HCS SJR 14(FSH): Affirming the commitment of the Alaska State Legislature to supporting small fishing-related businesses, families engaged in fishing, and the preservation of the state's cultural way of life; and calling on the United States Congress and all federal agencies to adopt policies and engage in certain efforts to improve the competitiveness and resiliency of the state's seafood industry.
00 HOUSE CS FOR SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 14(FSH) 01 Affirming the commitment of the Alaska State Legislature to supporting small fishing- 02 related businesses, families engaged in fishing, and the preservation of the state's 03 cultural way of life; and calling on the United States Congress and all federal agencies to 04 adopt policies and engage in certain efforts to improve the competitiveness and 05 resiliency of the state's seafood industry. 06 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 07 WHEREAS small fishing-related businesses, often family-owned, are the backbone 08 of the state's seafood industry and contribute significantly to the economy of the state; and 09 WHEREAS fishing is not merely an economic activity, but a way of life for many 10 families in the state and deeply rooted in the cultural fabric of the state; and 11 WHEREAS traditional knowledge and practices are passed down through fishing, 12 ensuring that future generations may also benefit from the bounty of the sea, while preserving 13 the state's unique cultural heritage; and 14 WHEREAS the sustainability of the state's fisheries relies on the continuation of this 15 cultural tradition; and
01 WHEREAS efforts to improve global competitiveness of Alaska commercial seafood 02 have benefits to the entire seafood industry, including harvesters, processors, and support 03 businesses, as well as communities across the state and the state as a whole; and 04 WHEREAS Alaska seafood makes up more than 60 percent of seafood harvested in 05 the United States and is a critical part of food production for the United States; and 06 WHEREAS Alaska seafood is exported to about 100 countries around the globe; and 07 WHEREAS Alaska seafood is subject to global market factors that directly affect its 08 value, whether sold in the United States or exported; and 09 WHEREAS Alaska seafood currently faces extraordinary national and global 10 challenges, including trade policies and nonreciprocal tariffs that favor other nations, large 11 existing inventories, high costs and inflation rates, reduced consumer demand, and global 12 competitors that have lower operating costs and are less regulated than domestic seafood 13 producers; and 14 WHEREAS challenges that affect the economic viability of fishers and seafood 15 processors also affect local economies and fish landing tax revenues in coastal communities 16 across Alaska; and 17 WHEREAS, compared to other domestic sources of protein, seafood is not fully 18 integrated into federal policies and programs designed to ensure domestic food security, 19 supply chain integrity, and support for harvesting and processing businesses; and 20 WHEREAS the lack of recognition of domestic seafood in United States trade policy 21 objectives and priorities results in market conditions that reduce the value of Alaska seafood 22 and its accessibility to global markets, creating an unlevel playing field; and 23 WHEREAS the 2023 National Export Strategy issued by the federal Trade Promotion 24 Coordinating Committee includes a chapter on seafood industries that highlights the need to 25 improve interagency coordination and global market competitiveness for domestic seafood 26 producers; 27 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature affirms its commitment to 28 supporting small fishing-related businesses, families engaged in fishing, and the preservation 29 of the state's cultural way of life associated with fishing and recognizes how small fishing- 30 related businesses, families engaged in fishing, and the cultural way of life associated with 31 fishing contribute to the state's identity, the state's economy, and the sustainability of the
01 state's seafood industry; and be it 02 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature supports and encourages 03 efforts by the federal government to create an office of seafood policy and program 04 integration within the United States Department of Agriculture to help ensure that domestic 05 food security and supply chain integrity is fully integrated into the department's policy 06 strategies for domestic seafood; and be it 07 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the United States 08 Department of Agriculture to include seafood harvesting and processing businesses in all 09 programs that support American food producers; and be it 10 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature encourages all federal 11 agencies that affect the economic viability of the state's seafood industry to implement the 12 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Seafood Strategy and chapter 9 13 of the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee's 2023 National Export Strategy; and be it 14 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature requests all federal 15 agencies and programs to increase purchases of Alaska seafood in a manner that is 16 economically beneficial to small fishing-related businesses and that provides the highest 17 quality of seafood for American families; and be it 18 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature calls on all federal 19 agencies to help improve governmental programs applicable to the seafood industry for 20 recapitalization, vessel construction, tax structures, workforce accessibility, energy, and 21 infrastructure; and be it 22 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature calls on the United States 23 Congress to increase federal funding for new product development, testing, promotion, and 24 marketing of domestically produced seafood in a similar fashion as the National Oceanic and 25 Atmospheric Administration's Saltonstall-Kennedy Research and Development Program and 26 its associated grant competition; and be it 27 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature requests the United States 28 Secretary of Commerce to include and improve seafood expertise and leadership in the Office 29 of the United States Trade Representative in order to better coordinate seafood trade 30 objectives among offices of the United States Trade Representative, to coordinate seafood 31 trade programs with seafood-related efforts of other federal agencies, and to provide a point of
01 entry for seafood producers to more effectively engage with the Office of the United States 02 Trade Representative; and be it 03 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature calls on the federal 04 government to improve United States trade policy through the Office of the United States 05 Trade Representative and other federal agencies to create a more reciprocal tariff structure for 06 seafood export and import and reduce the burden and risk associated with non-tariff barriers. 07 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Joseph R. Biden, President 08 of the United States; the Honorable Kamala D. Harris, Vice President of the United States and 09 President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Mike Johnson, Speaker of the U.S. House of 10 Representatives; the Honorable Charles Schumer, Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate; the 11 Honorable Tom Vilsack, United States Secretary of Agriculture; the Honorable Gina 12 Raimondo, United States Secretary of Commerce; the Honorable Katherine Tai, United States 13 Trade Representative; the Honorable Richard Spinrad, Under Secretary of Commerce for 14 Oceans and Atmosphere and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 15 Administrator, United States Department of Commerce; Barry Thom, Executive Director, 16 Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission; and the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the 17 Honorable Dan Sullivan, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Mary Peltola, U.S. Representative, 18 members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.