03/16/2001 03:47 PM 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  they target  markets all  over the world,  but                                                            
that is  no good if they  are forced out  of their 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  this resolution                                                            
was prepared  in anticipation  of 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  is 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.