SCR 28: Establishing the Joint Legislative Salmon Industry Task Force.
00 SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 28 01 Establishing the Joint Legislative Salmon Industry Task Force. 02 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 03 WHEREAS the salmon industry is one of the cornerstones of the Alaska economy, 04 supporting tens of thousands of jobs, and salmon is one of our most valuable foreign export 05 commodities; and 06 WHEREAS the global salmon market has changed considerably in recent years, 07 placing the Alaska salmon industry in economic peril and threatening not only the main 08 engine of the rural economy of the state but also a significant contributor to urban economies; 09 and 10 WHEREAS imports of farmed salmon from nations with a significantly cheaper labor 11 market are causing harmful revenue losses to the state's general fund and to municipal 12 budgets; and 13 WHEREAS current inventories of canned Alaska salmon are expected to remain full 14 well beyond the upcoming salmon season, and a large portion of the fleet-wide production is 15 processed into cans; and 16 WHEREAS hundreds of harvesters are in danger of actually being without markets
01 and being forced into bankruptcy this year; and 02 WHEREAS numerous salmon processing facilities have recently ceased operations or 03 plan to do so before the 2002 salmon fishing season due to market factors and difficulty in 04 obtaining operating loans; and 05 WHEREAS Alaska wild salmon is a renewable resource that is becoming 06 increasingly unique in the global market and can provide immeasurable economic benefit to 07 this state into perpetuity; and 08 WHEREAS allocation issues between commercial fishers and sport fishers are 09 becoming more problematic all the time; 10 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature establishes the Joint Legislative 11 Salmon Industry Task Force to address those elements of the crisis in the Alaska salmon 12 industry that can be solved through governmental policy; and be it 13 FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall also address those elements of the 14 crisis in the Alaska salmon industry that can be solved through action on the part of the 15 industry; and be it 16 FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall develop a long-term vision for the 17 Alaska salmon industry as a critical element of the state's economic future; and be it 18 FURTHER RESOLVED that the duties of the task force include 19 (1) recommending specific means, by which state government can assist one 20 of the state's most important industries to adapt to changing economics in the most efficient 21 and effective way possible; 22 (2) recommending public policy options that account for effects on the dozens 23 of communities that are severely affected by the crisis in the Alaska salmon industry; 24 (3) finding areas of potential improvement to the seafood transportation 25 infrastructure in the state; 26 (4) recommending improvements for the coordination of the harvesting, 27 processing, and marketing of wild Alaska salmon; 28 (5) encouraging the development of new product forms for salmon; 29 (6) investigating the feasibility of regional and statewide cooperatives for 30 fishing, marketing, and transportation for Alaska wild salmon and salmon products; 31 (7) recommending improvements to the marketing efforts of the Alaska
01 salmon industry and ensuring the distinction of Alaska salmon products from farmed salmon; 02 (8) encouraging Alaska salmon hatcheries to tailor their programs to market 03 dynamics and to provide the maximum possible percentage of their production to common 04 property fisheries; 05 (9) contracting and cooperating with appropriate private and public agencies 06 in order to provide sound economic, social, and environmental data to the decision-making 07 process; 08 (10) contracting for research, consultants, and staff, as the task force considers 09 necessary; 10 (11) recommending ways to ensure that the benefit provided to the state as a 11 result of research efforts is commensurate with the funding for that research; and 12 (12) exploring the potential of regional solutions and not just statewide results; 13 and be it 14 FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall be composed of 13 members, 15 appointed jointly by the president of the senate and speaker of the house of representatives as 16 follows: 17 (1) one member from the senate; 18 (2) one member from the house of representatives; 19 (3) one small salmon seafood processor; 20 (4) one large salmon seafood processor; 21 (5) one sport fisher; 22 (6) six commercial fishers, one from each of the following regions of Alaska: 23 Bristol Bay; Southwest Alaska; Kodiak; Cook Inlet; Prince William Sound; Southeast Alaska; 24 (7) one hatchery operator; and 25 (8) one public member who is a resident; and be it 26 FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force members are not eligible for 27 compensation but are entitled to per diem and travel expenses; and be it 28 FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall submit a report of its findings and 29 proposed industry and legislative changes to the legislature by January 31, 2003, and may 30 make any interim reports it considers advisable; and be it 31 FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is terminated at 11:59 p.m. on March 1,
01 2003. 02 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Ted Stevens and the 03 Honorable Frank Murkowski, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. 04 Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.