02/09/2004 03:19 PM House L&C

HJR 32-LABELING OF SALMON FOOD PRODUCTS                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR ANDERSON announced  that the final order  of business would                                                               
be HOUSE  JOINT RESOLUTION  NO. 32, Relating  to the  labeling of                                                               
salmon  and salmon  food  products.   [Before  the committee  was                                                               
CSHJR 32(FSH).]                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Number 1288                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE BETH  KERTTULA, Alaska State  Legislature, sponsor                                                               
of HJR  32, expressed  appreciation to  the committee  and turned                                                               
testimony over to her aide.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Number 1270                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
AURORA HAUKE,  Staff to Representative Beth  Kerttula, introduced                                                               
HJR 32,  saying it supports  the timely labeling of  fish because                                                               
people have  the right to know  what's in fish, where  it's from,                                                               
and  how it's  raised.   She  remarked, "We  all  know that  wild                                                               
salmon  and other  fish taste  better  and it's  better for  you.                                                               
Lately, more  and more Americans  have been catching on  to this.                                                               
And because fish  is just such an important part  of our economy,                                                               
we  need  to  take  advantage   of  this  awareness  and  support                                                               
labeling."                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GATTO   asked  if  this  resolution   would  help                                                               
fishermen demand a higher price.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MS. HAWK replied that she believed so, although not directly.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GATTO commented:                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
     I've tried to  make this argument a hundred  times:  we                                                                    
     have a Timex  and we have a Rolex.   We are selling our                                                                    
     Rolexes  at  Timex  prices   because  we're  trying  to                                                                    
     compete on price.  We've  got this amazing product that                                                                    
     is only  available --  if you want  to sell  an Alaskan                                                                    
     wild salmon,  you can't substitute  it.  I'm  trying to                                                                    
     find some sort  of a way to say we  can charge 10 times                                                                    
     more than a farmed fish for this fish.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Number 1164                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  DAHLSTROM,   cosponsor,  commented  that   it  is                                                               
important to  provide accurate information  to consumers  who are                                                               
increasingly  better educated  about diet.   She  said, "I  think                                                               
this is a great bill and support it 100 percent."                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE LYNN,  cosponsor, asked  why wild salmon  taste so                                                               
much better and are better nutritionally.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  KERTTULA  offered  her belief  that  the  primary                                                               
reason is what wild fish eat - wild food.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Number 0995                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MARK  VINSEL,  Executive  Director, United  Fishermen  of  Alaska                                                               
(UFA),  testified   that  UFA  supports  HJR   32,  specifically,                                                               
country-of-origin and farmed-versus-wild  labeling for seafood in                                                               
all product  forms.  He advocated  for the bill to  move quickly,                                                               
saying the  U.S. Department of Agriculture  deadline for comments                                                               
on  the proposed  rule  -  which includes  labeling  of wild  and                                                               
farmed,  and  country  of  origin,  in all  product  forms  -  is                                                               
February 27.   With regard to  the different taste of  wild fish,                                                               
he shared  his belief that  it's partly  from diet and  not being                                                               
subjected to  chemicals, but also  because it's  "free-range" and                                                               
thus the  quality of  the tissue is  better because  of increased                                                               
exercise.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GATTO  asked  if  there  was  any  definition  of                                                               
"letter  size"  attached to  the  labeling  requirements in  this                                                               
resolution.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MR.  VINSEL replied  that he  believed  it was  addressed in  the                                                               
proposed rule.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GATTO  told of  a pig he  once bought  that tasted                                                               
like fish because it  had been fed fish.  He  likened this to the                                                               
case of farmed salmon.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
[A motion  to report the  bill from  committee was made  but then                                                               
removed  at  the   request  of  the  chair  in   order  to  adopt                                                               
CSHJR 32(FSH).]                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE DAHLSTROM  moved to  adopt CSHJR  32(FSH), labeled                                                               
23-LS1508\I.  [No objection was stated.]                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Number 0788                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  DAHLSTROM moved  to report  CSHJR 32(FSH)  out of                                                               
committee  with individual  recommendations and  the accompanying                                                               
fiscal  notes.   There  being  no  objection, CSHJR  32(FSH)  was                                                               
reported from the House Labor and Commerce Standing Committee.