00                       SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 17                                                                    
01 Requesting the United States Trade Representative to bring a renewed focus on the                                       
02 plight of producers of seafood in the state and the United States and to compel China to                                
03 comply with its commitment to increase its imports of seafood products from the United                                  
04 States.                                                                                                                 
05 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
06       WHEREAS the harvesting and production of seafood is a vital part of the state's                                 
07 history and future and is an important economic engine for the state; and                                               
08       WHEREAS state and federal fisheries occurring in and adjacent to state waters                                   
09 regularly provide 60 percent of the seafood sold in the United States domestic market; and                              
10       WHEREAS fair access to export markets is critical for the state's seafood producers                             
11 and economy, with up to 80 percent of Alaska seafood landings by volume destined for                                    
12 export; and                                                                                                             
13       WHEREAS producers of Alaska seafood have long faced unfair barriers to entry in                                 
14 key export markets and now face steep new barriers to entry in some of their most important                             
15 markets; and                                                                                                            
01 WHEREAS the total value of seafood exports from the state and from the United                                         
02 States has declined in recent years as a direct result of these barriers, hurting the state's                           
03 seafood producers and the state economy at large; and                                                                   
04 WHEREAS, in 2020, exports of United States seafood to China were reduced by 44                                        
05 percent as compared to 2017 levels, a flagrant violation of purchase commitments made by                                
06 China under the Economic and Trade Agreement Between the Government of the United                                       
07 States of America and the Government of the People's Republic of China signed on                                        
08 January 15, 2020; and                                                                                                   
09 WHEREAS seafood exports have too often been overlooked or under-prioritized by                                        
10 United States trade negotiators, as evidenced by the complete omission of seafood from the                              
11 2019 Trade Agreement Between the United States of America and Japan;                                                    
12 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature calls on United States Trade                                         
13 Representative Katherine Tai and the Office of the United States Trade Representative to                                
14 bring a renewed focus on the plight of United States seafood producers and to secure China's                            
15 immediate compliance with its commitments relating to the importation and purchase of                                   
16 United States seafood exports.                                                                                          
17 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Joseph R. Biden, President                                   
18 of the United States; the Honorable Kamala D. Harris, Vice President of the United States and                           
19 President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Katherine Tai, U.S. Trade Representative; and the                           
20 Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the Honorable Dan Sullivan, U.S. Senators, and the                                         
21 Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.