ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE  HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON FISHERIES  March 21, 2013 10:09 a.m. MEMBERS PRESENT Representative Paul Seaton, Chair Representative Eric Feige Representative Lynn Gattis Representative Craig Johnson Representative Kurt Olson Representative Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins MEMBERS ABSENT  Representative Bob Herron COMMITTEE CALENDAR  HOUSE BILL NO. 110 "An Act prohibiting the use of barbed hooks in certain freshwater areas." - MOVED CSHB 110(FSH) OUT OF COMMITTEE HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 6 Requesting that the North Pacific Fishery Management Council take action to reduce the quantity of Chinook salmon bycatch in the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea trawl fisheries by setting new limits in the Gulf of Alaska trawl fisheries and lowering the existing limits in the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea pollock fisheries to at least half of the current limits. - MOVED CSHR 6(FSH) OUT OF COMMITTEE PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION  BILL: HB 110 SHORT TITLE: BARBED HOOKS SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) SEATON 02/11/13 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 02/11/13 (H) FSH, RES 02/21/13 (H) FSH AT 10:00 AM CAPITOL 120 02/21/13 (H) Heard & Held 02/21/13 (H) MINUTE(FSH) 02/26/13 (H) FSH AT 10:00 AM CAPITOL 120 02/26/13 (H) Heard & Held 02/26/13 (H) MINUTE(FSH) 03/12/13 (H) FSH AT 10:00 AM CAPITOL 120 03/12/13 (H) Heard & Held 03/12/13 (H) MINUTE(FSH) 03/21/13 (H) FSH AT 10:00 AM CAPITOL 120 BILL: HR 6 SHORT TITLE: CHINOOK BYCATCH LIMITS SPONSOR(s): FISHERIES 03/13/13 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 03/13/13 (H) FSH 03/19/13 (H) FSH AT 10:00 AM CAPITOL 120 03/19/13 (H) Heard & Held 03/19/13 (H) MINUTE(FSH) 03/21/13 (H) FSH AT 10:00 AM CAPITOL 120 WITNESS REGISTER No witnesses to record ACTION NARRATIVE 10:09:47 AM CHAIR PAUL SEATON called the House Special Committee on Fisheries meeting to order at 10:09 a.m. Present at the call to order were Representatives Seaton, Gattis, Kreiss-Tomkins, Feige, Olson, and Johnson. HB 110-BARBED HOOKS  10:10:13 AM CHAIR SEATON announced that the first order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 110, "An Act prohibiting the use of barbed hooks in certain freshwater areas." 10:10:57 AM REPRESENTATIVE FEIGE moved to adopt the proposed committee substitute (CS) for HB 110, Version 28-LS0360\C, Bullard, 3/20/13, as the working document. There being no objection, Version C was before the committee. 10:11:23 AM CHAIR SEATON directed attention to the new language, included in Section 1 as subsection (b), which read [original punctuation provided]: The Board of Fisheries may prohibit the use of barbed hooks in a freshwater fishery coincident with a fishery for a species that may not be retained under a regulation adopted by the Board of Fisheries. CHAIR SEATON also pointed out the change to page 1, line 12 referring to the definition of a barbed hook, which was clarified in the CS at the behest of protection officers. He further stressed that the committee is not imposing a management mandate on the Board of Fisheries through adoption of HB 110. 10:13:17 AM REPRESENTATIVE KREISS-TOMKINS moved to report the proposed CS for HB 110, 28-LS0360\C, Bullard, 3/20/13, out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes. Without objection CSHB 110(FSH), was reported from the House Special Committee on Fisheries. HR 6-CHINOOK BYCATCH LIMITS  10:14:41 AM CHAIR SEATON announced that the final order of business would be HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 6, Requesting that the North Pacific Fishery Management Council take action to reduce the quantity of Chinook salmon bycatch in the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea trawl fisheries by setting new limits in the Gulf of Alaska trawl fisheries and lowering the existing limits in the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea pollock fisheries to at least half of the current limits. 10:15:51 AM REPRESENTATIVE FEIGE moved to adopt the proposed committee substitute (CS) for HR 6, Version 28-LS0575\O, Bullard, 3/20/13, as the working document. There being no objection Version O was before the committee. 10:16:20 AM The committee took an at-ease from 10:16 a.m. to 10:17 a.m. CHAIR SEATON said there are two amendments to consider and he offered Conceptual Amendment 1, which read [original punctuation provided]: Page 2, following line 22: Insert new material to read: "WHEREAS, the House of Representatives acknowledges and appreciates the work that has been done by the trawl industry and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council to reduce bycatch, and encourages the trawl industry and the council to further reduce bycatch; and be it" Page 2, line 19: Delete "BE IT" Insert "FURTHER" 10:18:45 AM REPRESENTATIVE FEIGE objected. CHAIR SEATON explained that the amendment acknowledges the work being undertaken by industry, as presented during public testimony. REPRESENTATIVE FEIGE withdrew his objection. With no further objection Conceptual Amendment 1 was adopted. 10:19:47 AM CHAIR SEATON drew attention to Conceptual Amendment 2, which read [original punctuation provided]: WHEREAS SeaShare is a non-profit organization that partners the seafood industry with the nation's food bank network to utilize edible bycatch as a source of nutrition for hunger-relief; and CHAIR SEATON said this WHEREAS is offered for insertion to immediately follow Conceptual Amendment 1. Without objection, Conceptual Amendment 2 was adopted. 10:21:55 AM REPRESENTATIVE FEIGE moved to report the CS for HR 6, Version 28-LS0575\O, Bullard, 3/20/13, as amended, out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes. Without objection, CSHR 6(FSH) was reported from the House Special Committee on Fisheries. 10:22:44 AM CHAIR SEATON drew attention to the committee packet and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) handout titled, "NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-AFSC-244; Genetic Stock Composition Analysis of Chinook Salmon Bycatch Samples from the 2011 Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska Trawl Fisheries," dated March 2013, which indicates that the origin of a significant quantity of bycatch do not originate in Alaska but have been traced to Canadian stocks. REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON pointed out that the memorandum is marked as a draft and cautions "do not cite." REPRESENTATIVE SEATON said NOAA has stated that the final of the draft will be available in a few days, and it will be provided to the committee members on arrival. 10:25:23 AM ADJOURNMENT  There being no further business before the committee, the House Special Committee on Fisheries meeting was adjourned at 10:25.