00 Enrolled HJR 5                                                                                                          
01 Opposing the United States Food and Drug Administration's preliminary finding relating to                               
02 genetically engineered salmon; urging further examination of genetically engineered salmon;                             
03 opposing AquaBounty's petition to produce genetically engineered salmon; and proposing, if                              
04 AquaBounty's petition is approved, that its product should be labeled as "genetically                                   
05 modified."                                                                                                              
06                                          _______________                                                                
07 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                             
08      WHEREAS the United States Food and Drug Administration recently announced the                                    
09 release of a draft environmental assessment and preliminary finding of no significant impact                            
10 concerning genetically engineered AquaBounty AquAdvantage salmon; and                                                   
11      WHEREAS the state has bountiful fisheries that provide wild, natural, and sustainable                            
12 seafood; and                                                                                                            
13      WHEREAS Alaska seafood is naturally high in essential vitamins, including vitamins                               
14 E, C, D, and A, and minerals, including zinc, iron, calcium, and selenium; and                                          
15      WHEREAS fish habitat in the state is cleaner than fish habitat in other locations; and                           
16      WHEREAS fisheries are a vital component of the state's economy; and                                              
01      WHEREAS the state's fisheries are managed to ensure that Alaska seafood continues                                
02 to be the finest in the world for future generations; and                                                               
03      WHEREAS, in 2009, 95 percent of pacific salmon landings in the United States                                     
04 occurred in the state; and                                                                                              
05      WHEREAS, in 2012, 124,000,000 salmon were harvested in the state, for a value of                                 
06 $505,000,000; and                                                                                                       
07      WHEREAS Alaska ports consistently rank among the top ports in the United States                                  
08 based on volume and ex-vessel value for various fisheries, including salmon; and                                        
09      WHEREAS the state's fishing industry provides over 70,000 jobs annually and is the                               
10 second largest source of private sector employment in the state; and                                                    
11      WHEREAS the United States Food and Drug Administration is accepting comments                                     
12 on the proposal to allow, for the first time, a genetically modified organism to be sold for                            
13 human consumption; and                                                                                                  
14      WHEREAS the inevitable accidental release of transgenic fish into the wild could                                 
15 devastate native fish populations and ecosystems; and                                                                   
16      WHEREAS citizens and public interest groups overwhelmingly oppose genetically                                    
17 engineered food and have submitted over 400,000 public comments opposing genetically                                    
18 engineered salmon; and                                                                                                  
19      WHEREAS the United States Food and Drug Administration has not conducted                                         
20 adequate testing to determine the long-term safety of consuming genetically engineered                                  
21 salmon; and                                                                                                             
22      WHEREAS the sale of genetically engineered salmon could imperil the state's fishing                              
23 industry; and                                                                                                           
24      WHEREAS seven members of the United States Senate continue to have concerns                                      
25 about AquaBounty's proposal and the United States Food and Drug Administration's review                                 
26 of the proposal; and                                                                                                    
27      WHEREAS the United States Food and Drug Administration's review applies only to                                  
28 a limited set of production and rearing facilities and fails to consider the broader applications                       
29 of this technology that would assuredly occur should final approval be granted;                                         
30      BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the United States Food                                    
31 and Drug Administration not to make a final decision regarding genetically engineered                                   
01 salmon until the United States Congress has fully examined the issue and the potential release                          
02 of genetically engineered fish into the waters of the United States; and be it                                          
03      FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature opposes AquaBounty's                                          
04 petition to produce AquAdvantage Salmon, a genetically engineered salmon; and be it                                     
05      FURTHER RESOLVED that, if the petition is approved by the United States Food                                     
06 and Drug Administration, despite strong environmental and human health concerns, product                                
07 labeling requirements must include, as required by Alaska law, the words "Genetically                                   
08 Modified" prominently displayed on the front of the product's packaging.                                                
09      COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of                              
10 the United States; the Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Vice-President of the United States and                          
11 President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Tom Vilsack, United States Secretary of                                     
12 Agriculture; the Honorable Margaret Hamburg, M.D., Commissioner of Food and Drugs; and                                  
13 the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the Honorable Mark Begich, U.S. Senators, and the                                      
14 Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.