HJR 42: Opposing Individual Fishery Quota management systems for the Alaska halibut and sablefish fisheries and other Alaska fisheries.
00HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 42 01 Opposing Individual Fishery Quota management systems for the Alaska halibut 02 and sablefish fisheries and other Alaska fisheries. 03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 04 WHEREAS the Alaska commercial fishing industry merges an established system of 05 biological management of fishery resources, a social foundation for Alaska coastal 06 communities, and unique and productive livelihoods for many thousands of Alaskans; and 07 WHEREAS International Pacific Halibut Commission and North Pacific Fishery 08 Management Council (NPFMC) studies show that the Alaska halibut and sablefish resources 09 are generally in a biologically healthy condition under the current open access management 10 system; and 11 WHEREAS the NPFMC has identified problems in the halibut and sablefish fisheries 12 without developing a comprehensive option based on the flexible management actions 13 available under the open access management system that may address those problems, such 14 as gear restrictions, tank inspections, flexible time frames for fishery openings to accommodate
01 weather, et cetera; and 02 WHEREAS the NPFMC is seeking to implement an Individual Fishery Quota (IFQ) 03 management system in the Alaska halibut and sablefish fisheries; and 04 WHEREAS the IFQ management system will initially allocate shares consisting of a 05 percentage of the annual total allowable catch of a fishery resource to individual fishermen; 06 and 07 WHEREAS implementation of the IFQ management system will instantly create 08 permanent, exclusive, and salable access rights to the halibut and sablefish fishery resources 09 of the North Pacific Ocean; and 10 WHEREAS the IFQ management system does not recognize the past participation of 11 crew members and vessel operators in the halibut and sablefish fisheries and denies to crew 12 members and vessel operators the economic opportunity that is reserved for vessel owners; 13 and 14 WHEREAS the proposed IFQ management system is not consistent with art. VIII, 15 sec. 15, of the Constitution of the State of Alaska which states "No exclusive right or special 16 privilege of fishery shall be created or authorized in the natural waters of the State. . . . ."; and 17 WHEREAS the value of quota shares as salable property will make the IFQ 18 management system irreversible; and 19 WHEREAS an identified goal of the IFQ management system is to concentrate 20 ownership of the right to harvest the fishery resource into the hands of those with the greatest 21 wealth and financial advantages; and 22 WHEREAS the implementation of the IFQ management system will create a 23 privileged class of fishermen based on their fortuitous involvement in the fishing industry 24 during a particular period of time and will seriously inhibit those fishermen who wish to enter 25 those fisheries in the future; and 26 WHEREAS the IFQ management system will seriously inhibit the ability of fishermen 27 to diversify among fisheries as resource and market conditions fluctuate and will therefore 28 hinder the ability of fishermen to operate stable and successful fishing businesses; and 29 WHEREAS the NPFMC has not given adequate consideration to or realistically 30 estimated the practical enforcement costs, strategies, or funding sources required to ensure 31 effective at-sea and shoreside fishery conservation measures to prevent illegal fishing,
01 highgrading, false reporting, black marketing, et cetera of fish caught under the IFQ 02 management system; and 03 WHEREAS the NPFMC has not given sufficient consideration to the economic and 04 social effects that the IFQ management system will have on Alaskans and Alaska coastal 05 communities; and 06 WHEREAS testimony given to the NPFMC on the IFQ management system by 07 individual fishermen, industry, municipalities, and organizations overwhelmingly opposed such 08 management systems; and 09 WHEREAS while problems exist under the open access management system, it has 10 provided for proven, effective, and cost-efficient administration and enforcement of resource 11 conservation efforts, while allowing fishermen and the fishing industry the flexibility to 12 diversify among existing fisheries and to develop new fisheries as conditions and markets 13 change; and 14 WHEREAS implementation of IFQ management systems in any Alaska fishery will 15 result in serious, compound, negative effects for individual fishermen, the Alaska commercial 16 fishing industry, Alaska coastal communities with a fishing-based economy, and the overall 17 economy of the state; 18 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully requests the 19 Secretary of Commerce to direct the National Marine Fisheries Service to contract for 20 extensive independent cost-benefit analyses, input-output analyses, and socio-economic impact 21 studies of any management system for Alaska fisheries and to seriously consider the full scope 22 of such a system before considering any allocative management measure for any Alaska 23 fishery; and be it 24 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully requests the 25 North Pacific Fishery Management Council to aggressively seek and carefully consider public 26 comment from all segments of the commercial fishing industry in order to develop an 27 equitable, comprehensive management plan for the Alaska halibut and sablefish fisheries 28 utilizing the flexible management tools available under the current open access management 29 system; and be it 30 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature opposes the use of state 31 agency resources, facilities, and funds or other forms of state cooperation to implement,
01 administer, or enforce the Individual Fishery Quota management system for the Alaska halibut 02 and sablefish fisheries or for any other Alaska fishery; and be it 03 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully requests the 04 Secretary of Commerce, the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 05 Administration, and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to withhold 06 implementation for three years of any Individual Fishery Quota management system for the 07 Alaska halibut and sablefish fisheries, or any other Alaska fishery, so that cost-benefit 08 analyses, input-output analyses, and socio-economic impact studies of the proposed IFQ 09 management system can be completed and seriously considered before the proposed IFQ 10 management system is implemented. 11 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Bill Clinton, President of the 12 United States; the Honorable Ronald H. Brown, Secretary of the U.S. Department of 13 Commerce; the Administrator, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; the 14 Honorable Leon E. Pannetta, Director of the Office of Management and Budget; the 15 Honorable Richard Lauber, Chair of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council; and to 16 the Honorable Ted Stevens and the Honorable Frank Murkowski, U.S. Senators, and the 17 Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.