00 Enrolled SCR 19                                                                                                         
01 Relating to the support of fisheries education, training, and research and encouraging                                  
02 collaborative efforts between the state, the University of Alaska, and other educational                                
03 institutions to provide fisheries education programs.                                                                   
04                                         _______________                                                                 
05 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                             
06      WHEREAS Alaska's wealth lies in the human resources of the state as much as in its                                 
07 great natural fisheries resources; and                                                                                  
08      WHEREAS broad fisheries education programs can provide Alaskans with the                                           
09 knowledge and skills necessary to support their families and communities, foster the long-                              
10 term sustainability of our seafood industry, and compete in a global economy; and                                       
11      WHEREAS specialized vocational training programs for skills required by the fishing                                
12 and seafood industries, such as training to become a roe technician or to maintain specialized                          
13 seafood processing equipment, are not offered in the state; and                                                         
14      WHEREAS neither the University of Alaska nor any other institution in the United                                   
15 States offers a seafood business degree; and                                                                            
16      WHEREAS new educational paradigms, which recognize the need for innovation,                                        
01 must be supported not only in the harvesting and processing sector but in fisheries product                             
02 development, marketing, research, and seafood business management; and                                                  
03      WHEREAS a wealth of information resides within the state's executive departments                                   
04 and agencies that deal with fisheries, including the Departments of Education and Early                                 
05 Development, Fish and Game, Community and Economic Development, Labor and                                               
06 Workforce Development, Revenue, and Environmental Conservation; and                                                     
07      WHEREAS many agencies located within these departments and agencies, such as                                       
08 the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, develop and disseminate a vast amount of knowledge                              
09 and information on the fishing and seafood industry; and                                                                
10      WHEREAS the University of Alaska system, working in collaboration with the state,                                  
11 has the potential to provide world-class fisheries and seafood education and training                                   
12 programs; and                                                                                                           
13      WHEREAS the Joint Legislative Salmon Industry Task Force was formed to address                                     
14 the issues of the fishing and seafood industry;                                                                         
15      BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature supports the recommendation                                       
16 from the Joint Legislative Salmon Industry Task Force to support and promote fisheries                                  
17 education, training, and research as a long-term solution for the fishing and seafood industry;                         
18 and be it                                                                                                               
19      FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature supports the                                                    
20 recommendation of the Joint Legislative Salmon Industry Task Force that the State of Alaska,                            
21 the University of Alaska, and other vocational and technical education providers in Alaska                              
22 collaborate to develop and provide fisheries education programs in Alaska.                                              
23      COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Frank Murkowski, Governor                                 
24 of Alaska; the Honorable Mark Hamilton, President, University of Alaska; Fred Esposito,                                 
25 Director, Alaska Vocational Technical Center; and Cheryl Edenshaw, Executive Director,                                  
26 Alaska Technical Center.