00 CS FOR SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 17(RES)                                                                              
01 Relating to reauthorization of the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management                                         
02 Act.                                                                                                                    
03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
04  WHEREAS the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act established a                                             
05 fishery conservation zone, now known as the exclusive economic zone (EEZ), out to 200                                   
06 miles off the coast of Alaska and the other coastal states to protect, conserve, and manage the                         
07 extensive fishery resources of the continental shelf; and                                                               
08  WHEREAS the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act has fostered                                              
09 rational management of formerly unregulated fisheries off Alaska; and                                                   
10  WHEREAS the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act has successfully                                          
11 promoted the development of an American fishing industry within the EEZ off Alaska; and                                 
12  WHEREAS the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act has eliminated                                            
13 foreign fishing within the EEZ off Alaska; and                                                                          
14  WHEREAS the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act established the                                           
01 North Pacific Fishery Management Council as the fishery management council for the EEZ                                  
02 fisheries off Alaska; and                                                                                               
03  WHEREAS the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act since its                                                 
04 enactment in 1976 has provided that a majority of the membership of the North Pacific                                   
05 Fishery Management Council be from Alaska; and                                                                          
06  WHEREAS the Congress is considering proposals to increase the non-Alaskan                                              
07 membership of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council in order to give non-Alaskans                                
08 a majority of the votes on the council; and                                                                             
09  WHEREAS it is only reasonable that a majority of the membership of the fishery                                         
10 management council responsible for the EEZ fisheries off Alaska be Alaskans;                                            
11  BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature supports the reauthorization of                                       
12 the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act and respectfully requests the                                      
13 Congress to act expeditiously in reauthorizing the Act; and be it                                                       
14  FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully requests that                                          
15 the current geographic composition of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council be                                   
16 retained.                                                                                                               
17  COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Al Gore, Jr., Vice-President                                  
18 of the United States and President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Robert C. Byrd, President                          
19 Pro Tempore of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Thomas S. Foley, Speaker of the U.S. House                                
20 of Representatives; and to the Honorable Ted Stevens and the Honorable Frank Murkowski,                                 
21 U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska                                  
22 delegation in Congress.