00                  SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 13                                                                   
01 Encouraging the Department of Corrections to provide canned Alaska pink salmon to                                       
02 inmates of the Alaska prison system.                                                                                    
03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
04       WHEREAS pink salmon is an inexpensive source of omega-3 fatty acids, which have                                 
05 been shown to decrease the risk of heart disease, inflammatory processes, and certain cancers;                          
06 and                                                                                                                     
07       WHEREAS Alaska salmon has been linked to improvements in or prevention of                                       
08 certain kinds of cancer, ulcerative colitis, psoriasis, arthritis, asthma, lupus erythematosus,                         
09 depression, and certain kinds of mental illness; and                                                                    
10       WHEREAS most people can improve their health by consuming salmon in their diet                                  
11 two to four times a week; and                                                                                           
12       WHEREAS improved health of inmates will reduce medical treatment costs for                                      
13 inmates of the Alaska prison system; and                                                                                
14       WHEREAS salmon is a traditional Alaska food; and                                                                
15       WHEREAS Alaska prisoners who are housed outside of the state receive little or no                               
16 Alaska foods in their diets; and                                                                                        

01       WHEREAS inventories of canned Alaska pink salmon are available in the state for                                 
02 Alaska correctional facilities and in Seattle for shipping to correctional facilities outside of                        
03 Alaska that house Alaska prisoners, including the Florence Correctional Center in Arizona;                              
04 and                                                                                                                     
05       WHEREAS, at the beginning of the 2003 salmon fishing season, a projected stock of                               
06 60,000,000 tall (14.75 ounce) cans of pink salmon will remain in surplus, with another strong                           
07 year of pink salmon returns predicted for the 2003 fishing season;                                                      
08       BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully encourages the                                    
09 Department of Corrections to provide canned Alaska pink salmon to Alaska inmates housed                                 
10 in correctional facilities in the state and to Alaska inmates housed in correctional facilities                         
11 outside of the state three times a week to promote inmate health and cultural well-being.