03/25/1998 03:40 PM Senate RES

                                                                               
                HB 310 - UTILIZATION OF GROUNDFISH                             
                                                                               
CHAIRMAN HALFORD called the Senate Resources Committee meeting to              
order at 3:40 p.m. and announced HB 310 to be up for consideration.            
                                                                               
MS. AMY DAUGHERTY, Staff to Representative Austerman, sponsor of HB
, said it is a very straight-forward bill.  It extends the                  
current ban on pollock to groundfish using the concept of improved             
retention and utilization(IR/IU).  The North Pacific Fisheries                 
Management Council has been moving toward requiring certain                    
utilization in the offshore fleet and the Board has found they have            
the authority to do the same thing in State waters, but only on                
vessels.  Inshore processors were left out of the picture.  SB 310             
enables the Board to include them.                                             
                                                                               
Number 68                                                                      
                                                                               
MR. RICK LAUBER, Pacific Seafood Processors, said he is also                   
representing the North Pacific Fishery Management Council of which             
he is chairman. He said they need to conform the State law to what             
the Council has done.  The State has, for many years, been a                   
forerunner in reduction of waste and discards and this will make no            
change in business practices of the onshore processors.  It will               
conform the State law to the federal regulations enacted by the                
Council and the National Marine Fisheries Service.                             
                                                                               
Number 97                                                                      
                                                                               
MS. KRIS BLACKBURN, Kodiak Processors, testified that the Kodiak,              
Dutch Harbor, and Akutan Processors are all in favor of this bill.             
                                                                               
SENATOR TORGERSON moved to pass CSHB310(RLS) out of Committee with             
individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal note.  There            
were no objections and it was so ordered.