Legislature(1993 - 1994)
03/05/1993 08:00 AM House FSH
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON FISHERIES
March 5, 1993
8:00 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Carl E. Moses, Chairman
Representative Cliff Davidson
Representative Irene Nicholia
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Harley Olberg, Vice Chairman
Representative Gail Phillips
OTHER MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Gary Davis
Representative Ben Grussendorf
Representative Bill Hudson
Representative Fran Ulmer
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
Overview: Pacific Salmon Treaty
WITNESS REGISTER
Charles P. Meacham, Deputy Commissioner
Department of Fish and Game
P.O. Box 25526
Juneau, Alaska 99802-5526
Phone: 465-4100
Position Statement: Gave overview on Pacific Salmon Treaty
and Yukon Treaty
Jev Shelton, Vice President
United Southeast Alaska Gillnetters Association
1670 Evergreen Avenue
Juneau, Alaska 99801
Phone: 586-2242
Position Statement: Spoke of priorities and focus of the
Northern Panel for 1993
Dale Kelley, Executive Director
Alaska Trollers Association
130 Seward Street, Suite 213
Juneau, Alaska 99801
Phone: 586-9400
Position Statement: Talked about the critical need for the
lobbying effort in Washington, D.C.
Jim Bacon
Northern Panel
P.O. Box 210383
Auke Bay, Alaska 99821
Phone: 789-2405
Position Statement: Commented that Washington state has
adopted a strategy to get concessions so
Alaska could get more salmon
Julie Roberts
P.O. Box 130
Tanana, Alaska
Phone: 366-7160
Position Statement: Commented on Yukon River residents being
excluded
Kate Troll, Executive Director
Southeast Seiners Association
9226 Long Run Drive
Juneau, Alaska 99801
Phone: 789-5117
Position Statement: Alleged the Washington delegation was
tired of being strong-armed by Alaskans
on fish issues
Robert J. Evans II
P.O. Box 528
Wrangell, Alaska 99929
Position Statement: Stated Alaska needed to be more
offensive instead of defensive in their
strategy
ACTION NARRATIVE
Tape 93-10, SIDE A
Number 000
CHAIRMAN CARL MOSES called the meeting to order at 8:40
a.m., and noted the meeting was being teleconferenced to
Kotzebue, Sitka, Petersburg, Wrangell, and Ketchikan. He
stated the committee would be hearing from Deputy
Commissioner Chuck Meacham of the Alaska Department of Fish
and Game (ADF&G), and members of the Northern Panel
regarding the Pacific Salmon Treaty.
Number 010
CHARLES P. MEACHAM, DEPUTY COMMISSIONER, ADF&G, stated he
would cover two primary areas: The Pacific Salmon Treaty as
it related to Southeastern Alaska, and development of the
Yukon River Treaty with Canada, which was not yet completed.
He used an overhead projector and went over handouts which
detailed the Pacific Salmon Treaty and the Yukon River
Treaty. (The handouts can be found in the House Special
Committee on Fisheries Committee Room, and after the
adjournment of the second session of the 18th Alaska State
Legislature, in the Legislative Reference Library.)
Number 050
MR. MEACHAM described the Pacific Salmon Commission as a
bilateral commission between the United States and Canada,
comprised of four commissioners in the U.S., one from
Alaska, one from Washington/Oregon, one representative from
the Northwest Indian Tribes, and one representative from the
federal government. The Commission has three panels: The
Northern Panel, Southern Panel, and Faser River Panel. He
introduced some representatives from the Northern Panel:
Jim Bacon, Jev Shelton, and Kevin Duffy, the state's
representative and chairman of the panel.
Number 100
MR. MEACHAM stated there was an added complication to the
treaty process this year (1993) related to the Endangered
Species Act. He noted there was an ongoing fishery in
Alaska that took some listed species, in particular the
Snake River fall chinook. The Endangered Species Act
required a Section 7 Incidental Take Permit for a fishery to
take a listed species, he advised.
Number 287
REPRESENTATIVE BEN GRUSSENDORF asked if the ADF&G's budget
reflected the necessary resources to accomplish the
incidental take permitting process.
MR MEACHAM stated in 1992 a need for legal assistance was
expressed and obtained. He noted this issue had grown
beyond a one person need, and at that point there was no
means of meeting the need, strictly in terms of the legal
work.
Number 326
REPRESENTATIVE FRAN ULMER suggested the million dollars in
the governor's budget for the Alaska National Wildlife
Refuge lobby be transferred to a million dollar effort to
lobby on these reauthorization efforts.
MR. MEACHAM thought there would be a real tough battle this
year (1993) just to maintain the status quo, let alone seek
improvements.
Number 440
JEV SHELTON, VICE PRESIDENT, UNITED SOUTHEAST ALASKA
GILLNETTERS ASSOCIATION, and a REPRESENTATIVE OF THE
NORTHERN PANEL, stated there is a threat this year to move
the negotiations to Washington D.C., and Alaska needed to
have good representation in Washington D.C. He noted the
Canadians' point of view was that fish spawning in their
area belonged to them. The Treaty should not be set up like
we were taking a resource from Canadians, he added.
Number 626
DALE KELLEY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ALASKA TROLLERS
ASSOCIATION, felt the lobbying effort in Washington D.C. was
very critical. The Endangered Species Act in general was
very important for fishermen, but was in need of some
practical measures, she added.
Tape 93-10 Side B
Number 000
MS. KELLEY noted the state of Alaska had been ignoring for
the past several years the second biggest industry in the
state. She pointed out the fishing industry returned three
dollars on every dollar spent, in comparison to the tourist
industry which returned only fifteen cents on the dollar and
received many more dollars than the fishing industry. She
noted the ADF&G had only one person to coordinate the Treaty
and a part-time person in the Division of Fisheries
Rehabilitation, Enhancement and Development, and was also
the Northern Panel's Chair, while the other states had full-
time staff whose only job was to work on the Treaty.
Number 033
JIM BACON, a REPRESENTATIVE OF THE NORTHERN PANEL, believed
Washington State had adopted a strategy to get concessions
for Alaska to get more salmon.
REPRESENTATIVE GRUSSENDORF suggested developing a definite
plan as to what the money would be used for, other than to
travel to Washington D.C., if financial resources were made
available.
Number 103
REPRESENTATIVE ULMER felt the governor needed to be
convinced of the importance of these issues, which should be
among his high priorities in Washington D.C. She suggested
a meeting with the House Special Committee on Fisheries and
the Governor might be in order.
Number 115
REPRESENTATIVE CLIFF DAVIDSON asked the Commission what had
been done at the administrative and department levels to
approach the governor for funding.
Number 125
MR. MEACHAM said he had not personally approached the
governor but Commissioner Rosier of the ADF&G had discussed
the Pacific Salmon Treaty and the endangered species
problems with the governor. He stated that in the past it
was very effective when work was done on the Magnuson Act
and real Alaskans were taken back to D.C., as opposed to
just bureaucrats.
Number 149
REPRESENTATIVE GRUSSENDORF told Mr. Meacham the ADF&G and
the governor needed to provide guidelines for what needed to
be accomplished.
Number 173
MR. BACON stated the Southeast Alaska Seiners had already
been to Washington D.C. once on the Endangered Species Act
and the Magnuson Act and are in the process of developing a
budget within their own association, as well as a lobbying
agenda to get the "bones" for exactly what type of effort
they were going to put forward. He agreed a well
coordinated plan needed to be presented to see if funding
was available.
Number 188
MR. MEACHAM commented that the Yukon River Treaty
development in comparison to the Pacific Salmon Treaty was a
much more positive approach.
Number 203
JULIE ROBERTS of Tanana testified via teleconference that
she felt everyone wanted a piece of the pie, some larger
than others, and people who live along the Yukon River were
being excluded. She thought the fish were very important
for their survival and they needed to be treated fairly in
all the negotiations.
Number 238
KATE TROLL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SOUTHEAST SEINERS
ASSOCIATION, stated she had just returned from
Washington,D.C., and the Washington delegation was tired of
being strong-armed by Alaskans on fish issues, meaning the
onshore/offshore issue. She said Washington fully intended
to "take Alaska on."
Number 264
ROBERT J. EVANS, II of Wrangell testified via
teleconference. He felt Alaska was defending itself when it
should be taking the offense in Washington, D.C.
Number 283
REPRESENTATIVE IRENE NICHOLIA asked Mr. Meacham about the FY
94 budget for Yukon salmon negotiations.
MR. MEACHAM answered that most of the funding was provided
by the federal government, that being between $700,000 and
$750,000. There has been a decrease in that relative to
extraction of overhead. He acknowledged the state funded
numerous activities on the Yukon River in terms of
management, biological sampling, stock identification, and
related activities. He commented the ADF&G was doing the
best they could with what they had, but were seeing some
declines and, it was getting more difficult.
ADJOURNMENT
CHAIRMAN MOSES asked if there were any further questions.
Hearing none, he adjourned the meeting at 9:55 a.m.
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