04/21/2004 01:53 PM House FIN

HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 28                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     Relating to the socioeconomic impacts of salmon                                                                            
     harvesting cooperatives.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Vice-Chair  Meyer  MOVED  to   ADOPT  Work  Draft  23-LS1419,                                                                   
Version  V,  Utermohle,  dated  3-31-04, as  the  version  of                                                                   
legislation before  the Committee. There being  NO OBJECTION,                                                                   
it was so ordered.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE PAUL SEATON explained  that HCR 28 was brought                                                                   
forward  at  the  recommendation  of  the  joint  legislative                                                                   
Salmon Industry  Task Force  that convened  for the  last two                                                                   
sessions.  The resolution  requests  that  the University  of                                                                   
Alaska  and its subunit  study the  socioeconomic effects  of                                                                   
the  management regime  in  the Chignik  Cooperative  fishery                                                                   
because  the  Task  Force  lacked   data  on  which  to  base                                                                   
decisions. The short timeframe  led to a $100 thousand fiscal                                                                   
note.   The new version removed  the date and  requested that                                                                   
the  University  continue  its  studies. He  noted  that  the                                                                   
Institute  of   Social  and  Economic  Research   (ISER)  had                                                                   
conducted studies  on the Chignik  fishery, which  were based                                                                   
on   fishermen's  surveys   of   the  economic   impacts   on                                                                   
themselves, but did  not address the economic  impacts on the                                                                   
community. Representative  Seaton pointed to the  zero fiscal                                                                   
note and discussed a couple of the public policy issues.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
GUNNAR  KNAPP,  ECONOMICS  PROFESSOR,  UNIVERSITY  OF  ALASKA                                                                   
ANCHORAGE, INSTITUTE  OF SOCIAL  & ECONOMIC RESEARCH  (ISER),                                                                   
VIA  TELECONFERENCE,  ANCHORAGE, spoke  representing  himself                                                                   
and ISER.  He  stated that the Chignik Salmon  Cooperative is                                                                   
an issue  that has received  attention regarding  its effects                                                                   
on the community.  He thought that this issue  deserved study                                                                   
and the University would assist as its budget allows.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Representative Hawker referred  to the letter from the United                                                                   
Fishermen  of Alaska  (UFA), (copy  on file),  asking if  the                                                                   
Committee  Substitute addresses  their  concerns and  whether                                                                   
the studies look beyond the existing cooperative.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Seaton  replied  that  Chignik  is  the  only                                                                   
allocative cooperative in the  state that allocates a portion                                                                   
of  the  fish  to  fishermen.   The  intent  is  to  generate                                                                   
information in order to make recommendations  to the Board of                                                                   
Fish to establish  public policy. The other  cooperatives are                                                                   
not allocative  and Chignik  is the  first cooperative  to be                                                                   
studied.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Representative Hawker commented  that the UFA supports HCR 28                                                                   
overall.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Foster MOVED to  report CS HCR28(FIN)  out of                                                                   
Committee   with    individual   recommendations    and   the                                                                   
accompanying fiscal notes.  There  being NO OBJECTION, it was                                                                   
so ordered.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CS HCR28(FIN)  was REPORTED out  of Committee with a  DO PASS                                                                   
recommendation and two zero fiscal impact notes.