Legislature(2007 - 2008)CAPITOL 124
02/21/2007 08:30 AM House FISHERIES
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| Overview: Sea Grant Crab Enhancement Project/alutiq Pride Hatchery | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
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= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
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ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON FISHERIES
February 21, 2007
8:41 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Kyle Johansen
Representative Craig Johnson
Representative Gabrielle LeDoux
Representative Bryce Edgmon
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Paul Seaton, Chair
Representative Peggy Wilson
Representative Lindsey Holmes
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
^OVERVIEW: SEA GRANT CRAB ENHANCEMENT PROJECT/ALUTIQ PRIDE
HATCHERY
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
BRIAN ALLEE, Ph.D., Director
Alaska Sea Grant
School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented Sea Grant Crab Enhancement
Project overview.
JEFF HETRICK, Director
Alutiiq Pride Shellfish Hatchery
Moose Pass, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented Alutiiq Pride Shellfish Hatchery
overview.
HEATHER MCCARTY, Central Bering Sea Fishermen's Association
(CBSFA)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Offered comments regarding the Sea Grant
Enhancement Project.
ARNI THOMSON, Executive Director
Alaska Crab Coalition;
United Fishermen of Alaska (UFA)
Seattle, Washington
POSITION STATEMENT: Offered comments regarding the Sea Grant
Enhancement Project.
ACTION NARRATIVE
REPRESENTATIVE KYLE JOHANSEN called the House Special Committee
on Fisheries meeting to order at 8:41:09 AM. Representatives
Johnson, LeDoux, and Edgmon were present at the call to order.
^OVERVIEW: SEA GRANT CRAB ENHANCEMENT PROJECT/ALUTIQ PRIDE
HATCHERY
8:41:24 AM
REPRESENTATIVE JOHANSEN announced that the only order of
business would be to hear an overview from the Sea Grant Crab
Enhancement Project in conjunction with the Alutiq Pride
Hatchery.
BRIAN ALLEE, Ph.D., Director, Alaska Sea Grant, School of
Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks,
began by directing attention to handouts entitled "Alaska King
Crab Research and Rehabilitation Program," and "Alaska Crab
Stock Enhancement and Rehabilitation Workshop Proceedings."
Alaska Sea Grant's web site also offers a number of documents
regarding the king crab initiative.
8:43:05 AM
DR. ALLEE, referring to a slide presentation titled
"Presentation to the Alaska State House of Representatives
Special Committee on Fisheries, Brian Allee, Ph.D., Director,
Alaska Sea Grant, University of Alaska Fairbanks, School of
Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Alaska Sea Grant Program
Assessment, September 2006," stated that one of the strategic
goals of the Alaska Sea Grant Program is to enhance and improve
the profitability and viability of Alaska's commercial fisherman
and fishing communities. Alaska's Sea Grant program is one of
30 in the United States. He explained that this program
develops and supports research, education, and extension
programs, in order to implement research in coastal communities.
This program is directed at coastal communities, in the marine,
estuarine environment, and the coastal watersheds of Alaska.
Moving on to Slide 4, he explained that this is a "grassroots
initiative," with regard to king crab rehabilitation. Fishermen
from Kodiak and Pribilof Island requested that Alaska Sea Grant
convene an international workshop in March of 2006. This
meeting resulted in a consensus for Alaska to pursue king crab
ocean ranching. He explained the process of ocean ranching,
noting that this is different from ocean farming. He compared
this to salmon ocean ranching, and noted that the state has the
largest salmon ocean ranching program in the world. This
program is run by private, non-profit organizations. He stated
that this could possibly be implemented across the state. These
proceedings have been published.
8:46:09 AM
DR. ALLEE went on to say that the Steering Committee has
expressed enthusiasm. He said that it is "pretty exciting when
you get a number of coastal communities and fisherman groups,
and people interested in initiatives such as this." Referring
to a handout titled "Alaska King Crab Research and
Rehabilitation Program," he said that this shows that the
fishery was a "boom and bust" system. Kodiak has not had a
fishery in 20 years, and in the Pribilof Islands it has been
less than ten years. The motivation is to try and rehabilitate
stocks that are not recovering. Returning to the slide
presentation, he stated that scientific partnerships are being
developed. He then detailed these partnerships. He pointed out
significant research initiatives, which include king crab
culture technology transfer from National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration fisheries and the University of
Massachusetts, genetic mass marketing, and graduate and research
technicians. In regard to genetics, he said:
One of the more exciting aspects of the program is
working on the genetics of these crab populations, and
characterizing the parent population where we're
obtaining brood stocks. We've got brood stock from
Alitak Bay in Kodiak [for red king crab], and ... from
the Pribilof Islands for blue king crab. ... Taking
the brood stock in their native habitat, 15 females
are down at the hatchery at this time. So, we're
characterizing - and will be overtime - those
populations. And then, we're going to fingerprint -
or genotype - the hatchery juveniles. And that will
effectively be a mass-mark. It's very important to
have that ... capability, so that we can monitor the
success of this program over time. And see how these
hatchery-produced, ocean ranched juveniles, contribute
to the fishery and survive.
8:50:57 AM
DR. ALLEE went on to say that the Alutiiq Pride Shellfish
Hatchery is the only shellfish hatchery in Alaska. This
hatchery has hatchery expertise, culture equipment and
facilities, and algal and artemia cultures. He then discussed
the status and future approach of the hatchery. The red king
crab females are currently hatching, while blue king crab
females are expected in 1-2 months. He explained the three
phases of future growth: larval culture; nursery culture; and
post release stimulation of wild out-stocking.
8:55:46 AM
DR. ALLEE then discussed the program budget. The existing
budget includes "bootstrap contributions" of $226 thousand, with
$303 thousand in obligated funds for fiscal year 2008 (FY 08).
The legislature provided funding for the Alutiiq Pride Shellfish
Hatchery for a total of $75 thousand in FY 07, and a request was
made for $250 thousand for FY 08. The FY 08 request is for
multiple species; however, $120 thousand is for blue and red
king crab. Additionally, there is a congressional request for
over $1 million. In total, this is a three-year program, using
$2.5 million to get the program started.
8:57:40 AM
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON asked whether this is part of the Seward
Sea Life Center.
DR. ALLEE replied that this is a separate facility. He stated
there will be an open house at the shellfish hatchery on March
24, 2007, which legislators are invited to attend.
8:58:43 AM
JEFF HETRICK, Director, Alutiiq Pride Shellfish Hatchery, stated
that he would be discussing the crab project and how it has
progressed over the past 6 months. The hatchery received brood
stock from the Kodiak area in July of the previous year, which
is being held at the Seward Marine Center. Brood stock was
received from the Pribilof Islands in November. The crabs are
currently being moved from the Seward Marine Center to the
Shellfish Hatchery. The Alutiiq Pride Shellfish Hatchery was
constructed from criminal settlement money from the Exxon
Valdez. There was a year-long site planning process. He stated
that originally, the hatchery was also to be a research center,
and was to be called the Mariculture Technical Center (MTC).
The intention was to have a portion of the facility dedicated to
research on emergent species, which might someday fuel the
mariculture industry in Alaska. In reality, the hatchery itself
has functioned as the MTC, with no real research component.
This project utilizes the MTC space, which helps to augment
funding shortages that have been faced for the past ten years,
as well as maximizing the production of the facility. In the
past 4-5 months, he said, two crab modules have been
constructed. The blue king crab and red king crab are separated
due to requirements of the Alaska Department of Fish & Game
(ADF&G). The hatchery is focusing on taking the methods used in
Kodiak, and applying these to a larger scale. Several groups
are involved in the project. He stated that the goals are two-
fold. The research will be applied to a larger scale, and mass
culture will be considered.
9:04:25 AM
MR. HETRICK, in response to a question from Representative
Edgmon, stated that the permitting process is often contentious,
but the transport permits were received for moving the crab.
The current permits do not allow for the release of the
juveniles, as it is not known how they will behave once
released. There are also questions regarding the technique that
will be used to mark the crabs. He pointed out that coded wire
tags are used to mark salmon; however, crabs molt, which
requires a different method. He stated that the advances in
genetic research allow the crabs to be tracked back to parental
origin. In the future, permits will be needed to move shellfish
around the state.
9:06:41 AM
REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX asked if there is any reason to believe
that the released crab would behave differently than crabs would
normally behave in the wild.
9:07:02 AM
MR. HETRICK replied that he suspects them to behave similarly.
If the culture technique is successful, the hatchery has a
series of experiments to observe the behavior, although this is
still an artificial environment. He explained that the hatchery
is avoiding the mortality and cannibalism that would occur in
the wild.
REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX pointed out that these crabs are
genetically identical to crab that is raised in the wild.
MR. HETRICK agreed, noting that the only difference is that the
crab entered into an artificial facility.
9:08:04 AM
REPRESENTATIVE EDGMON inquired as to how "cutting edge" the
effort is, and whether this is being done elsewhere in the US.
MR. HETRICK opined that it is cutting edge. There is research
being done world-wide. Domestically, there has been a lot of
work involving lobster and blue crab, and the techniques are
very similar. Russia has a hatchery manual that the Alutiiq
Pride Shellfish Hatchery is trying to utilize. He stated that
Alaska is "a little behind." The everyday technology of the
hatchery is "pretty straightforward." He surmised, then, that
the key is going to be the out-planting and management, which
must be faced once the crabs are released.
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON inquired as to whether there is a way to
utilize the farming aspect of enclosing an area, or a way to
control the environment so that the raised crabs do not escape.
MR. HETRICK replied that Russia intends to farm crab, as does
South America. He described a method used by the Japanese,
which divides the ocean floor into regions. These regions are
then managed through the fisheries. Once the crabs are
released, cannibalism will be the biggest challenge. He
questioned whether they should be released after this stage is
over, when it is assumed that the survival would be higher. He
stated that he does not anticipate holding them in any type of
container, and said "I think once they're released, they're
released."
9:12:03 AM
HEATHER MCCARTY, Central Bering Sea Fishermen's Association
(CBSFA) stated that the CBSFA was involved in requesting the
workshop held in March of 2006, and is currently on the steering
committee. She stated that the Pribilof blue king crab stocks
have declined precipitously. On St. Paul Island, one of the
major economic forces is the crab fishery. The residents of the
island are interested in learning more about what has happened
to the blue king crab, and why they are not thriving, in
addition to whether they can be rehabilitated. She stated that
the CBSFA has contributed a significant amount of money to this
project, one of which was the cost of collecting the brood-
stock. She offered thanks for this program, and the possibility
of restoring these crab.
9:14:38 AM
ARNI THOMSON, Executive Director, Alaska Crab Coalition, United
Fishermen of Alaska (UFA), stated that the association is
enthusiastic to see this project go forward. The UFA letter of
record supports the effort. The project does not introduce a
new species, and this program would benefit communities from
Southeast Alaska to Nome. The king and tanner crab research
over the years have been enlightening, and the workshop held in
Kodiak was a continuation of the education he gained through the
ASG program. He then referred to page 15 of the Alaska Crab
Stock Enhancement and Rehabilitation booklet, stating that the
author of this article gave a presentation at the aforementioned
workshop. He explained that this is a case study on how to grow
king crab in captivity, which the Russians have been doing since
2000. Referring to a handout entitled "National Marine
Fisheries Service Fisheries Statistics and Economics Division,"
he explained that this shows the total imports of king crab into
the US. He brought attention to the imports from the Russian
Federation, which totaled $277 million worth of king crab
imported into the US from Russia. He explained that Russia took
crab from the Barents Sea and introduced them into the North
Atlantic Ocean. Alaska is competing with this on the world
market. Pointing out that Alaska's total production of king
crab for the same year was an estimated $65 million, he opined
that Alaska needs to take a look at this and do what needs to be
done to rejuvenate the depressed stocks.
9:20:21 AM
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON offered his understanding that in 1959
the Russians "picked up some crab and dropped them into the
ocean" without any resulting diseases or problems.
MR. THOMSON replied that there is controversy regarding what has
been done; however, this has become a "huge cash crop" for
Russia. Norway and Russia negotiate quotas of the king crab,
with Norway taking a smaller quota. He pointed out that the
average weight of these crabs is 10 pounds, which is three
pounds larger than Alaskan king crab. He stated that there has
been controversy in the Norwegian sector, with both pro and con
in the Norwegian parliament. He explained that there is a
policy of eradication in some areas and an IFQ fishery in part
of the sector. He agreed that this species is not native to the
aforementioned area.
9:21:54 AM
REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX asked for clarification of the
aforementioned eradication policy.
MR. THOMSON explained that there is a line which has an IFQ
Fishery on its East, and an open fishery on the West. In
response to an additional question, he explained that within
this context, "eradicate" means to wipe out the species,
recognizing that the species is invasive.
REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX asked what affect the king crab has had on
the native species in the area.
MR. THOMSON shared his understanding that there is concern
regarding the king crab consuming large amounts of larvae, in
addition to getting caught in fishing nets, which causes
problems when the nets are brought back onto the boat.
9:24:04 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Special Committee on Fisheries meeting was adjourned at 9:24
a.m.
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