CSHCR 9(FSH) AM: Relating to state management of the Western Alaska Community Development Quota Program and state fisheries development policy.
00CS FOR HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 9(FSH) am 01 Relating to state management of the Western Alaska Community Development 02 Quota Program and state fisheries development policy. 03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 04 WHEREAS the Western Alaska Community Development Quota (CDQ) Program is 05 a fisheries development program involving the federal Department of Commerce, the North 06 Pacific Fishery Management Council, the State of Alaska, and 55 Bering Sea coast, Aleutian 07 Islands, and Pribilof Islands communities; and 08 WHEREAS the CDQ program has set aside 7.5 percent of the available Bering Sea 09 pollock quota during 1992 through 1995 for Bering Sea coast, Aleutian Islands, and Pribilof 10 Islands communities; and 11 WHEREAS the amount of pollock available for harvest under the CDQ program is 12 more than 100,000 metric tons per year and has an estimated valued of $20,000,000; and 13 WHEREAS the CDQ program allocates the available harvest of pollock among 14 eligible communities, local fishermen's organizations, and local economic development
01 organizations who in turn reinvest the proceeds from the harvest and processing of the pollock 02 in additional local fisheries development projects; and 03 WHEREAS the CDQ program is important to the economic development of Bering 04 Sea coast, Aleutian Islands, and Pribilof Islands communities; and 05 WHEREAS the operation of the CDQ program is governed by federal and state 06 regulations that prescribe the goals and objectives of the program, the communities and other 07 groups that are eligible to participate in the program, application and review procedures, quota 08 allocation procedures, and reporting and performance requirements; and 09 WHEREAS the North Pacific Fishery Management Council established the CDQ 10 program as a component of the inshore/offshore allocation of Bering Sea pollock; and 11 WHEREAS the Secretary of Commerce approved the CDQ program, thereby initiating 12 one of the most extensive economic development efforts ever to occur in the poorest regions 13 of Alaska; and 14 WHEREAS the CDQ program represents an unparalleled opportunity for long-term 15 stable economic development for the communities of the Bering Sea coast, Aleutian Islands, 16 and Pribilof Islands; and 17 WHEREAS the Governor of Alaska is designated by the North Pacific Fishery 18 Management Council to recommend allocations of CDQ resources among eligible 19 communities; and 20 WHEREAS the State of Alaska plays a significant role in the operation of the CDQ 21 program because the Governor is responsible for requesting, accepting, and reviewing 22 proposals from eligible communities and organizations that seek a community development 23 quota allocation and for making recommendations to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce as to 24 which applicants should receive a quota allocation and as to how much each applicant should 25 receive; the Secretary of Commerce accepted and approved all recommendations made by 26 Governor Hickel for allocation of the 1992 - 1993 pollock community development quota; and 27 WHEREAS the CDQ program needs strong leadership and coordinated support from 28 the State of Alaska to be successful; 29 BE IT RESOLVED by the Alaska State Legislature that the Governor is respectfully 30 requested to continue support for the Western Alaska Community Development Quota (CDQ) 31 Program by
01 (1) designating appropriate staff within the executive branch of the State 02 government to coordinate the State's participation in the existing CDQ program; 03 (2) working closely with the federal Department of Commerce and the North 04 Pacific Fisheries Management Council in the existing CDQ program; 05 (3) fairly applying state and federal CDQ program regulations to insure 06 accomplishment of all the objectives of the existing CDQ program.