CSHJR 5(FSH): Urging the United States Secretary of Commerce, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and other federal and state agencies to defend the state's fisheries, including the Southeast Alaska troll fishery.
00 CS FOR HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 5(FSH) 01 Urging the United States Secretary of Commerce, the National Marine Fisheries Service, 02 the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and other federal and state agencies to 03 defend the state's fisheries, including the Southeast Alaska troll fishery. 04 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 05 WHEREAS commercial fishing is a mainstay of the state's economy and the largest 06 private sector employer in the state; and 07 WHEREAS, in Southeast Alaska alone, the seafood industry directly employed 08 11,300 workers and provided $653,000,000 in total economic output in 2019; and 09 WHEREAS the troll fleet is one of the largest fleets in the state and the largest fleet in 10 Southeast Alaska, and, in 2019, approximately 1,450 fishers earned income directly from the 11 fishery; and 12 WHEREAS state residents comprise 85 percent of the state's commercial troll permit 13 holders, making it the highest level of local ownership of any major fishery in the state; and 14 WHEREAS commercial salmon trolling contributes to the economy of Southeast 15 Alaska year-round, with winter, spring, and summer troll seasons sustaining employment in
01 fishing, seafood processing, and fisheries-related industries; and 02 WHEREAS, when accounting for multiplier effects of the fishing, seafood 03 processing, and fisheries-related industries, commercial trolling is one of the three most 04 valuable commercial fisheries in Southeast Alaska and has a total annual economic impact of 05 approximately $85,000,000, as measured in terms of total output; and 06 WHEREAS, as compared to the costs of entry to other state fisheries, the affordability 07 of the troll fishery provides an entry level opportunity for new commercial fishers, and, as a 08 result, there are troll fishery permit holders in nearly all 33 communities in Southeast Alaska, 09 all of which will suffer if the Southeast Alaska chinook troll fishery is closed; and 10 WHEREAS the Wild Fish Conservancy filed a lawsuit against the United States 11 Secretary of Commerce and the National Marine Fisheries Service alleging that the Southeast 12 Alaska chinook troll fishery authorized by the National Marine Fisheries Service is 13 contributing to the extinction of an endangered population of southern resident killer whales; 14 and 15 WHEREAS only two to three percent of the total Alaska catch is from the Puget 16 Sound chinook salmon and lower Columbia River fall stocks, which constitute the most 17 important stocks for southern resident killer whales, and the Alaska fishery catch is only a 18 small portion of those stocks' runs; and 19 WHEREAS numerous studies have identified habitat loss and industrial activities in 20 Puget Sound as factors negatively affecting southern resident killer whales; and 21 WHEREAS, while the population of southern resident killer whales has struggled, 22 most of the northern and Alaska resident killer whale populations have at least doubled over 23 the last 40 years; and 24 WHEREAS the Wild Fish Conservancy lawsuit has the potential to result in the 25 closure of the Southeast Alaska troll fishery, despite the improbability of the closure resulting 26 in meaningful benefits to southern resident killer whales; and 27 WHEREAS, if successful, the Wild Fish Conservancy lawsuit could affect other state 28 fisheries by rescinding the state's delegated authority to manage and implement salmon 29 fisheries in state water and in the exclusive economic zone off the shores of the state, 30 requiring changes in the allocation of salmon under the Pacific Salmon Treaty and 31 implementing new restrictions and closures in the state's fisheries;
01 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the National Marine 02 Fisheries Service to find a way to hold the Southeast Alaska troll fishery harmless and 03 prioritize preparation of the necessary documents and processes to support the continuation of 04 the Southeast Alaska winter and summer troll fisheries while the National Marine Fisheries 05 Service prepares a new biological opinion; and be it 06 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the National Marine 07 Fisheries Service and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to commit the necessary 08 resources to effectively defend the state's fisheries in present and future lawsuits, including 09 the Wild Fish Conservancy lawsuit; and be it 10 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the state to work 11 with the Alaska Congressional delegation to keep the Southeast Alaska troll fishery open 12 should the court adopt the magistrate judge's recommendation that the troll fishery be closed. 13 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Joseph R. Biden, President 14 of the United States; the Honorable Kamala D. Harris, Vice President of the United States and 15 President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Gina Raimondo, United States Secretary of 16 Commerce; the Honorable Richard W. Spinrad, Ph.D., United States Under Secretary of 17 Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and National Oceanic and Atmospheric 18 Administration Administrator; Janet Coit, Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, National 19 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; the Honorable Doug Vincent-Lang, Commissioner, 20 Alaska Department of Fish and Game; and the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the Honorable 21 Dan Sullivan, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Mary Peltola, U.S. Representative, members 22 of the Alaska delegation in Congress.