Legislature(2001 - 2002)
03/18/2002 03:08 PM House FSH
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
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= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
JOINT MEETING
HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON FISHERIES
HOUSE RESOURCES STANDING COMMITTEE
March 18, 2002
3:08 p.m.
HOUSE FISHERIES MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Gary Stevens, Co-Chair
Representative Peggy Wilson, Co-Chair
Representative Fred Dyson
Representative John Coghill
Representative Drew Scalzi
Representative Beth Kerttula
Representative Mary Kapsner
HOUSE FISHERIES MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
HOUSE RESOURCES MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Drew Scalzi, Co-Chair
Representative Beverly Masek, Co-Chair
Representative Hugh Fate, Vice Chair
Representative Lesil McGuire
Representative Joe Green
Representative Mike Chenault
Representative Beth Kerttula
Representative Gary Stevens
Representative Mary Kapsner
HOUSE RESOURCES MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
CONFIRMATION HEARING
Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission
Mary McDowell - Juneau
- CONFIRMATION ADVANCED
PREVIOUS ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
MARY McDOWELL, Appointee
to the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission
c/o Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission
8800 Glacier Highway, Suite 109
Juneau, Alaska 99801-8079
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as appointee to the Commercial
Fisheries Entry Commission.
ACTION NARRATIVE
TAPE 02-8, SIDE A [House FSH tape]
Number 0001
CO-CHAIR DREW SCALZI called the joint meeting of the House
Special Committee on Fisheries and the House Resources Standing
Committee to order at 3:08 p.m. Members present were
Representatives Scalzi, Masek, Fate, Green, Chenault, McGuire,
Kerttula, Stevens, Wilson, Dyson, Coghill, and Kapsner.
CONFIRMATION HEARING
Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission
CO-CHAIR SCALZI announced that the committees would jointly
consider the reappointment of Mary McDowell to the Commercial
Fisheries Entry Commission. He listed her qualifications from
the resume included in the packet. Representative Scalzi said
she was well experienced.
Number 0167
MARY McDOWELL, Appointee to the Commercial Fisheries Entry
Commission, told members her background in the commercial
fishing industry has served her well and is very useful.
Number 0214
CO-CHAIR MASEK informed members that in all her years at the
legislature, she has found Ms. McDowell to do an excellent job.
She said Ms. McDowell's name should be passed on to the full
body for confirmation.
Number 0387
REPRESENTATIVE STEVENS said he had worked with Ms. McDowell on
another issue and that it was a pleasure. He asked how the
three-commissioner panel works together as a whole.
MS. McDOWELL explained that the three-member panel adjudicates
cases, makes decisions about limitations, puts out regulatory
packages, and shares administrative duties. There are several
challenges in retaining and recruiting new staff because of an
exodus of experienced staff to federal government jobs. The
commission is working hard to streamline and upgrade computer
systems to handle the large amount of data with such a small
staff. Noting that there are big challenges to the fishing
industry, she warned that all concerned must be very careful in
dealing with those issues. Ms. McDowell said the limitation
program was carefully crafted to bring benefits to the state,
keep fishing communities alive, and keep jobs viable.
Number 0672
REPRESENTATIVE DYSON asked if any of Representative Scalzi's
bills were giving her concern.
MS. McDOWELL said there were many positive things going through
the legislature. She said the commission was particularly
interested in HB 287 and HB 288.
REPRESENTATIVE DYSON asked if there were any bills [concerning
the fishing industry] that ought to be considered more slowly
and rethought.
MS. McDOWELL said she was not too concerned about any bills in
particular.
Number 0815
CO-CHAIR SCALZI told the committee his primary concern was not
doing harm to the system or the State of Alaska. He said Ms.
McDowell was in constant contact with him on matter of the bills
he had brought forward to deal with some of the problems in the
commercial fishing industry.
Number 0849
REPRESENTATIVE McGUIRE asked Ms. McDowell what she saw for the
future of the commercial fishing industry in Alaska.
MS. McDOWELL reminded the committees that with all of the talk
about trouble in the salmon industry, people may lose sight of
the health of the industry overall. She said fleet
consolidation is one issue on the horizon. These consolidations
must be done with care; for every boat the state loses from a
fishery, it loses jobs in many sectors. She said fleet
consolidation must strike a balance between fleet viability and
job maintenance. Ms. McDowell stated that she could see a
bright future for the industry, but that it will take work.
Number 1015
REPRESENTATIVE GREEN mentioned subsistence fishing issues on
rivers that flow through federal lands. He asked how she views
the issue.
MS. McDOWELL said those issues are out of the purview of her
commission, and are more the concern of the Alaska Department of
Fish & Game. However, she said it gets to the heart of the
importance of state management, which would provide a more
balanced approach to all those concerned.
Number 1180
CO-CHAIR MASEK moved to forward Mary McDowell's nomination to
the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission to the full body for
confirmation. There being no objection, the confirmation of
Mary McDowell was advanced from the House Resources Standing
Committee.
ADJOURNMENT
Number 1206
CO-CHAIR SCALZI announced that the joint meeting of the House
Special Committee on Fisheries and the House Resources Standing
Committee was adjourned at 3:30 p.m.
[Shortly thereafter, the House Special Committee on Fisheries
moved to forward the nomination of Mary McDowell to the
Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission to the full body for
consideration; there was no objection, and thus the confirmation
of Mary McDowell was considered advanced from both committees.]
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