Legislature(2003 - 2004)
05/16/2003 07:48 AM House FSH
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
HJR 25-COMMERCIAL FISHING & PROCESSOR SHARES Number 2644 CHAIR SEATON announced that the final order of business would be HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 25, Supporting Alaska's independent commercial fishermen and Alaska's fish processing industry and opposing the establishment of processor quota shares. Number 2672 REPRESENTATIVE OGG moved to adopt the proposed committee substitute (CS), Version 23-LS0996\H, Utermohle, 5/15/03, for discussion purposes. [No objection was stated, and Version H was treated as adopted.] REPRESENTATIVE OGG offered [Conceptual Amendment 1] on page 2, line 8, after the word "shares" to add in the language, "for the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands crab fishery". There being no objection, it was so ordered. CHAIR SEATON noted that the changes made to HJR 25 recognize the decisions and work of the [North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC)] to rationalize the crab fishery in the Bering Sea. He noted that the change in the title occurs throughout the resolution. Number 2791 CHRIS KNIGHT, Staff to Representative Paul Seaton, said that most of the first page, other than the title was the same. He continued that on page 2, line 7, "unfathomable" was included. He said that any "opposition or opposing" language had been removed and that the committee's support of the [NPFMC's] interest in rationalizing the fishery had also been included. CHAIR SEATON said that the rationalization of the fishery wasn't the problem; it's the inclusion of this section of "processor- quota shares", which would distort the balance between commercial fishermen and processors and introduce a new element that would be non-competitive in the future. This would prevent any future processors from becoming involved. The resolution addresses that element of the plan - that the processor-quota share fixes things so that only certain processors can forever buy crab and that the fishermen would have to deliver to certain people - that would have ramifications throughout the industry and could have tremendous ramifications for coastal Alaskan communities. MR. KNIGHT added that the attempt was to tone down the oppositional language to say, "We support what you're doing, but consider this one aspect." REPRESENTATIVE WILSON said, "Because there is controversy and because we are saying that the whole state feels this way and it is wrong, I have a problem [with it]." [Tape ends.] TAPE 03-29, SIDE B MR. KNIGHT said the language, which was fairly general, was inclusive of both groups, and didn't indicate that one group was better than another. Number 2928 REPRESENTATIVE SAMUELS said that although he appreciates the change in tone and the work that has gone into HJR 25, he has the same concerns as Representative Wilson's. He said if the [federal government] is being asked to look at processor quota shares, the request should be to look at the whole IFQ [individual fishery quota] system. He said that a public resource has been walled-up so it's difficult to get into the fishery to begin with. He mentioned that fishermen have the difficulty of being stuck selling to the one area and that the argument for fishermen "still cuts both ways." He said, "The fishermen don't want to be locked in, but [they] have locked us out. It's a philosophical argument." Representative Samuels said he didn't have an ax to grind one way or another and wouldn't object to [the resolution] going out of committee. Number 2845 REPRESENTATIVE OGG said that HJR 25 was now more effective due to the focus being on the particular instead of the global, the positive aspect of the new language, and the emphasis on reconsideration. Number 2808 REPRESENTATIVE OGG moved to report CSHJR 25, Version 23- LS0996\H, Utermohle, 5/15/03, as amended, out of committee with individual recommendations and the [accompanying zero fiscal note]. Number 2780 REPRESENTATIVE WILSON objected. She said although the tone was better, she thought it would be better to wait until next year. The committee took an at-ease from 8:45 a.m. to 8:46 a.m. REPRESENTATIVE OGG withdrew his motion. CHAIR SEATON announced that HJR 25 would be held over.
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