Legislature(2017 - 2018)BUTROVICH 205
03/19/2018 03:30 PM Senate RESOURCES
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Confirmation Hearing(s): Big Game Commercial Services Board, State Assessment Review Board | |
| SJR13 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | SJR 13 | TELECONFERENCED | |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE RESOURCES STANDING COMMITTEE
March 19, 2018
3:29 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Cathy Giessel, Chair
Senator John Coghill, Vice Chair
Senator Natasha von Imhof
Senator Bert Stedman
Senator Kevin Meyer
Senator Bill Wielechowski
Senator Click Bishop
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
CONFIRMATION HEARINGS:
Big Game Commercial Services Board
Jason Bunch - Kodiak
- CONFIRMATION ADVANCED
State Assessment Review Board
William Westover - Anchorage
- CONFIRMATION ADVANCED
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 13
Urging the United States Congress to amend the Marine Mammal
Protection Act and urging the United States Department of the
Interior to permit Alaska Native organizations and the Alaska
Department of Fish and Game to co-manage, take, and study marine
mammals under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
- MOVED CSSJR 13(RES) OUT OF COMMITTEE
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: SJR 13
SHORT TITLE: URGING CO-MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR SEA OTTERS
SPONSOR(s): SENATOR(s) STEDMAN
02/19/18 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
02/19/18 (S) RES
03/07/18 (S) RES AT 3:30 PM BUTROVICH 205
03/07/18 (S) <Bill Hearing Canceled>
03/12/18 (S) RES AT 3:30 PM BUTROVICH 205
03/12/18 (S) Heard & Held
03/12/18 (S) MINUTE(RES)
03/19/18 (S) RES AT 3:30 PM BUTROVICH 205
WITNESS REGISTER
JASON BUNCH
Kodiak, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Appointee to the Big Game Commercial
Services Board
WILLIAM WESTOVER
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Appointee to the State Assessment Review
Board.
WAYNE KUBAT, Vice President
Alaska Professional Hunters Association (APHA)
Wasilla, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Supported the confirmation of Mr. Bunch to
the Big Game Commercial Services Board.
RANDY RUARO, Chief of Staff to Senator Stedman
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Explained changes from version J to version
U of SJR 13.
CHRIS KRENZ, Wildlife Science Coordinator
Division of Wildlife
Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G)
POSITION STATEMENT: Neutral position on SJR 13 but provided
background details.
SCOTT KELLEY, Director
Division of Commercial Fisheries
Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G)
POSITION STATEMENT: Neutral position on SJR 13 but provided
background details.
ACTION NARRATIVE
3:29:49 PM
CHAIR CATHY GIESSEL called the Senate Resources Standing
Committee meeting to order at 3:29 p.m. Present at the call to
order were Senators Coghill, Stedman, Meyer, Von Imhof, Bishop,
Wielechowski, and Chair Giessel.
^Confirmation Hearing(s): Big Game Commercial Services Board,
State Assessment Review Board
CONFIRMATION HEARING(S):
Big Game Commercial Services Board
State Assessment Review Board
3:30:28 PM
CHAIR GIESSEL announced that the first order of business would
be confirmation hearings for two Governor's appointees. The
committee would take up the remaining appointee to the first.
She welcomed Mr. Jason Bunch to tell the committee why he wants
it serve on the board and what he has to contribute to it.
JASON BUNCH, appointee to the Big Game Commercial Services
Board, Kodiak, Alaska, said he is being appointed to the guide
outfitter seat. He went right to the question of why he wants to
serve on the board. He spent 20 years as a U.S. Coast Guard as a
helicopter rescue swimmer. There are only 300 rescue swimmers in
the United States, he stated, and they are very professional.
When he left that organization, he moved to another occupation,
guiding. When he came to the guide field he was blessed and
fortunate to be surrounded by professional guides not just
guides with no formal education who are vagabonds, but men who
saw guiding as an occupation and staked their lives to it.
3:32:51 PM
They are all very plugged in to Advisory Committees, the public
process, the Board of Game, and always pay attention to
different regulations and statutes that are governing not just
guiding but natural resources, and even the state's
Administrative Code for the regulations for hunting. He was
quickly able to separate the professional guides from a
vagabond-style person who is just kind of using state resources
but not really thinking about what they are doing in the long
term. He wants to follow that kind of mold and this is his
opportunity to be a good steward of Alaska's natural resources.
3:34:01 PM
SENATOR BISHOP said his resume' is very impressive and thanked
him for applying. He asked if he had read Pinnell and Talifson's
book ["Last of the Great Brown Bear Men"].
MR. BUNCH answered yes, he had read their book. Going a little
bit further, he said one stormy night they were flying in an H-
60 helicopter to Cold Bay to Kodiak. They had just done a
medivac about 200 miles offshore of Cold Bay. They were flying
back and got a 121.5 beacon transmit over the radios. So, they
turned their direction-finding equipment on and the needle swung
to the right. So, the pilot swung that helicopter to the right,
and they followed the beacon to the Sturgeon River that had two
men; one had a little head lamp. The helicopter hovered, and he
was lowered down. He ran over to them to figure out the distress
was. Those men had flipped their raft and lost all their
belongings including safety equipment. The only thing they had
was the little pen light that was in their pocket and the 121.5
emergency beacon that they had shoved in their jacket pocket.
They took the men back to the air station and got them dried and
fed and a place to stay for the night and sent them on their
way. About three months later, Mr. Clark, sent him a thank you
letter for picking him up on the Sturgeon River with a copy of
that book. He has read it a couple of times.
CHAIR GIESSEL noted that he is filling a vacancy on the board
that is for only one year and asked if he was aware of that.
MR. BUNCH replied that he is aware of and okay with it. It's one
year in which he can be assessed to see if he is the right man
for the job and to see if he can make the impact that he wants
to make and then decide whether he wants to ask for a
reappointment.
CHAIR GIESSEL noted that this board allows two consecutive
terms, either partial or full, and said one of the board's
challenges is its' budget. The law requires that these
regulatory boards fund themselves and licensing fees pay for
that. In the case of the Big Game Commercial Services Board,
they have actually had just a few years ago a $1 million debt.
They have recently raised licensing fees and it is a priority
topic and asked if he had given it any thought.
MR. BUNCH replied yes; their balance is $500,000. Steps have
been taken in terms of raising licensing and filing fees and
2019 has been suggested as a goal for having a zero balance.
They are already discussing ways to put revenue that they
continue to collect to good work.
He said he is the owner of two small businesses and they are
successful without debt, so he brings that financial expertise
to the board. He thinks the biggest challenge for the board's
financial presence is going to be that the division often makes
those decisions not the board. He hopes his position on the
board will help assist the division at time when spending is
unavoidable.
CHAIR GIESSEL said it sounds like he is well informed about the
issue and how it works, and she thanked him for his service.
3:40:36 PM
CHAIR GIESSEL said the committee would next take up the
appointee for the State Assessment Review Board. She noted that
Mr. Westover is a first-time appointee to this board and is
calling in from Anchorage. She invited him to introduce himself
and tell the committee why he is interested in this board.
3:40:46 PM
WILLIAM WESTOVER, appointee to the State Assessment Review
Board, Anchorage, Alaska, said he has 25 years of appraisal
experience, both private and public. The last 19 years have been
spent in property assessment work for the government,
specializing in special use properties and regulated utility
valuations. He has known a few board members and followed
previous hearings, which he found very interesting. When a
vacancy opened up he was ready to submit his application.
MR. WESTOVER said he had been a resident of the State of Alaska
since 1966 and it had been really good to his family. The
opportunity and the time is available to him now to try give
back to the state.
SENATOR COGHILL thanked him for giving back to Alaska and asked
if he had attended any of their board meetings.
MR. WESTOVER answered yes.
SENATOR COGHILL remarked that it looks like they are an appeals
board and asked him what some of the tougher issues are that
they deal with.
MR. WESTOVER said that was correct; they hear appeals from the
oil and gas industry predominantly on their assets.
SENATOR COGHILL asked if he assessed local utility distribution
pipes.
MR. WESTOVER answered that the Municipality of Anchorage appeals
are heard by the Assembly.
3:44:30 PM
CHAIR GIESSEL opened public testimony on both appointees.
3:45:08 PM
WAYNE KUBAT, Vice President, Alaska Professional Hunters
Association (APHA), Wasilla, Alaska, supported the confirmation
of Mr. Bunch to the Big Game Commercial Services Board. Since
Mr. Bunch became a registered guide in 2012 he had been an
active participant in the Big Game and Big Game Commercial
Services Board activities. He sat with him on several board
subcommittees and had observed that he has excellent computer
skills; his participation was key in helping reformat their hunt
records. Mr. Bunch is personable and respectable and puts
passionate energy into whatever he does. Being that he is from
Kodiak, he will bring knowledge of the coastal areas of Alaska.
He is very fair minded and results-oriented; he will come up to
speed fast and be a very valuable asset to the board.
3:46:38 PM
CHAIR GIESSEL, finding no further comments or questions on
either appointee, thanked them again for volunteering for these
positions.
She stated that in accordance with AS 39.05.080, the Resources
Committee reviewed the following and recommends the appointments
be forwarded to a joint session for consideration: Assessment
Review Board: William Westover, Anchorage, and Big Game
Commercial Services Board: Jason Bunch, Kodiak. This does not
reflect an intent by any of the members to vote for or against
confirmation of the individuals during any further sessions. She
noted that committee members were signingthe report.
3:47:30 PM
At ease
SJR 13-URGING CO-MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR SEA OTTERS
3:48:09 PM
CHAIR GIESSEL called the meeting back to order and announced
consideration of SJR 13. At the first hearing on Monday, public
testimony was opened and concluded.
SENATOR COGHILL moved to adopt CSSJR 13( ), version 30-LS1408\U,
as the working document.
CHAIR GIESSEL objected for discussion purposes.
3:48:56 PM
RANDY RUARO, Chief of Staff to Senator Stedman, Alaska State
Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, explained two changes between
version J to version U of SJR 13. On page 4, line 3, a new
resolve clause is added to urge the Secretary of the Interior to
waive the requirements of the Marine Mammal Protection Act to
allow the taking of sea otters in Southeast Alaska. In addition,
on page 4, lines 28 & 29, language "who is enrolled under the
Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA)" is add to those
Alaska Natives who would be eligible to take sea otters.
CHAIR GIESSEL, finding no further comments, removed her objected
and said CSSJR 13( ), version U, was before the committee.
3:50:11 PM
SENATOR COGHILL moved to adopt Conceptual Amendment 1. On page
3, line 2, delete "either" and on page 3, line 3, delete "or to
be enrolled under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act".
CHAIR GIESSEL objected for discussion purposes.
MR. RUARO explained that the language being deleted is a
drafting error and is related to a resolve clause about relief
that the resolution is seeking. It's not current law.
CHAIR GIESSEL removed her objection, and Conceptual Amendment 1
was adopted.
3:51:34 PM
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI asked if ADF&G supports the resolution.
3:52:12 PM
CHRIS KRENZ, Wildlife Science Coordinator, Division of Wildlife,
Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), said the department
is neutral on SJR 13.
3:53:25 PM
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI asked if the department had done any
research on this issue and if he believes the sea otters are
impacting the fisheries in any way.
MR. KRENZ answered that it is very clear that sea otters have a
very large impact on the ecosystem that has resulted in very low
numbers of shellfish in several areas.
SCOTT KELLEY, Director, Division of Commercial Fisheries, Alaska
Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), said they do believe that
sea otters are impacting commercial and subsistence important
species. He added that the department conducts scuba diving
surveys for three miscellaneous shellfish species: sea
cucumbers, geoduck clams, and red sea urchins, and have often
noticed sea otters preying on these creatures that are important
for commercial fisheries and subsistence. In fact, they have
closed 12 sea cucumber areas, 6 geoduck areas, and 10 red sea
urchin areas specifically because of sea otter predation.
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI asked why the department doesn't support
the resolution with that knowledge.
MR. KELLEY answered that the department is neutral on the
resolution, but he is calling in to present the data related to
the on-topic species.
SENATOR STEDMAN asked if the department has any projections on
future impacts on the three mentioned fisheries and subsistence
access.
MR. KELLEY answered it is "very safe" to say that sea otters
will continue to expand their range in the region. It has been
well documented since their introduction. Clear that additional
areas will be closed. It's clear the additional commercial
fishing areas will be closed for these three miscellaneous
shellfish species and it's pretty clear that sea otters are
getting close to the very heart of the commercial Dungeness
fishery in the region. Once that happens that fishery will be
significantly affected.
SENATOR STEDMAN noted that the harvest level had gone down from
1,500 sea otters in the last five years to 800 and the sea otter
population is growing at 13 percent a year. So, they are not
talking about decades here, but years, before they get into the
core Dungeness fishing grounds. He said a sea otter herd is in
Duncan Canal already - quite the feasting grounds.
3:57:36 PM
SENATOR MEYER asked what preys on sea otters.
MR. KELLEY replied that killer whales are known to prey on sea
otters, particularly in the Aleutians.
MR. KRENZ added that sharks eat sea otters, too, but their
population is still growing faster than that.
SENATOR BISHOP asked if the department had completed an economic
study on the loss to the commercial Dungeness crab fleet and the
subsistence take.
3:59:31 PM
MR. KELLEY replied that the Division of Commercial Fisheries
manages the subsistence shellfish fisheries in Southeast Alaska
and they haven't closed any subsistence shellfish fisheries and
wouldn't - sea otters or not sea otters. He didn't have the
information on whether subsistence harvest had gone down
compared to Tanner 20 years. A formal economic study had not
been done on the impacts to commercial fisheries, the three
miscellaneous dive fisheries, and Dungeness crab. While they
know sea otters have a significant impact on those creatures, a
lot of other factors affect their abundance, as well. They don't
do assessments on Dungeness crab, but they do for the
miscellaneous shellfish, and large-scale environmental factors
drive their abundance, too.
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI remarked that Senator Stedman could be
considered the apex predator of the sea otter. He asked what
kept sea otters in check a couple of hundred years ago and if
something changed in the ecosystem.
MR. KRENZ answered the ecosystem was very different before the
Russian fur trade started and sea otters were hunted to very low
numbers. There weren't the same invertebrate shellfish resources
available at that time. The Division of Subsistence has
information indicating that locals would hunt sea otters in
particular areas to protect clam beaches or crab areas.
CHAIR GIESSEL thanked everyone for being available to answer
questions.
4:03:10 PM
SENATOR STEDMAN closed saying it's time to take action on this
issue and try to get the additional attention of the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service informing them that coastal Alaska
particularly Southeast is having problems with the magnitude of
the growth of the sea otter population not only on the
commercial side but on the subsistence side. Many coastal
communities don't have large super markets, or daily flights, or
goods brought in to have a litany of choices for what to eat.
They actually go out onto the beach, or into the water, or up on
the hillside, and get what they can gather from Mother Nature.
They are having a severe challenge with letting the replanted
sea otters grow at an unchecked rate. It would be nice to have
sea otters all over Southeast, but at a lower level, and clearly
not to a point where they are impacting other areas of interest.
SENATOR STEDMAN noted that the tourism trade likes to watch sea
otters in the water, but there has to be a balance. He is not
looking for eradication of the sea otters, but just slowing
their growth. He said state control had been taken away, which
was not the case when the state replanted them in Southeast. Now
we have management from afar and the whole table has been turned
on us. A good Anchorage Daily News (AND) article about sea
otters had comments from U.S. Fish and wildlife indicating that
they didn't really care, and they should care about the humans
that live in Southeast and other areas of coastal Alaska.
4:07:12 PM
The management style of doing nothing after particular beaches
and areas are completely decimated will cause other critters to
be listed as endangered or threatened, too. He reminded folks
that 1995, the mouth of Glacier Bay had five or six otters and
in 2012 there was an estimated 8,000 of them. As a park, Glacier
Bay is managed differently, but if you live there and rely on
harvest, you definitely have a different opinion. That growth in
Glacier Bay is similar to other areas in the state: Prince of
Wales, South Baranov Island, and he heard a big raft of them was
next to Petersburg and ready to go into the mouth of the Stikine
River. He said we need some federal help on this issue.
4:08:33 PM
SENATOR COGHILL moved to report CSSJR 13, work order 30-
LS1408\U, as amended, from committee with individual
recommendations and attached zero fiscal note. There were no
objections CSSJR 13(RES) moved from the Senate Resources
Standing Committee.
4:09:43 PM
CHAIR GIESSEL adjourned the Senate Resources Committee meeting
at 4:09 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| Agenda - 3 - 19 - 2018 .pdf |
SRES 3/19/2018 3:30:00 PM |
|
| Big Game Comm Serv Board - Fact Sheet - 2 - 26 - 2018.pdf |
SRES 3/19/2018 3:30:00 PM |
Appointments |
| Appointments - Resume - Bunch to Commercial Services Board.pdf |
SRES 3/19/2018 3:30:00 PM |
Appointments |
| Appointments - Resume - Westover to State Assessment Review Board.pdf |
SRES 3/19/2018 3:30:00 PM |
Appointments |
| Appointments - Fact Sheet - State Assessment Review Board - 2 - 19 - 2018 .pdf |
SRES 3/19/2018 3:30:00 PM |
Appointments |
| CSSJR13 - Version U.pdf |
SRES 3/19/2018 3:30:00 PM |
SJR 13 |
| SJR 13 - Explanation of Changes.pdf |
SRES 3/19/2018 3:30:00 PM |
SJR 13 |
| HJR13 - Supporting Document - Letter - Johnny Rice.pdf |
SRES 3/19/2018 3:30:00 PM |
HJR 13 |