01/21/2004 08:30 AM House FSH

                    ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE                                                                                  
              HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON FISHERIES                                                                            
                        January 21, 2004                                                                                        
                           8:30 a.m.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS PRESENT                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Representative Paul Seaton, Chair                                                                                               
Representative Peggy Wilson, Vice Chair                                                                                         
Representative Cheryll Heinze                                                                                                   
Representative Dan Ogg                                                                                                          
Representative Ralph Samuels                                                                                                    
Representative Les Gara                                                                                                         
Representative David Guttenberg                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS ABSENT                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
All members present                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
COMMITTEE CALENDAR                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
^OVERVIEW:  ADF&G DIVISION OF COMMERCIAL FISHERIES                                                                              
                                                                                                                              
TAPES                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
04-1, SIDE(S) A & B                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  PAUL SEATON  convened  the meeting  of  the House  Special                                                             
Committee  on Fisheries  at 8:30  a.m.   Representatives  Seaton,                                                               
Wilson, Heinze,  Ogg, Samuels, Guttenberg, and  Gara were present                                                               
at the call to order.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
DOUG  MECUM, Director,  Division of  Commercial Fisheries  (DCF),                                                               
Alaska  Department  of Fish  and  Game  (ADF&G), gave  a  general                                                               
overview  of  the 2003  salmon  season  including highlights  and                                                               
problem areas.   He discussed  ADF&G's ability/success  to manage                                                               
within escapement goals, and problem  areas in 2003.  He provided                                                               
an overview of the state's  harvesting capacity, focusing on pink                                                               
salmon.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MR. MECUM  discussed the issue  of Prince William  Sound hatchery                                                               
cost-recovery  contracts'  obstructing  the management  and  full                                                               
utilization of common property resources.   He also discussed the                                                               
related issues  of roe  stripping and carcass  dumping.   Next he                                                               
highlighted Southeast Alaska,  addressing the over-escapement and                                                               
underutilization  issues.   He continued  with the  highlights of                                                               
the 2003 salmon season and  offered the preliminary forecasts for                                                               
the  2004 salmon  season, delineated  by  area and  species.   He                                                               
showed  graphics  depicting  the  historic  ex-vessel  value  and                                                               
harvest levels in the Alaska salmon industry.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MR. MECUM continued  with an explanation of the  2003 pink salmon                                                               
over-escapement estimates  by region.   He showed that  there was                                                               
some  significant over-escapement,  especially in  Prince William                                                               
Sound,  but   noted  that   statewide  over-escapement   was  not                                                               
historically extreme.   Discussing  salmon processor  capacity in                                                               
2003, he  explained that ADF&G's  2003 processor  capacity survey                                                               
showed  that  there  was  enough   capacity  to  accommodate  the                                                               
[department's] 2003  salmon return projections.   However, larger                                                               
than  expected  returns did  result  in  the underutilization  of                                                               
salmon   resources   due   to  inadequate   processor   capacity.                                                               
Mr. Mecum  explained  that  the 2003  processor  capacity  survey                                                               
results  were a  factor in  the governor's  determination to  not                                                               
admit foreign processors.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MR. MECUM  also addressed  the history  and management  of salmon                                                               
hatchery programs  in Alaska.   He explained that  the department                                                               
has  only recently  met  total production  targets  and that  the                                                               
common  property/cost-recovery  ratio  was  also  very  close  to                                                               
management  goals.    He discussed  the  economics  of  producing                                                               
hatchery pink salmon with respect  to decreased market prices and                                                               
increasing global supplies.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
[Written  testimony  in  response  to  the  committee  discussion                                                               
surrounding the Valdez pink salmon  management issue was received                                                               
from   Valdez   Fisheries   Development   Association   Inc.   on                                                               
February 18, 2004.]                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                              
ANNOUNCEMENTS                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
There were no announcements.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
COMMITTEE ACTION                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
The committee took no action.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
ADJOURNMENT                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
There being no  further business before the  committee, the House                                                               
Special  Committee   on  Fisheries   meeting  was   adjourned  at                                                               
9:53 a.m.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
NOTE:   The meeting was  recorded and handwritten log  notes were                                                               
taken.  A  copy of the tape(s)  and log notes may  be obtained by                                                               
contacting the  House Records  Office at  State Capitol,  Room 3,                                                               
Juneau,  Alaska  99801  (mailing address),  (907)  465-2214,  and                                                               
after  adjournment  of the  second  session  of the  Twenty-Third                                                               
Alaska  State Legislature  this  information may  be obtained  by                                                               
contacting the Legislative Reference Library at (907) 465-3808.