Legislature(2011 - 2012)BUTROVICH 205
03/14/2012 03:30 PM Senate RESOURCES
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB123 | |
| SB181 | |
| SB159 | |
| SB205 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | SB 123 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SB 159 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SB 181 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SB 205 | TELECONFERENCED | |
SB 205-CHINOOK RESEARCH & RESTORATION ENDOWMENT
3:59:30 PM
CO-CHAIR WAGONER announced SB 205 to be up for consideration
[CSSB 205(RES), labeled 27-LS1312\D, was before the committee].
4:00:02 PM
DAVE SCOTT, staff to Senator Donald Olson, Alaska State
Legislature, sponsor of SB 205, said he was available for
questions.
4:01:17 PM
TIM SMITH, President, Norton Sound Bering Strait Regional
Aquaculture Association, Nome, AK, supported SB 205. He said
something is really wrong with King salmon statewide and
particularly in western Alaska. In Norton Sound, the Pilgrim
River had 44 fish; last year was the same. For all practical
purposes that run is extinct. Another King salmon run on Boston
Creek is also going extinct. The problem is they don't know why;
there is a lot of speculation and a lot of possible factors, but
they won't know why until research efforts are stepped up. This
bill is a good way to do it. He closed saying it would be "a
darned shame" if we lose our Chinook runs anywhere. He started
commercial fishing on the Yukon River in 1975 and he never
believed it would come to this.
4:04:03 PM
ART NELSON, Policy and Outreach Director, Bering Sea
Fishermen's' Association, Anchorage, AK, supported SB 205. He
said this organization has worked to develop sustainable Bering
Sea and western Alaska fishery resources. He also was chair of
the Steering Committee, Arctic Yukon Kuskokwim (AYK) Sustainable
Salmon Initiative, a collaborative research effort involving a
number of organizations including the Association of Village
Council Presidents, Tanana Chiefs Conference, Kawerak Inc.,
Alaska Department of Fish and Game, National Marine Fisheries
Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bering Sea
Fishermen's Association. He had also served about six years on
the Alaska Board of Fisheries.
MR. NELSON said a dramatic shift has been seen in the abundance
of Chinook salmon; many rivers in western Alaska, particularly
the Unakleet, the Yukon/Kuskokwim and Nushigak Rivers, in
addition have suffered prolonged declines and in more recent
years, rivers in Upper Cook Inlet and Copper River are seeing
declining returns. It's especially troubling that many of these
rivers are not even meeting their escapement goals and have
significant restrictions to subsistence and failure to meet
subsistence needs.
He said weak returns also exacerbate the allocative tensions
between sport, commercial and personal use user groups, and
those tensions are already high when the runs are healthy. He
said establishing a program to effectively understand and
address the causes of the declines of Chinook salmon will
require multi-disciplinary and multi-year research across the
full salmon lifecycle, especially in the marine environment
where Chinook spend 80 to 90 percent of their life history and
complete 90 percent of their growth. Effective research across
the full lifecycle requires long-term stable funding sources
such as the one under consideration today.
MR. NELSON said over the past 10 years, the AYK Sustainable
Salmon Initiative has funded a number of important research
projects including developing a research action plan for AYK
Chinook salmon. The purpose is to identify which variables or
processes are the most likely causative factors in recent
declines and to produce a detail set or research priorities in
targeting the key drivers of Chinook abundance. This will be
accomplished by establishing a panel of fisheries scientists to
review and synthesize the information available from all
published sources and directly from the salmon managers. Drawing
on that synthesis, the panel will identify key variables and
processes that are affecting Chinook abundance including:
-when during their life history is any variable being
operative
-hypotheses about the processes involved
-the potential strength of their effect of abundance
-the potential to be affected by management actions
The panel would develop detailed recommendations for future
research.
4:07:47 PM
MR. NELSON said another project they have been involved with is
escapement goals and evaluation of escapement goals to assure
sustainable fisheries. When this project is completed the panel
will offer advice on the most appropriate research approaches
and management efforts. The panel will consider the range of
approaches and analytical framework such as:
-what are the best methods for dealing with data
limited situations
-what methods exist for determining escapement goals
-which are the best to use in different drainage
systems
-what is the best model for establishing escapement
goals in subsistence dominated fisheries (especially
for the Arctic Yukon Kuskokwim area)
4:08:24 PM
He said there are a number of other examples of endowment funded
research programs in Alaska and each has extensive involvement
by state agencies, staff and scientists. The sustained
endowment-based funding from these has enabled organizations to
undertake high quality long-term interdisciplinary research
programs, but this one is ideal, because it's focused on such an
important fish to Alaska. It's the state fish and it's the least
numerous of the five species, but the most highly prized by a
lot of Alaskans.
MR. NELSON thanked Senator Olson and Representative Herron and
their staffs and co-sponsors for creating SB 205.
4:09:53 PM
REBECCAS ROBBINS-GISCLAIR, Yukon River Drainage Fisheries
Association (YRDFA), Anchorage, AK, supported SB 205. She said
YRDFA is an association of commercial and subsistence fishermen
and women on the Yukon River with a mission of promoting healthy
wild fisheries and cultures on the Yukon River.
She said that salmon are a critical resource in western Alaska
where it serves as a primary source of food and the commercial
fisheries are one of the only means of income. Chinook salmon in
particular are an essential part of the culture, diet and
economy in that region. The Chinook salmon are declining rapidly
on the Yukon River and nobody is sure what the reasons are.
Escapement goals to Canada haven't been met since 2007 despite
some pretty dramatic restrictions on subsistence harvest.
Subsistence needs as specified by the Board of Fisheries for
amounts necessary for subsistence haven't been met since 2008
and it's like they will not have been met in 2011 when numbers
come in.
MS. ROBBINS-GISCLAIR said commercial fishing for King salmon has
been pretty much eliminated; commercial Chum salmon fisheries
have also been restricted to protect the King salmon that are in
the river at the same time. Even when escape goals have been
met, the subsequent returns from the escapements have been poor.
These declines have had a dramatic effect on Yukon River
communities. Very little information is available about what is
causing it or how to plan for future run sizes. Chinook are a
long-lived species and it's critical to have a dedicated and
consistent source of funding for Chinook salmon research, so its
lifecycle can be studied. This type of research needs to be
well coordinated and funded over an extended period.
She explained that some federal funds were allocated to research
this issue, but there were still gaps in the data.
4:14:30 PM
CASIE STOCKDALE, Association of Village Council Presidents
(AVCP), Bethel, AK, supported SB 205. She said she is also a
biologist and that AVCP is a recognized tribal organization and
non-profit Alaska regional corporation representing 56 member
indigenous villages in Western Alaska. She thanked the sponsors
of SB 205 saying the Chinook stocks in the Yukon and Kuskokwim
drainages and the Chinook stocks throughout the AYK region are
in a serious state of decline. Currently, on both rivers the
productivity for Chinook is at or below one recruit per spawner,
meaning that the population can barely replace itself even with
no harvest. These sharp declines have prompted widespread
restrictions and closures of subsistence and small scale
commercial fisheries each year, causing nutritional, economic
and cultural disaster for those who depend on the returns of
these salmon stocks.
In response, she said that AVCP recently hosted a special
convention to identify ways to conserve Chinook and how to
incorporate tribes in their management. The executive board
passed Resolution 12-03-03 expressing full support for HB 332,
establishment of the Alaska Chinook Salmon Research and
Restoration Endowment Fund. AVCP also strongly supports SB 205
as there is an urgent need to create stable, long-term
diversified sources of funding to implement high-quality
research and restoration programs to address the causes of the
declines of the Chinook salmon.
4:17:34 PM
LORETTA BULLARD, President, Kawerak Inc., Nome, AK, supported SB
205. She said Kawerak is the regional tribal nonprofit
association for the Bergin Straits region. They have seen huge
decline's in Chinook returns in northern Norton Sound as well as
southern Norton Sound. In 2011, only 44 Chinook returned to the
Pilgrim River and in 2003 when they first started counting
there, the Chinook run was 1,016. On the North River close to
Unakleet, which is very dependent on Chinook for both
subsistence and personal fisheries as well as Chinook commercial
fishery, their runs have gone from 1,452 in 2003 down to 864.
The Chinook runs in 2003 on the Koniaq by Ilum, the longest-
running counting tower in the Bering straits region managed by
the ADF&G, were at 744 and last year it had gone down to 57
fish. They question whether or not these stocks can even
biologically sustain themselves.
Their concerns have been brought to their regional fish
biologists who say these are naturally occurring declines and
nothing can be done. But they are very concerned about it and
support this project so the declines can be addressed. Because
of the extremely poor returns, they sought to have a Chinook and
Chum disaster declared by the U.S. Department of Commerce for
the stocks in Norton Sound two years ago, but weren't successful
because while the Chinook return was way down in southern Norton
Sound (that doesn't have a commercial fishery), the commercial
fishermen in southern Norton Sound were able to offset their
economic losses by fishing other stock. Therefore, no economic
disaster occurred, so therefore a disaster was not declared. In
northern Norton Sound, the commercial fisheries had been closed
for so long that an economic disaster declaration was not
possible, since a disaster is determined by the decline over the
previous five years of average fishing income. Ms. Bullard
stated this is not an income issue; their stocks are so
depressed that they wonder if they will survive. Yet, there
doesn't seem to be a sense of urgency in terms of addressing it.
She feared the situation is worse than it appears, because on
the Pilgrim where stocks have gone from over 1,000 fish annually
down to 44 last summer, there is no escapement goal and that
means there is no escapement goal to worry about meeting.
4:22:52 PM
At ease from 4:22 to 4:25 p.m.
4:25:01 PM
CO-CHAIR WAGONER called the meeting back to order at 4:25 p.m.
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI said he supported the bill, but asked ADF&G
if this program should be limited to just Chinook salmon. The
MatSu Valley has had low salmon returns for a number of years
and a Cook Inlet Salmon Task Force was assembled to figure it
out. Other areas of the state experience low returns, too.
4:26:52 PM
ERIC VOLK, Fisheries Scientist, Division of Commercial
Fisheries, Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G),
Anchorage, AK, responded that there is ample room for funding
for all salmon species in Alaska and they all have substantial
knowledge gaps and could be managed better. He said, however,
that Chinook salmon represent an area of special concern.
4:28:03 PM
JERRY MCCUNE, lobbyist, Cordova Fishermen United, Juneau, AK,
supported SB 205. He said doing research in some areas would
help gathering more information about other species, because
sometimes the streams are right next to each other. He said
it's tough enough for the department to get funding to just do
some of the research they do now, but Alaska has the last
abundance of wild Chinook in the world. Most of the stocks in
Washington and Oregon are hatchery stocks.
MR. MCCUNE said he understood the distrust of ADF&G in some
areas, but someone has to be in charge. If he was on the board
today from Southcentral, the first thing he would want to do is
have the department write a report to get a baseline on what the
gaps in information are from each area and where the Chinook
are.
4:29:56 PM
ROBIN SAMUELSON, President and CEO, Bristol Bay Development
Corporation (BBEDC), Dillingham, AK, wholeheartedly supported SB
205. He said BBEDC represents 17 villages within the Bristol Bay
region and they have had problems with their Chinook salmon for
the last 30 years, and things are getting worse. The first time
was when the Japanese high seas drift fleet annihilated the
Chinook in western Alaska by taking 275,000 in one year. From
there they went into a 20-year rebuilding mode. The rebuilding
mode was working, but then the offshore trawl fishery was
happening and they again noticed a decline in the salmons
stocks.
He remarked that the Nushigak, the biggest river in Bristol Bay,
has not been making escapement for the last few years. It hasn't
had a commercial salmon season and restrictions have been placed
on sports fishermen; fortunately subsistence hasn't been
restricted. However, in Togiak, Naknek, Quijak, Egegik, Ugashik
and Port Heiden it's a whole different story. Their stocks are
so small now that they might not come back. This money would
allow them to set up enhancement projects to get the runs back
over time.
MR. SAMUELSON related that just two or three years ago, a
Chinook cap was placed on the trawl fisheries in the Bering Sea
thanks to the State of Alaska, but this bill is one of the major
pieces of legislation that will save Chinook salmon whether it's
in Southeast, Cook Inlet, Bristol Bay, or Norton Sound.
4:32:28 PM
JOE FAITH, representing himself, Dillingham, AK, strongly
supported SB 205. King salmon help define Alaska to the rest of
the world, he said. They are important to subsistence, which has
important nourishment, economic and cultural values. Last year
he chose not subsistence fish for Kings on the Nushigak, because
of his concern. Kings are also important to commercial fishing
in Bristol Bay where he has direct-marketed Kings for $5/lb.
Another direct marketer told him that she did it for $10/lb.,
but last year there was no commercial King season. The concern
for Kings also affected Red salmon fishing on the Nushigak,
because ADF&G put restrictions on those to meet King salmon
escapement.
4:33:51 PM
FRANK WOODS, Bristol Bay Native Association (BBNA), Dillingham,
AK, supported SB 205. He said the Alaska Chinook Salmon Research
and Restoration Endowment Fund would enhance research from
beginning to end. A lot more people are needed to be involved in
the processes of salmon management, habitat and research.
MR. WOODS related that BBNA represents 31 Bristol Bay tribes and
they have much in common with other regions' stocks of concern.
He asked them to remove section 4(b)(1) in section 37.14.685 of
SB 205 [page 6, lines 19-20] that says you have to be listed by
the ADF&G as a "stock of concern" in order to be considered for
the grant process, because some of these rivers have such small
Chinook returns that their numbers aren't even listed. He also
asked them to eliminate "(4) declined significantly from
historic yield levels" as a qualification for a grant.
4:37:35 PM
CO-CHAIR WAGONER, finding no further testifiers, closed the
public hearing.
SENATOR STEVENS asked Mr. Scott to comment on Mr. Woods thoughts
on the criteria for grants on page 6.
4:38:43 PM
MR. SCOTT responded that the sponsor would consider them; they
are not digging in their heels.
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI asked what he thought about extending the
fund to salmon stocks across the state.
MR. SCOTT replied that the sponsor wouldn't support doing that,
not because other salmon stocks don't need that research, but
because King stocks require special attention.
CO-CHAIR WAGONER said in looking at items (1) through (4) on
page 6, he understood Mr. Wood's concern about the runs that
have gone so far down that they are below the criteria, and
thought that language could be taken care of easily.
SENATOR FRENCH noted that those items were a series of "ors" and
meant that it doesn't matter if it's not a stock of concern, as
long as it has declined significantly from historic yield
levels.
CO-CHAIR WAGONER said he would hold SB 205 in committee.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| draft CS SB 205 v.D.PDF |
SRES 3/14/2012 3:30:00 PM |
SB 205 |
| Draft CS SB 205 v.D - sectional.pdf |
SRES 3/14/2012 3:30:00 PM |
SB 205 |
| SB 205 HB 332 - Map of Public Member Regions.pdf |
SRES 3/14/2012 3:30:00 PM |
HB 332 SB 205 |
| SB 205 BSFA problem document 3-12.pdf |
SRES 3/14/2012 3:30:00 PM |
SB 205 |