HRES - 03/15/95 HJR 25 - BAN TRAWLING IN EASTERN GULF OF ALASKA REPRESENTATIVE BEN GRUSSENDORF, PRIME SPONSOR, said this resolution is a petition or a statement to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) to consider as part of their management plan for the fisheries off Southeast Alaska. He pointed out on a map the area, east of 140 degrees west longitude, which the resolution refers to. The area runs from Yakutat Bay down through Southeast Alaska, and involves a very narrow continental shelf with very few smooth areas. He stated the area contains many communities which depend on fishing as their livelihood through longlining or the hook and line fisheries. REPRESENTATIVE GRUSSENDORF stressed that the people in this area have fished for at least 100 years and many of the economies are based on fishing. He said the economies are based locally, with gear purchased locally, crews hired locally, taxes paid locally, and the boats are moored locally. He stated a concern was expressed with the trawling industry (factory trawlers) coming up with everything. He pointed out the factory trawlers are self- contained, they do not pay the raw fish tax, and there is no economic activity gained from them in Southeast. The concern is not only for the economics but also for a viable fishery. He noted all stocks are allocated on how many fish can be taken out of a given area. He stated a factory trawler can come into the area and in a short period of time, do what 3,000 people participating in the longline fisheries can do and destroy a viable fishing industry off Southeast Alaska. REPRESENTATIVE GRUSSENDORF said over the years, everyone has tried to keep the area as a hook and line fisheries. He stated the concern is that there are some species of fish, such as the rockfish, which are not migratory type creatures. The fish stay in a given area, their production rate is low, and they have a very long life span--over 100 years plus. Because of this, the fish do not mature very rapidly. He pointed out there are so few smooth bottom areas along the narrow continental shelf that if trawlers came in, they could really work the area over. He added there is video documentation of the destruction the trawlers can cause. Number 120 REPRESENTATIVE GRUSSENDORF noted there has been concern expressed in regard to the scallop fisheries around Yakutat. He said that classification is called dredging as opposed to trawling. The NPFMC is studying that issue as well and is trying to make recommendations. He stressed this resolution is to encourage the NPFMC to look at the fisheries off Southeast Alaska to keep it a very viable industry. He noted if any rockfish should become overharvested, the fear is the whole area may have to be closed down to all fisheries. REPRESENTATIVE GRUSSENDORF told committee members the stellar sea lion is claimed to be endangered but stressed that is not the case in Southeast Alaska due to the great biomasse of feed, etc. He noted that sea lions can survive through the hook and line fisheries as opposed to trawling. He urged the committee to make the NPFMC aware there is concern and then allow them to work out the management scheme between the dredgers and trawlers. Number 179 REPRESENTATIVE JOE GREEN noted the ban is east of the 140 degrees west longitude. He asked if the problem does not exist to the west or has the problem not been studied to the west. REPRESENTATIVE GRUSSENDORF responded the trolling industry is confined by that line down--no trolling is allowed above that line. He said the ban area is due to the narrowness of the continental shelf in Southeast. He stated all of the communities in the area, some of which are totally dependent upon the fishing industry, make it a little more sensitive there. In other areas, there are broad continental shelves and smooth and sandy or rocky gravel bottoms where trawlers can do this. He added the trawlers get into the crab bycatch sometimes which then becomes a problem. CO-CHAIRMAN GREEN stated that was why he asked the question. He said the crab industry has almost been decimated and asked if trawlers do adversely affect crab. REPRESENTATIVE GRUSSENDORF responded the trawling industry does. However, the trawlers are getting better at it. Number 219 REPRESENTATIVE ALAN AUSTERMAN noted that the committee has a letter in their folders from Mark Kandianis of the Kodiak Fish Company, in reference to scallops. He said Mr. Kandianis is requesting the committee to specifically say the resolution does not refer to scalloping. He wondered how Representative Grussendorf feels about that request. REPRESENTATIVE GRUSSENDORF stated that is possible. He said his understanding is that NPFMC is already looking at a management scheme for the scallop dredgers and there might be some overlap. He noted from the information he has gathered, this resolution would not affect the scallop dredgers. Number 259 DAN FALVEY, REPRESENTATIVE, ALASKA LONGLINE FISHERMEN'S ASSOCIATION, testified via teleconference and expressed support for HJR 25. He said designating Southeast Alaska as a hook and line zone is an appropriate response to the needs of the area. He noted one of the big changes which has occurred in the fisheries management in the last two years is that regional needs are being looked at. He gave several examples. He stated Southeast is unique and he thought perhaps as he talks about that uniqueness, he will answer the question why this ban is being requested east of 140 degrees west longitude and will not apply to other places. MR. FALVEY explained east of 140 degrees west longitude is its own socioeconomic unit. The communities there are wholly dependent on the fisheries in this zone and do not tend to travel to other parts of the Gulf to fish. He said the reason they can do this is because in Southeast the shelf is close enough to the shore and small boats are the dominant fleet. He noted that is not true in other parts of the Gulf. He pointed out as one gets further west of 140, the bottom shifts but east of 140 involves fair weather grounds and the rocky habitats of Southeast. He stated from a political and ecological standpoint 140 is a good dividing line. MR. FALVEY told committee members another factor making Southeast unique is the species assemblage. He said that assemblage is at risk of being caught by both trawl and longline fisheries. However, that species assemblage is only recognized east of 140 and does not exist as its own separate grouping of species in other parts of the Gulf. Therefore, the potential impact of the crossover of trawl bycatch shutting down an entire region fisheries does not exist anywhere else because Southeast has different species assemblages to make the area more uniquely vulnerable. MR. FALVEY stated Southeast has 4,300 commercial fishing licenses and employs over 6,000 crew members. In addition, 1,400 people are employed in the shore-based processing industry. He added that the fishing industry gives $547 million a year to the Southeast economy and returns over $5 million to the region in raw fish taxes. He explained currently one to five trawlers prosecute fisheries very briefly off of Southeast each year. These trawlers are factory trawlers not home ported anywhere in Alaska and contribute nothing to the region or the state, and gain only a small portion of their annual income from the fisheries they prosecute off of Alaska. He stressed there is a real potential for the trawlers to make a mistake and catch enough bycatch of these species, resulting in a shut down of the entire region. He noted that would put 3,000 to 6,000 fishermen out of business and devastate the entire area. Number 313 MR. FALVEY felt the resolution is very timely now because the NPFMC is currently considering a licensed limited entry program or some kind of comprehensive rationalization. He said if that goes forward without this kind of Southeast trawl (indiscernible) or hook and line zone, then it would institutionalize most of the 10- 15 factory trawl vessels and give them permanent rights to fish in Southeast. The fishermen in Southeast would be put at even a greater loss because they will not have a history of fishing anywhere else. He pointed out that this resolution is supported by the entire region. He stressed there is a real threat to the fishermen who live the area and taking this action is probably one of the single greatest things to do in terms of the long term stability and fishing economy in the region. He clarified it is not the intention to apply this resolution to the scallop fisheries. The scallop fisheries have a different bycatch species and do not pose the same threat as factory trawlers in regard to crossover bycatch. CO-CHAIRMAN GREEN asked if this resolution is passed, would it essentially affect fishers coming from Seattle. He also wondered if the British Columbia coastline offers the same opportunity as what is present in Southeast. MR. FALVEY responded this resolution is targeted toward the factory trawlers, which are 100 percent based out of Seattle. He stated to his knowledge there are no shore-based or Alaska resident trawling in the zone being discussed. He said he did not know the answer to the question regarding British Columbia. He did comment that the narrow continental shelf does apply to British Columbia as well. Number 363 BETSY KNUTSON, SITKA, testified via teleconference and expressed support for HJR 25. She and her husband participate in the hook and line fisheries. She stressed allowing trawling in the Eastern Gulf could destroy the habitat and place undue pressure on the fish stock. She said these trawlers have a potential to severely damage the rockfish stock and potentially shut down the fishery which people in the area depend on for up to 30 percent of their annual income. She pointed out that trawlers contribute nothing to the economies of the local coastal communities. Instead, the trawlers leave the area with not only the fish but also the livelihoods of the local fishermen and cold storage workers, which has an effect on the economy for all those residing in small communities. She expressed to the committee the importance of the resolution because there are so many fishermen in Southeast who depend on the hook and line fisheries. Number 383 DENNIS HICKS, SITKA, testified via teleconference and stated he feels very strongly about the problem. He said ever time there are trawlers around, there is one problem or another, such as the few times the trawlers are tied up and people view lots of corals stacked up on their boats. He felt Representative Grussendorf's comments were very appropriate. He explained the area has a very narrow continental shelf and a very fragile ecosystem and stressed trawling is destructive to that. He noted the rockfish are long- lived and very susceptible to overharvest. He pointed out that almost everyone in Southeast is against trawling in Southeast. MR. HICKS said the trawl fleet has become too efficient. Years ago the fleet could not fish in rocky and boulder areas but now they are so efficient they can. He stated trawlers do not help the local economy and are bad for the ecosystem. He noted that to the west the situation is quite different. There are thousands of square miles of ground, much of which is not rocky ground. He pointed out it would be a small thing for the trawl industry to have a ban east of 140, but would be a big matter for the people who live there. Number 429 DONALD WESTLUND, KETCHIKAN, testified via teleconference and stated Representative Grussendorf should not only include the hook and line fishermen in the resolution but also all the sport and subsistence fishermen who depend on those fisheries also. He noted there is also no mention of the bycatch of the fisheries that would come into the area. He explained when looking at bycatch, two different things are looked at--regulatory discards and economic discards. He stressed there are many different species that cannot be retained by commercial fishermen. He felt it would be detrimental to the ecosystem for trawlers to be in Southeast because of the narrow continental shelf. MR. WESTLUND said if just two fisheries are included in the whole state of Alaska (rock sole and yellow fin sole) when talking about bycatch, bycatch would be reduced by 50 percent. He stated if trawlers moved into Southeast, he would not be able to catch his sport halibut or rockfish. He also felt trawlers would be very detrimental to the area. Number 474 DEAN PADDOCK, REPRESENTATIVE, BRISTOL BAY DRIFTNETTERS' ASSOCIATION, endorsed the remarks of the sponsor, Mr. Falvey, and Mr. Hicks. He said Southeast Alaska does not need any expansion of the trawl fishery. He stated trawl fishing will disrupt existing fisheries and will further disrupt the economy of Southeast. He explained in Bristol Bay, there is a concern about the conduct of the trawl fishery. There seems to have been little incentive on the trawler's part to do what could be done to improve their bycatch of prohibited species. He noted he is not totally opposed to trawling but feels trawling has its place. He did not think that place is in Southeast. MR. PADDOCK spoke on the situation regarding the sea lion population. He said sea lions are endangered everywhere in the state except Southeast. He passed out pictures showing there is an abundance of sea lions in Southeast. He stressed that is not the case elsewhere. He noted in 1991, there was a lot of publicity in the Anchorage Daily News about a big conference on the sea lion decline. He told committee members he was moved by the publicity and wrote a letter to the editor, which the editor chose not to publish, pointing out that scientists never talk about the bycatch of sea lions in the trawl fishery and the role it might play in the decline of the species. In that letter, he called attention to the fact that people involved in studying the problem have themselves published in scientific literature, comments and reports to the effect that observers on these vessels have documented catches of over 100 sea lions in a single trawl. Number 542 MR. PADDOCK noted he has had observers share their experiences with him and, on occasion, have made photographs they have taken available. He passed out a photo showing a walrus caught by a trawler. He asked that trawler about sea lions and was told the bycatch of sea lions is so common they do not take pictures of that. He stressed that kind of problem is not needed in Southeast. He urged the committee to pass HJR 25 out of committee. Number 554 JERRY MCCUNE, PRESIDENT, UNITED FISHERMEN OF ALASKA (UFA), stated UFA supports HJR 25. He said UFA is 100 percent behind keeping the local fisheries and economy going. REPRESENTATIVE EILEEN MACLEAN asked Representative Grussendorf to explain where the area is which the ban will affect. REPRESENTATIVE GRUSSENDORF responded that earlier he showed on the map the 140 degrees west line. He said the area is the narrow continental shelf running east of that line, down along Southeast Alaska, and involves a hook and line fisheries or what is sometimes called longline fishery. He stressed many people live and work in that area. All the taxes and revenue, through the fish processors, rolls out through that economy. He pointed out a factory trawler could come into the area, take the same amount of fish or more, there would not be a dime that would touch shore there, and there would be a great devastating effect upon the local fishing fleet. REPRESENTATIVE MACLEAN made a MOTION to MOVE CSSSHJR 25(RES), with the following amendment, page 2, line 15, after the second occurrence of the word "the", insert "North Pacific Fishery Management Council through the" and page 2, line 19, after the word "the" insert "North Pacific Fishery Management Council; the" out of committee with attached zero fiscal note, with individual recommendations. CO-CHAIRMAN WILLIAMS asked if there were any objections. Hearing none, the MOTION PASSED. Number 615