Legislature(2003 - 2004)
02/12/2003 08:02 AM House FSH
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
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+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON FISHERIES
February 12, 2003
8:02 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Paul Seaton, Chair
Representative Peggy Wilson, Vice Chair
Representative Cheryll Heinze
Representative Ralph Samuels
Representative Ethan Berkowitz
Representative David Guttenberg
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Pete Kott
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
OVERVIEW: ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME, COMMERCIAL
FISHERIES DIVISION BY DIRECTOR DOUG MECUM
TAPES
03-5, SIDE(S) A & B
03-6, SIDE(S) A
CHAIR PAUL SEATON called the meeting of the House Special
Committee on Fisheries to order at 8:02 a.m. Present at the
call to order were Representatives Seaton, Wilson, Samuels, and
Guttenberg. Representatives Heinze and Berkowitz arrived as the
meeting was in progress.
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION
DOUG MECUM, Director, Division of Commercial Fisheries, Alaska
Department of Fish & Game (ADF&G), gave a PowerPoint
presentation and answered questions from the committee related
to the basic structure and function of the division.
MR. MECUM stated that the mission of the division is "to manage,
protect, rehabilitate, enhance, and develop the fisheries and
aquatic plant resources in the interest of the economy and
general well-being of the state, consistent with the sustained
yield principle and subject to allocations established through
public regulatory processes." Mr. Mecum explained that while
ADF&G is the state's primary fisheries management authority, the
federal National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service are also involved with Alaska's fisheries
management. At the state level, ADF&G shares management duties
with the following agencies: the Board of Fisheries, a seven-
member board that deals primarily with management plans and
allocation issues; the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission,
the agency that distributes and manages limited entry permits
for certain fisheries; and the Department of Public Safety,
Division of Fish & Wildlife Protection, a law enforcement
division charged with protecting Alaska's natural resources from
illegal uses.
MR. MECUM outlined the organizational structure of the division.
Currently the division employs approximately 300 full-time and
550 seasonal employees who work in approximately 40 different
area offices in the state. These offices are organized under
four regional offices, with headquarters in Juneau.
MR. MECUM discussed the actual value of the different fisheries
and provided the following preliminary statistics for commercial
harvest and ex-vessel value for 2002: groundfish is valued at
$553 million, which is 57 percent; salmon is valued at $141
million, which is 15 percent; shellfish is valued at $130
million, which is 14 percent; halibut is valued at $121 million,
which is 13 percent; and herring is valued at $10 million, which
is 1 percent.
MR. MECUM focused much of his presentation on the commercial
salmon industry in particular, due to the desperate state of the
industry. He explained the different types of harvesting
methods - seine, drift gillnet, set gillnet, troll, and beach
seine - and the 13 different salmon harvest districts, or
regions, in the state. He talked about the historic catch and
value figures for all salmon species, noting the historic highs
of the late '80s and early '90s and the recent decline to record
lows. He also spoke to the marked increase in Chilean farmed
salmon imports into U.S. markets and discussed the price-
depressing effect these imports have had on Alaska salmon prices
and permit values.
MR. MECUM next discussed the Alaska herring industry, explaining
the different methods of harvest - drift gillnet, seine, pound,
and kelp - and noting the different historic market uses and
trends, such as roe, bait, food, and reduction. He also stated
that the herring fishery in the state was suffering from
decreased prices and decreased stocks, with some regional
fisheries not having any commercial harvests in the last eight
years.
MR. MECUM continued his presentation with a discussion of the
shellfish fisheries. The breakdown of the different shellfish
species by ex-vessel value was reported to be: King crab,
valued at $65.3 million, which is 48 percent; snow crab, valued
at $36.2 million, which is 27 percent; other, valued at $14.1
million, which is 11 percent; Dungeness crab, valued at $7.8
million, which is 6 percent; shrimp, valued at $2.5 million,
which is 2 percent; scallops, valued at $1.6 million, which is 1
percent; sea cucumbers, valued at $2.7 million, which is 2
percent; clams, valued at $.04 million, which is less than 1
percent; geoducks, valued at $.2 million, which is less than 1
percent; and sea urchins, valued at $.9 million, which is 1
percent.
MR. MECUM next focused on the groundfish fisheries, stating that
they were by far the most valuable fishery in the state. The
breakdown of the different groundfish by ex-vessel value was
reported as follows: pollock, valued at $328.9 million, which
is 50 percent; Pacific cod, valued at $124 million, which is 19
percent; halibut, valued at $111.5 million, which is 17 percent;
miscellaneous groundfish, valued at $56.3 million, which is 9
percent; sablefish, valued at $22.2 million, which is 3 percent;
rockfish, valued at $14.7 million, which is 2 percent; and
lingcod, valued at $.2 million, which is 0 percent [less than 1
percent].
MR. MECUM briefly discussed the new and emerging dive fisheries
in the state, such as geoduck, abalone, sea cucumber, and red
sea urchin. Due to time constraints, Mr. Mecum cut his
presentation short, leaving his discussion of mariculture and
aquaculture for another time.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
There were no announcements.
COMMITTEE ACTION
The committee took no action.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Special Committee on Fisheries meeting was adjourned at 9:55 am.
NOTE: The meeting was recorded and handwritten log notes were
taken. A copy of the tape(s) and log notes may be obtained by
contacting the House Records Office at State Capitol, Room 3,
Juneau, Alaska 99801 (mailing address), (907) 465-2214, and
after adjournment of the second session of the Twenty-Third
Alaska State Legislature this information may be obtained by
contacting the Legislative Reference Library at (907) 465-3808.
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