SB 54-EXTEND HAIR CRAB & SCALLOP LIMITED ENTRY                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
10:09:37 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SEATON announced  that the next order of  business would be                                                               
CS  FOR   SENATE  BILL  NO.   54(RES),  "An  Act   extending  the                                                               
termination  date of  the authority  of the  Commercial Fisheries                                                               
Entry  Commission  to  maintain   a  vessel-based  limited  entry                                                               
fisheries system for the weathervane  scallop and Bering Sea hair                                                               
crab fisheries; and  providing for an effective  date by amending                                                               
the effective date under sec. 28, ch. 137, SLA 2002."                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
10:09:47 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
SHARON   LONG,  Staff,   Senator  Cathy   Geisel,  Alaska   State                                                               
Legislature,  presented  SB  54,  paraphrasing  from  a  prepared                                                               
statement,   which   read   as  follows   [original   punctuation                                                               
provided]:                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     Senate Bill  54 was introduced by  the Senate Resources                                                                    
     Committee  at  the  request of  the  Alaska  Commercial                                                                    
     Fisheries Entry  Commission.  It  is a bill which  - if                                                                    
     enacted  -  simply, will  prolong  for  five years  the                                                                    
     decade-old  vessel-based limited  entry system  for two                                                                    
     discrete  fisheries,  Alaska weathervane  scallops  and                                                                    
     Bering Sea  hair crab.   The bill  was heard  twice and                                                                    
     passed  out of  the Senate  Resources Committee,  which                                                                    
     heard testimony both  in favor of and  in opposition to                                                                    
     it.   Those  in favor  of  the bill  include CFEC,  the                                                                    
     State  agency  that  adjudicated  and  issued  all  the                                                                    
     limited  entry   permits  that  now  exist,   and  many                                                                    
     fishermen who participate in the  fishery and who spoke                                                                    
     of the direct economic harm  they would suffer if their                                                                    
     fishery were to "sunset" and  cease to exist at the end                                                                    
     of this year.   There was less  testimony in opposition                                                                    
     to the bill, than in favor.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     SB 54  passed the  full Senate with  18 votes  in favor                                                                    
     and  a  single  vote  in opposition.    As  the  Senate                                                                    
     Resources  Committee aide  I promptly,  on the  21st of                                                                    
     March, submitted  a request for  a hearing  before this                                                                    
     panel.   We heard, just  day before yesterday,  of this                                                                    
     opportunity for the  bill to be heard.   With just four                                                                    
     days left in  this session of the  28th Legislature, if                                                                    
     neither   this   bill   nor   Representative   Herron's                                                                    
     companion bill  move out of this  committee today, they                                                                    
     will not be able to  pass the Legislature this session.                                                                    
     With a  looming sunset date at  the end of this  year -                                                                    
     before  next year's  session begins  - that  would mean                                                                    
     the end of these limited entry fisheries.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
     As SB  54 was introduced  at the request of  CFEC, I'll                                                                    
     defer any questions you may  have, Mr. Chairman, or any                                                                    
     that the Fisheries members may  have, to Ben Brown, who                                                                    
     serves on  the Entry  Commission.   He can  address the                                                                    
     history    of   vessel-based    limited   entry,    the                                                                    
     constitutional and  statutory legality of  the program,                                                                    
     and  why it  is good  and sound  public policy  for the                                                                    
     House to pass SB 54 without delay.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
10:12:09 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  SEATON  noted  that  the   limited  entry  commission  has                                                               
provided  a  seven page  document  in  the committee  packet  for                                                               
background information, and pointed  out other notable supporting                                                               
documents provided to the committee.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SEATON announced that SB 54 would be held over.