Legislature(1995 - 1996)
03/26/1996 01:33 PM Senate L&C
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
HJR 62 FED PURCHASE SURPLUS '95 CANNED SALMON CHAIRMAN KELLY called the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee meeting to order at 1:33 p.m. and announced HJR 62 to be up for consideration. CHERYL SUTTON, Staff to Representative Bill Williams, sponsor of HJR 62, said that the Alaska canned pink salmon industry is facing a serious crisis of marketing surplus salmon caused by record harvest in 1995. She explained that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has traditionally required that canned salmon be processed under NMFS type continuous inspection even though neither the commercial market place nor the Food and Drug Administration makes that requirement. The canned salmon industry does not normally contract NMFS inspectors to oversee the processing operation unless there is an indication there will be a U.S.D.A. purchase program. In 1995 USDA sent a letter to the salmon industry indicating that based on the harvest level forecast at the time a harvest was not warranted. Consequently, the bulk of the industry did not assume the additional expense of NMFS' inspection. When the size of the run became apparent, it was too late to bring inspectors to the plants. The industry is prepared to have the NMFS Inspection Services Division conduct lot inspections of product processed in 1995 to certify that the product meets the technical requirements of the commercial item description for canned salmon. NMFS deems these assurances should be adequate for USDA purchases for its various programs. HJR 62 requests the federal government to purchase the '95 Alaska canned salmon surpluses for the domestic and export programs. These programs include school lunch programs, export programs, assistance to low income persons, and the federal prison system. The resolution also asks the Department of Agriculture to waive the NMFS type line inspection requirement. The canned salmon industry operates under federal and State of Alaska regulations as well as the guidelines of the Canned Salmon Control Plan and Container Integrity Program which were developed in conjunction with National Food Processors Association and the FDA. Alaska canned salmon is traded internationally under the assurances of these programs. At present at least six major Alaska processors have notified fishermen they will not be buying pink salmon for the '96 season because of the surpluses. This situation poses economic disaster for our fishermen and processors. SENATOR TORGERSON moved to pass SJR 62 from committee with individual recommendations. There were no objections and it was so ordered.
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