factory trawler can come into the area and           
 in a short period of time, do what 3,000 people participating in              
 the longline fisheries can do and destroy a viable fishing industry           
 off Southeast Alaska.                                                         
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE GRUSSENDORF said over the years, everyone has tried            
 to keep the area as a hook and line fisheries.  He stated the                 
 concern is that there are some species of fish, such as the                   
 rockfish, which are not migratory type creatures.  The fish stay in           
 a given area, their production rate is low, and they have a very              
 long life span--over 100 years plus.  Because of this, the fish do            
 not mature very rapidly.  He pointed out there are so few smooth              
 bottom areas along the narrow continental shelf that if trawlers              
 came in, they could really work the area over.  He added there is             
 video documentation of the destruction the trawlers can cause.                
                                                                               
 Number 120                                                                    
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE GRUSSENDORF noted there has been concern expressed             
 in regard to the scallop fisheries around Yakutat.  He said that              
 classification is called dredging as opposed to trawling.  The                
 NPFMC is studying that issue as well and is trying to make                    
 recommendations.  He stressed this resolution is to encourage the             
 NPFMC to look at the fisheries off Southeast Alaska to keep it a              
 very viable industry.  He noted if any rockfish should become                 
 overharvested, the fear is the whole area may have to be closed               
 down to all fisheries.                                                        
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE GRUSSENDORF told committee members the stellar sea             
 lion is claimed to be endangered but stressed that is not the case            
 in Southeast Alaska due to the great biomasse of feed, etc.  He               
 noted that sea lions can survive through the hook and line                    
 fisheries as opposed to trawling.  He urged the committee to make             
 the NPFMC aware there is concern and then allow them to work out              
 the management scheme between the dredgers and trawlers.                      
                                                                               
 Number 179                                                                    
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE JOE GREEN noted the ban is east of the 140 degrees             
 west longitude.  He asked if the problem does not exist to the west           
 or has the problem not been studied to the west.                              
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE GRUSSENDORF responded the trolling industry is                 
 confined by that line down--no trolling is allowed above that line.           
 He said the ban area is due to the narrowness of the continental              
 shelf in Southeast.  He stated all of the communities in the area,            
 some of which are totally dependent upon the fishing industry, make           
 it a little more sensitive there.  In other areas, there are broad            
 continental shelves and smooth and sandy or rocky gravel bottoms              
 where trawlers can do this.  He added the trawlers get into the               
 crab bycatch sometimes which then becomes a problem.                          
                                                                               
 CO-CHAIRMAN GREEN stated that was why he asked the question.  He              
 said the crab industry has almost been decimated and asked if                 
 trawlers do adversely affect crab.                                            
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE GRUSSENDORF responded the trawling industry does.              
 However, the trawlers are getting better at it.                               
                                                                               
 Number 219                                                                    
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE ALAN AUSTERMAN noted that the committee has a letter           
 in their folders from Mark Kandianis of the Kodiak Fish Company, in           
 reference to scallops.  He said Mr. Kandianis is requesting the               
 committee to specifically say the resolution does not refer to                
 scalloping.  He wondered how Representative Grussendorf feels about           
 that request.                                                                 
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE GRUSSENDORF stated that is possible.  He said his              
 understanding is that NPFMC is already looking at a management                
 scheme for the scallop dredgers and there might be some overlap.              
 He noted from the information he has gathered, this resolution                
 would not affect the scallop dredgers.                                        
                                                                               
 Number 259                                                                    
                                                                               
 DAN FALVEY, REPRESENTATIVE, ALASKA LONGLINE FISHERMEN'S                       
 ASSOCIATION, testified via teleconference and expressed support for           
 HJR 25.  He said designating Southeast Alaska as a hook and line              
 zone is an appropriate response to the needs of the area.  He noted           
 one of the big changes which has occurred in the fisheries                    
 management in the last two years is that regional needs are being             
 looked at.  He gave several examples.  He stated Southeast is                 
 unique and he thought perhaps as he talks about that uniqueness, he           
 will answer the question why this ban is being requested east of              
 140 degrees west longitude and will not apply to other places.                
                                                                               
 MR. FALVEY explained east of 140 degrees west longitude is its own            
 socioeconomic unit.  The communities there are wholly dependent on            
 the fisheries in this zone and do not tend to travel to other parts           
 of the Gulf to fish.  He said the reason they can do this is                  
 because in Southeast the shelf is close enough to the shore and               
 small boats are the dominant fleet.  He noted that is not true in             
 other parts of the Gulf.  He pointed out as one gets further west             
 of 140, the bottom shifts but east of 140 involves fair weather               
 grounds and the rocky habitats of Southeast.  He stated from a                
 political and ecological standpoint 140 is a good dividing line.              
                                                                               
 MR. FALVEY told committee members another factor making Southeast             
 unique is the species assemblage.  He said that assemblage is at              
 risk of being caught by both trawl and longline fisheries.                    
 However, that species assemblage is only recognized east of 140 and           
 does not exist as its own separate grouping of species in other               
 parts of the Gulf.  Therefore, the potential impact of the                    
 crossover of trawl bycatch shutting down an entire region fisheries           
 does not exist anywhere else because Southeast has different                  
 species assemblages to make the area more uniquely vulnerable.                
                                                                               
 MR. FALVEY stated Southeast has 4,300 commercial fishing licenses             
 and employs over 6,000 crew members.  In addition, 1,400 people are           
 employed in the shore-based processing industry.  He added that the           
 fishing industry gives $547 million a year to the Southeast economy           
 and returns over $5 million to the region in raw fish taxes.  He              
 explained currently one to five trawlers prosecute fisheries very             
 briefly off of Southeast each year.  These trawlers are factory               
 trawlers not home ported anywhere in Alaska and contribute nothing            
 to the region or the state, and gain only a small portion of their            
 annual income from the fisheries they prosecute off of Alaska.  He            
 stressed there is a real potential for the trawlers to make a                 
 mistake and catch enough bycatch of these species, resulting in a             
 shut down of the entire region.  He noted that would put 3,000 to             
 6,000 fishermen out of business and devastate the entire area.                
                                                                               
 Number 313                                                                    
                                                                               
 MR. FALVEY felt the resolution is very timely now because the NPFMC           
 is currently considering a licensed limited entry program or some             
 kind of comprehensive rationalization.  He said if that goes                  
 forward without this kind of Southeast trawl (indiscernible) or               
 hook and line zone, then it would institutionalize most of the 10-            
 15 factory trawl vessels and give them permanent rights to fish in            
 Southeast.  The fishermen in Southeast would be put at even a                 
 greater loss because they will not have a history of fishing                  
 anywhere else.  He pointed out that this resolution is supported by           
 the entire region.  He stressed there is a real threat to the                 
 fishermen who live the area and taking this action is probably one            
 of the single greatest things to do in terms of the long term                 
 stability and fishing economy in the region.  He clarified it is              
 not the intention to apply this resolution to the scallop                     
 fisheries.  The scallop fisheries have a different bycatch species            
 and do not pose the same threat as factory trawlers in regard to              
 crossover bycatch.                                                            
                                                                               
 CO-CHAIRMAN GREEN asked if this resolution is passed, would it                
 essentially affect fishers coming from Seattle.  He also wondered             
 if the British Columbia coastline offers the same opportunity as              
 what is present in Southeast.                                                 
                                                                               
 MR. FALVEY responded this resolution is targeted toward the factory           
 trawlers, which are 100 percent based out of Seattle.  He stated to           
 his knowledge there are no shore-based or Alaska resident trawling            
 in the zone being discussed.  He said he did not know the answer to           
 the question regarding British Columbia.  He did comment that the             
 narrow continental shelf does apply to British Columbia as well.              
                                                                               
 Number 363                                                                    
                                                                               
 BETSY KNUTSON, SITKA, testified via teleconference and expressed              
 support for HJR 25.  She and her husband participate in the hook              
 and line fisheries.  She stressed allowing trawling in the Eastern            
 Gulf could destroy the habitat and place undue pressure on the fish           
 stock.  She said these trawlers have a potential to severely damage           
 the rockfish stock and potentially shut down the fishery which                
 people in the area depend on for up to 30 percent of their annual             
 income.  She pointed out that trawlers contribute nothing to the              
 economies of the local coastal communities.  Instead, the trawlers            
 leave the area with not only the fish but also the livelihoods of             
 the local fishermen and cold storage workers, which has an effect             
 on the economy for all those residing in small communities.  She              
 expressed to the committee the importance of the resolution because           
 there are so many fishermen in Southeast who depend on the hook and           
 line fisheries.                                                               
                                                                               
 Number 383                                                                    
                                                                               
 DENNIS HICKS, SITKA, testified via teleconference and stated he               
 feels very strongly about the problem.  He said ever time there are           
 trawlers around, there is one problem or another, such as the few             
 times the trawlers are tied up and people view lots of corals                 
 stacked up on their boats.  He felt Representative Grussendorf's              
 comments were very appropriate.  He explained the area has a very             
 narrow continental shelf and a very fragile ecosystem and stressed            
 trawling is destructive to that.  He noted the rockfish are long-             
 lived and very susceptible to overharvest.  He pointed out that               
 almost everyone in Southeast is against trawling in Southeast.                
                                                                               
 MR. HICKS said the trawl fleet has become too efficient.  Years ago           
 the fleet could not fish in rocky and boulder areas but now they              
 are so efficient they can.  He stated trawlers do not help the                
 local economy and are bad for the ecosystem.  He noted that to the            
 west the situation is quite different.  There are thousands of                
 square miles of ground, much of which is not rocky ground.  He                
 pointed out it would be a small thing for the trawl industry to               
 have a ban east of 140, but would be a big matter for the people              
 who live there.                                                               
                                                                               
 Number 429                                                                    
                                                                               
 DONALD WESTLUND, KETCHIKAN, testified via teleconference and stated           
 Representative Grussendorf should not only include the hook and               
 line fishermen in the resolution but also all the sport and                   
 subsistence fishermen who depend on those fisheries also.  He noted           
 there is also no mention of the bycatch of the fisheries that would           
 come into the area.  He explained when looking at bycatch, two                
 different things are looked at--regulatory discards and economic              
 discards.  He stressed there are many different species that cannot           
 be retained by commercial fishermen.  He felt it would be                     
 detrimental to the ecosystem for trawlers to be in Southeast                  
 because of the narrow continental shelf.                                      
                                                                               
 MR. WESTLUND said if just two fisheries are included in the whole             
 state of Alaska (rock sole and yellow fin sole) when talking about            
 bycatch, bycatch would be reduced by 50 percent.  He stated if                
 trawlers moved into Southeast, he would not be able to catch his              
 sport halibut or rockfish.  He also felt trawlers would be very               
 detrimental to the area.                                                      
                                                                               
 Number 474                                                                    
 DEAN PADDOCK, REPRESENTATIVE, BRISTOL BAY DRIFTNETTERS'                       
 ASSOCIATION, endorsed the remarks of the sponsor, Mr. Falvey, and             
 Mr. Hicks.  He said Southeast Alaska does not need any expansion of           
 the trawl fishery.  He stated trawl fishing will disrupt existing             
 fisheries and will further disrupt the economy of Southeast.  He              
 explained in Bristol Bay, there is a concern about the conduct of             
 the trawl fishery.  There seems to have been little incentive on              
 the trawler's part to do what could be done to improve their                  
 bycatch of prohibited species.  He noted he is not totally opposed            
 to trawling but feels trawling has its place.  He did not think               
 that place is in Southeast.                                                   
                                                                               
 MR. PADDOCK spoke on the situation regarding the sea lion                     
 population.  He said sea lions are endangered everywhere in the               
 state except Southeast.  He passed out pictures showing there is an           
 abundance of sea lions in Southeast.  He stressed that is not the             
 case elsewhere.  He noted in 1991, there was a lot of publicity in            
 the Anchorage Daily News about a big conference on the sea lion               
 decline.  He told committee members he was moved by the publicity             
 and wrote a letter to the editor, which the editor chose not to               
 publish, pointing out that scientists never talk about the bycatch            
 of sea lions in the trawl fishery and the role it might play in the           
 decline of the species.  In that letter, he called attention to the           
 fact that people involved in studying the problem have themselves             
 published in scientific literature, comments and reports to the               
 effect that observers on these vessels have documented catches of             
 over 100 sea lions in a single trawl.                                         
                                                                               
 Number 542                                                                    
                                                                               
 MR. PADDOCK noted he has had observers share their experiences with           
 him and, on occasion, have made photographs they have taken                   
 available.  He passed out a photo showing a walrus caught by a                
 trawler.  He asked that trawler about sea lions and was told the              
 bycatch of sea lions is so common they do not take pictures of                
 that.  He stressed that kind of problem is not needed in Southeast.           
 He urged the committee to pass HJR 25 out of committee.                       
                                                                               
 Number 554                                                                    
                                                                               
 JERRY MCCUNE, PRESIDENT, UNITED FISHERMEN OF ALASKA (UFA), stated             
 UFA supports HJR 25.  He said UFA is 100 percent behind keeping the           
 local fisheries and economy going.                                            
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE EILEEN MACLEAN asked Representative Grussendorf to             
 explain where the area is which the ban will affect.                          
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE GRUSSENDORF responded that earlier he showed on the            
 map the 140 degrees west line.  He said the area is the narrow                
 continental shelf running east of that line, down along Southeast             
 Alaska, and involves a hook and line fisheries or what is sometimes           
 called longline fishery.  He stressed many people live and work in            
 that area.  All the taxes and revenue, through the fish processors,           
 rolls out through that economy.  He pointed out a factory trawler             
 could come into the area, take the same amount of fish or more,               
 there would not be a dime that would touch shore there, and there             
 would be a great devastating effect upon the local fishing fleet.             
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE MACLEAN made a MOTION to MOVE CSSSHJR 25(RES), with            
 the following amendment, page 2, line 15, after the second                    
 occurrence of the word "the", insert "North Pacific Fishery                   
 Management Council through the" and page 2, line 19, after the word           
 "the" insert "North Pacific Fishery Management Council; the" out of           
 committee with attached zero fiscal note, with individual                     
 recommendations.                                                              
                                                                               
 CO-CHAIRMAN WILLIAMS asked if there were any objections.  Hearing             
 none, the MOTION PASSED.                                                      
                                                                               
 Number 615