03/16/2001 03:47 AM Senate RES

                   SJR 15-CHILEAN FARMED SALMON                                                                             
                                                                                                                              
CHAIRMAN TORGERSON announced SJR 15 to be up for consideration.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
MR. IAN FISK,  Staff to Senator Austerman,  sponsor of SJR  15, said                                                            
he would answer the committee's questions.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN TORGERSON stated  there were a couple of letters of support                                                            
for SJR 15.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Number 1500                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MR. PAUL SHADURA II, Kenai  Peninsula Fishing Association, supported                                                            
SJR 15. He said they are  the largest setnet representation group in                                                            
Cook Inlet.  He said that  they target markets  all over the  world,                                                            
but it's  no good if  they are forced  out of  our own markets  with                                                            
unfair  practices.  SJR  15  takes  a big  step  in  protecting  the                                                            
marketing of wild Alaskan salmon.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
MR. JERRY MCCUNE,  United Fishermen  of Alaska, said the  purpose of                                                            
this resolution  is that there is  a meeting in Florida on  the pre-                                                            
Chilean trade agreement on March 26. He said:                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
     Chile is dragging  down everybody's price for  salmon. The                                                                 
     last  time  there  was  a  study,  there   was  3 percent                                                                  
     overproduction  to the  United States.  They are flooding                                                                  
     the  market and the  United States with  fillets. We  feel                                                                 
     that's unfair  competition to us. When they first  started                                                                 
     they said  they weren't going to put salmon on  the market                                                                 
     at  the  same time  we  did,  but they've  gotten  so  big                                                                 
     now…The  Japanese  actually  own a  lot  of the  farms  in                                                                 
     Chile, now,  that are overproducing. We would  like to see                                                                 
     some fair competition in that arena.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR ELTON  commented that he used  to troll and it's  somewhat                                                              
misleading  on page 2, lines 4 and  14 where it seems to  imply to                                                              
the world that  you can't get fresh  salmon between the months  of                                                              
October and  May. In fact, you can't  get a lot of it, but  it's the                                                            
best fresh salmon you can get with the possible exception of                                                                    
Copper River  reds. He didn't want  to propose an amendment,  but he                                                            
wanted them to acknowledge that we can get fresh salmon most of                                                                 
the year.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MR. FISK responded that that was definitely correct and out of                                                                  
respect to  the troll fleet, Senator  Elton's comments are  welcome.                                                            
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR TAYLOR moved to pass SJR 15 from committee with                                                                         
individual recommendations. There were no objections and it was                                                                 
so ordered.