Legislature(2021 - 2022)BUTROVICH 205
04/23/2021 03:30 PM Senate RESOURCES
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB115 | |
| SB44 | |
| Presentation: Susitna Watana Hydroelectric Project | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | SB 44 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | HB 10 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| + | HB 115 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
SB 44-PERSONAL USE FISHING PRIORITY
4:05:11 PM
CHAIR REVAK announced the consideration of SENATE BILL NO. 44
"An Act requiring the Board of Fisheries to prioritize personal
use fisheries when implementing fishing restrictions to achieve
a management goal."
4:05:42 PM
JOE HAYES, Staff, Senator Scott Kawasaki, Alaska State
Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, introduced SB 44 reading the
sponsor statement into the record:
Excluding the priority already in statute for
subsistence, SB 44 directs the Board of Fisheries to
place restrictions on sport and commercial fisheries
before putting restrictions on personal use fisheries
when the harvest is limited to achieve a management
goal.
Fisheries that are restricted to residents only are
intended to enable Alaskans to access their fisheries
resources for their personal use and consumption.
Ensuring that residents have access to these fisheries
resources is vitally important as we continue to grow
as a state. All Alaskans can agree that residents
should be prioritized for harvest of our fisheries
resources before users from elsewhere in the country
and the world.
Currently, there are 41 personal use fisheries
throughout the state. Harvested species include
salmon, whitefish, shrimp, clams, crab, scallop,
herring, smelt, abalone, sea cucumber, halibut and
more. Nearly 50,000 Alaskans rely on personal use
fisheries every year to put food on their family
dinner table. Personal use fisheries provide food
security, contribute to the economy and support the
Alaskan traditions of independence, self-determination
and resourcefulness.
I ask for your consideration and support of SB 44 so
Alaskans can be assured that they will continue to
have access to their fisheries resources to the
benefit of themselves and their families.
4:08:00 PM
MR. HAYES presented the following sectional analysis for SB 44:
Section 1: Amends AS 16.05.251 to read that the Board
of Fisheries will restrict all other
fisheries before personal use fisheries
when implementing restrictions to achieve
the escapement of the number of the stock
that will sustain the fishery.
MR. HAYES presented a PowerPoint on SB 44. He started by reading
slides 2, 3, and 4:
Intent of SB 44
In an effort to increase food security for the state
of Alaska, SB 44 ensures that all Alaskans have
priority access to our state's rich abundance of
nutritious seafood.
Bill Overview
Senate Bill 44 provides for the prioritization of
personal use fisheries in the event of a closure
ensuring a management goal s met.
Value to Alaskans
Personal use fisheries provide an extremely valuable
food source to Alaskans. In 2019, 21,479 personal use
permit holders caught 457,002 sockeye salmon from Cook
Inlet personal use fisheries. To buy the equivalent
amount of sockeye salmon from a Fred Meyer in
Fairbanks, Juneau, or Anchorage would cost an average
of $1,962.80 per permit holder. A report* from a
family who dipnetted in 2019 shows that they paid
$2.64/lbs for 80.6 lbs of fillets they ate throughout
the year. At a retail value of $805.19 this is a
$592.42 cost savings on 80.6 lbs of sockeye salmon.
This is a significant cost savings that helps Alaskans
have easier access to high quality food.
*https://northernexpenditure.com/dipnetting-2019-i-
got-a-triple/
4:10:11 PM
MR. HAYES directed attention to the graph on slide 5 that shows
the difference between the Prince William Sound commercial
harvests from 2009 through 2019 versus the Kenai dipnet harvests
over the same period. He described the difference as marked.
MR. HAYES concluded the presentation stating:
SB 44 provides for a common sense measure ensuring
that all Alaskans are able to have access to our
state's abundance of nutrient rich seafood.
4:11:02 PM
CHAIR REVAK announced public testimony would be noticed for a
later hearing. He asked the individuals waiting to testify to
submit their testimony to sres@akleg.gov.
[SB 44 was held in committee.]