HB 169-FISHERIES REHABILITATION PERMIT/PROJECT  1:03:33 PM CHAIR MCKAY announced that the first order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 169, "An Act relating to certain fish; and establishing a fisheries rehabilitation permit." [Before the committee was CSHB 169(FSH).] 1:04:19 PM MIKE CRONK, Alaska State Legislature, as prime sponsor, read the sponsor statement for HB 169 [original punctuation provided]: This legislation would allow individuals, Alaskan corporations, school districts or other organizations to apply for a fish rehabilitation permit through the Dept. Fish & Game. If the commissioner grants a permit, the individuals, Alaskan corporations, school districts or other organizations would be allowed to collect a limited number of fish, fertilize and hatch the eggs and then place the un-fed natural fish back into the water where they were taken. This will boost the survival rate of the fertilized eggs to emergent fry stage from around 5 percent to roughly 90 percent. Similar types of fish rehabilitation permits are already allowed by the department for scientific research or other educational purposes, but these purposes are limited and thus the data collection, fish rehabilitation projects and fish population information is limited. This bill allows the private sector and the department to work together in a responsible collaborative effort to increase the natural salmon populations and scientific data collection throughout the state. This legislation will be one more tool that can be used to ensure that we both today and, in the future, maximize our resources as stated in our state constitution. Thus, Alaskans will benefit from Alaska's natural fish resources to help feed our families. 1:06:32 PM DAVE STANCLIFF, Staff, Representative Mike Cronk, Alaska State Legislature, went through the changes in CSHB 169: Section 1, subsections a-j; Section 2, subsection e; and Section 3. 1:10:02 PM CHAIR MCKAY invited questions from the committee for Representative Cronk. 1:10:09 PM REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked Representative Cronk to define what are "existing propagating permits". 1:10:33 PM MR. STANCLIFF explained that the permit is a new program that would not conflict with any existing program. He said the idea of HB 169 is to enhance salmon reproduction by 85 percent. 1:11:28 PM REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER pointed to page five and inquired if the plan is very expensive or elaborate and what would it take to make it happen. 1:12:12 PM MR. STANCLIFF replied the plan would be very fluid to maximize the returns [of fish]. He pointed out the school districts get involved to help teach students where salmon come from and how to make more of them. 1:12:47 PM REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER asked for more clarity about the plan and how it relates to HB 169. 1:12:56 PM MR. STANCLIFF answered that he tried to address the question from Representative Rauscher but may have misunderstood. 1:13:05 PM REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER said that he still didn't understand the plan and asked Mr. Stancliff for an explanation of how the plan would work. 1:13:18 PM CHAIR MCKAY announced that staff from the Alaska Department of Fish & Game was available to answer questions. 1:13:55 PM FLIP PRYOR, Aquaculture Section Chief, Division of Commercial Fisheries, of Alaska Department of Fish & Game introduced himself to the committee and remained available for questions. JOE FELKL, Legislative Liaison, Alaska Department of Fish & Game introduced himself to the committee and remained available for questions. 1:14:15 PM REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER wanted more clarity on the plan and what it would take to accomplish. 1:14:49 PM MR. PRYOR directed the committee to the last page of HB 169 that describes how existing regional hatcheries would continue with current management plans and incorporate local knowledge into the plan. 1:15:43 PM CHAIR MCKAY asked Alaska Department of Fish & Game legislative liaison, Mr. Felkl, to field the question. 1:15:48 PM MR. FELKL described the last section of HB 169 as a conforming amendment to existing regional salmon plans and rehabilitation plans already in place. 1:16:17 PM REPRESENTATIVE MEARS asked if a permit isn't issued in a certain amount of time, then it does not come into effect. She also asked if a number of permits came in, would the Alaska Department of Fish & Game be able to keep up with granting those permit applications. 1:17:02 PM MR. PRYOR indicated each application is judged by its' own merit and multiple applications in the same spot would be analyzed by this brood-stock each year of the returning salmon. He said these factors would be taken into consideration during permit review. 1:17:40 PM REPRESENTATIVE MEARS followed up with a comment that her children went through the Anchorage school district with the Fish-in-School-project by Alaska Department of Fish & Game. 1:18:07 PM MR. PRYOR reiterated HB 169 would be an extension of the current aquatic resources and the same processes for evaluation. 1:18:27 PM REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE HB 169 is quite different than a regular hatchery. He understood the genesis of the legislation arose from an individual with a five-gallon bucket that began stocking his own stream with fertilized salmon eggs in gravel bars. Representative McCabe reassured the members that HB 169 would work in concert with the existing hatcheries around the state and would not serve as a mechanism to release too many eggs into a spawning system. 1:19:52 PM MR. PRYOR affirmed each regional hatchery has a plan for salmon enhancement that would fall under the same umbrella as the HB 169 legislation. 1:20:18 PM REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE observed that the difference between the [five-gallon] "bucket plan" and a hatchery is this plan would take fish eggs from the river and redeposit them back into the same river. 1:21:17 PM MR. PRYOR maintained another level of oversight is a permit for fish transport and where they go. He said the difference is that a permit is not necessary for the program proposed in HB 169. 1:22:10 PM REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE said the "bucket plan" would seem to be closer to nature with the limit of 500,000 eggs per person instead of releasing eggs from all over the place into different rivers. 1:23:01 PM MR. PRYOR replied, yes. 1:23:15 PM REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked for a primer on the different kinds of permits for fish hatcheries. 1:23:46 PM MR. PRYOR replied there is currently an aquatic resource permit limited to vegetational facilities; the other permit is for [undiscernible] project. He said HB 169 would assess rehabilitation projects which aren't currently the focus of Alaska Department of Fish & Game. 1:24:52 PM REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked why the permits [undiscernible]. 1:25:08 PM MR. PRYOR replied it is all in the incubation period--after eggs are fertilized, they are protected using streamside, temperature-controlled incubator boxes safe from predators and freezing conditions. 1:25:38 PM REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER appreciated the sponsor's goals due to the dire state of the salmon fisheries in Alaska. 1:26:00 PM REPRESENTATIVE MEARS if the fiscal note cost of roughly $48,000 per year is for the processing of permits. 1:26:19 PM MR. FELKL affirmed that the fiscal note allows for one part-time biologist to be stationed in Juneau. 1:26:31 PM REPRESENTATIVE MEARS had a science question and asked if there are other things to consider on a small-scale with HB 169. 1:26:59 PM MR. PRYOR replied, HB 169 is addressing egg and fry survival; most places in Alaska where salmon are struggling are not due to a habitat issue similar to the south, HB 169 would increase the number of fry into the spawning system to enhance habitat. 1:27:54 PM REPRESENTATIVE BAKER followed Representative Mears' comment regarding the fiscal note that was coming out of the unrestricted general fund. He wondered if the position could be repurposed into an existing position at Alaska Department of Fish & Game due to staff shortages in recent years. 1:28:21 PM MR. FELKL said the statewide aquaculture permitting and planning section has been reduced in past years. He said the Alaska Department of Fish & Game has looked at other options and it was determined that a part-time position is needed to do the additional work. 1:28:45 PM REPRESENTATIVE DIBERT said she was curious if this [program] was happening elsewhere and if we can learn from other states across the nation. 1:29:05 PM MR. PRYOR was unfamiliar with other states but said it was similar to aquatic resource permits that have been issued to the Auke Bay Laboratory that produced fish over a 3-year period. 1:29:44 PM CHAIR MCKAY invited Representative Cronk back to the testifiers table to answer further questions. 1:30:08 PM REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE asked Representative Cronk to elaborate on how far salmon have to travel up the Yukon River to spawn and why HB 169 is necessary for the Alaska Native community subsistence, culture, and day-to-day existence. He used another example from the Salcha River in the Interior that has one of the highest Chinook salmon returns. 1:30:51 PM REPRESENTATIVE CRONK said the Yukon River is a really long river with a lot of obstacles for salmon. He reported the Yukon River is noticing the lowest returns of salmon in history and fisherman haven't been able to subsistence-fish for Chinook in three years with only a little fishing for Chum salmon. He reemphasized the program design in HB 169 would essentially double the salmon returns that are happening today. He insisted in years past he had seen pictures of 40-60 lbs. female Chinook in Eagle with a substantial amount of eggs, however the fish returning in the last few years, have been much smaller with fewer eggs. He said the essence of HB 169 is to return more fry to the rivers. He said the most important fish--is the fish on the table--HB 169 aims to continue that lifeway. REPRESENTATIVE CRONK used the Gulkana Hatchery as a global example that has produced millions of salmon in the Gulkana and Copper Rivers that have reached the international market. 1:33:29 PM CHAIR MCKAY invited closing comments. 1:33:35 PM REPRESENATIVE CRONK appreciated the time and stated that Alaska is at a crossroads and needs to do something and anything that can benefit the fishery. 1:34:15 PM CHAIR MCKAY thanked staff and set an amendment deadline for January 22, 2024. CHAIR MCKAY announced that HB 169 was held over.