Down in Juneau, state legislators are thinking about creating a special endowment to fund Chinook research.
Supporters say runs of Chinook, or king, salmon have declined around Alaska, and something must be done to restore the iconic fish.
Especially concerned are Western Alaska legislators representing constituencies dismayed over depressed Chinook runs to the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers and Norton Sound.
Sen. Donny Olson, D-Nome, is the prime sponsor of Senate Bill 205, with Rep. Bob Herron, D-Bethel, carrying companion legislation in House Bill 332.
The bills would create an endowment fund, which would be invested. A seven-member board comprised of Alaska's fish and game commissioner and six "public members" from around the state would use the profits to award Chinook research grants.
Assuming legislators support the idea, they'll have to decide how much money to put into the endowment. The bills don't call for a specific amount, although they do make a reference to $50 million.
Certainly, the money is available, as the state is flush with billions of dollars in surplus oil revenue.
But whether a research endowment really has statewide appeal is questionable, as the health of Chinook stocks is varied. Certainly, the Yukon and Kuskokwim runs have struggled, as have other runs such as Kodiak's Karluk River stock. Farther east, in Southeast Alaska, the situation looks better.
The Senate Resources Committee is scheduled to take up SB 205 at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Here is Olson's sponsor statement.
And here's a packet of letters in support of the endowment.
Showing posts with label Legislature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Legislature. Show all posts
How about a (bigger) loan?
Down in Juneau today, the House Special Committee on Fisheries has a 5 p.m. hearing scheduled on two interesting items.
The first is House Bill 261, which provides for larger state loans to help Alaska residents buy commercial fishing permits.
This sponsor statement explains more fully what the bill is about.
The Bristol Bay Economic Development Corp. has sent in a letter supporting HB 261.
Cordova District Fishermen United also likes the bill.
The second item on the committee's agenda is this resolution seeking to designate one sportfish seat and one subsistence seat on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.
The first is House Bill 261, which provides for larger state loans to help Alaska residents buy commercial fishing permits.
This sponsor statement explains more fully what the bill is about.
The Bristol Bay Economic Development Corp. has sent in a letter supporting HB 261.
Cordova District Fishermen United also likes the bill.
The second item on the committee's agenda is this resolution seeking to designate one sportfish seat and one subsistence seat on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.
Pair of fishy bills filed ahead of legislative session
The Alaska Legislature begins its 2012 session next Tuesday, and lawmakers have prefiled two bills of interest to the commercial fishing community.
House Bill 261 — An Act relating to loans for the purchase of commercial fishing entry permits." Sponsor: Rep. Bryce Edgmon, D-Dillingham.
Senate Bill 152 — An Act requiring legislative approval before the issuance of an authorization, license, permit, or approval of a plan of operation for a large-scale metallic sulfide mining operation that could affect water in or flowing into or over the Bristol Bay Fisheries Reserve. Sponsor: Sen. Hollis French, D-Anchorage.
House Bill 261 — An Act relating to loans for the purchase of commercial fishing entry permits." Sponsor: Rep. Bryce Edgmon, D-Dillingham.
Senate Bill 152 — An Act requiring legislative approval before the issuance of an authorization, license, permit, or approval of a plan of operation for a large-scale metallic sulfide mining operation that could affect water in or flowing into or over the Bristol Bay Fisheries Reserve. Sponsor: Sen. Hollis French, D-Anchorage.
Watching over the Taku
So, in less than an hour a "fact-finding task force" will convene in the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau on the subject of the Taku River.
The panel will address possible impacts on the salmon-rich river from the Tulsequah Chief mining project upstream in British Columbia.
Here's a press release from the Juneau legislative delegation.
The panel will address possible impacts on the salmon-rich river from the Tulsequah Chief mining project upstream in British Columbia.
Here's a press release from the Juneau legislative delegation.
Legislators to review AYK salmon management
The Alaska House Special Committee on Fisheries will hold a hearing Wednesday on salmon management in the Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim region of Western Alaska.
The hearing is set for 2:30 p.m. at the Dena'ina Civic and Convention Center in downtown Anchorage.
The committee will hear from the state Department of Fish and Game, village councils and commercial industries, and will take public testimony, says this committee press release.
People in the huge AYK region have long depended on salmon fisheries, the release says.
"Over the past 10 years, there have been declines in the salmon returns to Western Alaska, which has led to severe restrictions on commercial and subsistence fisheries, as well as state and federal disaster declarations."
The hearing coincides with the huge Alaska Federation of Natives convention, which begins Thursday in Anchorage.
The hearing is set for 2:30 p.m. at the Dena'ina Civic and Convention Center in downtown Anchorage.
The committee will hear from the state Department of Fish and Game, village councils and commercial industries, and will take public testimony, says this committee press release.
People in the huge AYK region have long depended on salmon fisheries, the release says.
"Over the past 10 years, there have been declines in the salmon returns to Western Alaska, which has led to severe restrictions on commercial and subsistence fisheries, as well as state and federal disaster declarations."
The hearing coincides with the huge Alaska Federation of Natives convention, which begins Thursday in Anchorage.
Lineup of presenters set for halibut hearing
Here's the agenda for Thursday's legislative hearing on the proposed halibut catch sharing plan.
Alaska Legislature schedules a halibut hearing
The House Special Committee on Fisheries is scheduled to meet at 1 p.m. Sept. 1 in Anchorage for an "overview hearing on Pacific halibut management."
Presumably, the hearing will focus heavily on the catch sharing plan the federal government is considering to allocate halibut between the commercial and charter boat sectors.
State Rep. Steve Thompson, R-Fairbanks, chairs the committee. Other members are listed here.
Presumably, the hearing will focus heavily on the catch sharing plan the federal government is considering to allocate halibut between the commercial and charter boat sectors.
State Rep. Steve Thompson, R-Fairbanks, chairs the committee. Other members are listed here.
Legislature ponders oil-fueled spending spree
Only five days remain in the legislative session, and we're getting down to the really fun part — consideration of the capital budget.
The capital budget is essentially a long list of earmarks for state and local projects, everything from airport upgrades to zoo equipment.
Legislators fund this annual spendorama with Alaska's vast surplus oil revenue.
Yesterday the Senate Finance Committee rolled out a $2.8 billion capital budget. You can see it here.
Deckboss took a look and found lots of interesting items including $400,000 for a "CDQ Fishing Fleet Relocation Study."
For the background on this, click here.
The capital budget is essentially a long list of earmarks for state and local projects, everything from airport upgrades to zoo equipment.
Legislators fund this annual spendorama with Alaska's vast surplus oil revenue.
Yesterday the Senate Finance Committee rolled out a $2.8 billion capital budget. You can see it here.
Deckboss took a look and found lots of interesting items including $400,000 for a "CDQ Fishing Fleet Relocation Study."
For the background on this, click here.
What does it mean to work as a crewman?
State Rep. Alan Austerman, R-Kodiak, has introduced House Bill 181 aimed at collecting a better set of statistics on people working as commercial fishing vessel crewmen.
This is something that's knocked around for quite a while now.
The belief is we don't know enough about crewmen beyond their very sizable raw numbers, as reflected in sales of commercial fishing licenses.
Crewmen tend to be a transient and disorganized workforce, and thus potentially at risk when major changes in fishery management come about.
The prime example is "crab rationalization," the 2005 conversion of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands king and Tanner crab fisheries to catch shares.
Because the shares could be leased or sold, the overbuilt fleet underwent a drastic consolidation, eliminating hundreds of crewing jobs practically overnight.
But what exactly is a crew job?
"At present, data to describe the workforce of 20,000 crew members who work in Alaska's fisheries is almost non-existent," Austerman says in this sponsor statement for HB 181. "We cannot determine whether an individual crewmember fished 5 days or 250 in a given year; whether he or she fished in a single salmon fishery or in seven fisheries across five regions of the state; on a single boat or on 10; or whether he or she fished a single year as an adventure, or is a 25-year veteran of the industry."
The bill would generate a lot more information by requiring the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to collect information on crewmen.
The department would give crewmen a "crew activity form" to fill in such particulars as name and address, the name and homeport of each fishing vessel on which the crewman worked, the total number of days he or she was obligated to a boat, and each fishery in which the crewman participated.
Under the bill, the department would annually, before March 1, collect as many activity forms as possible to compile statistics. The names of crewmen and vessels would be kept confidential.
The data would help state and federal decision makers avoid "deleterious impacts" on a large labor force when implementing new regulations, Austerman says.
Looking at the bill, its weaknesses are pretty obvious. Filling out the forms would be voluntary, and would require diligence and honesty.
Still, any new information could be useful. And HB 181, if it becomes law, would sunset in 2016, giving legislators a chance to review its effectiveness after five years.
The bill is scheduled for a hearing at 5 p.m. Tuesday before the House Special Committee on Fisheries.
This is something that's knocked around for quite a while now.
The belief is we don't know enough about crewmen beyond their very sizable raw numbers, as reflected in sales of commercial fishing licenses.
Crewmen tend to be a transient and disorganized workforce, and thus potentially at risk when major changes in fishery management come about.
The prime example is "crab rationalization," the 2005 conversion of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands king and Tanner crab fisheries to catch shares.
Because the shares could be leased or sold, the overbuilt fleet underwent a drastic consolidation, eliminating hundreds of crewing jobs practically overnight.
But what exactly is a crew job?
"At present, data to describe the workforce of 20,000 crew members who work in Alaska's fisheries is almost non-existent," Austerman says in this sponsor statement for HB 181. "We cannot determine whether an individual crewmember fished 5 days or 250 in a given year; whether he or she fished in a single salmon fishery or in seven fisheries across five regions of the state; on a single boat or on 10; or whether he or she fished a single year as an adventure, or is a 25-year veteran of the industry."
The bill would generate a lot more information by requiring the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to collect information on crewmen.
The department would give crewmen a "crew activity form" to fill in such particulars as name and address, the name and homeport of each fishing vessel on which the crewman worked, the total number of days he or she was obligated to a boat, and each fishery in which the crewman participated.
Under the bill, the department would annually, before March 1, collect as many activity forms as possible to compile statistics. The names of crewmen and vessels would be kept confidential.
The data would help state and federal decision makers avoid "deleterious impacts" on a large labor force when implementing new regulations, Austerman says.
Looking at the bill, its weaknesses are pretty obvious. Filling out the forms would be voluntary, and would require diligence and honesty.
Still, any new information could be useful. And HB 181, if it becomes law, would sunset in 2016, giving legislators a chance to review its effectiveness after five years.
The bill is scheduled for a hearing at 5 p.m. Tuesday before the House Special Committee on Fisheries.
There oughta be a law...
State legislators yesterday unveiled a pack of bills they've prefiled ahead of the Jan. 18 start of the 2011 session.
Here are the bills of interest to Alaska fish folk.
House Bill 20, providing for a priority for a fishery that is restricted to residents when fishing restrictions are implemented to achieve a management goal. Sponsor: Rep. Bill Stoltze, R-Chugiak
House Bill 59, relating to loans made to commercial fishermen under the Commercial Fishing Loan Act for product quality improvements and energy efficiency upgrades; and providing for an effective date. Sponsor: Rep. Paul Seaton, R-Homer
House Bill 60, relating to aquatic farm permitting involving geoducks and to geoduck seed transfers between certified hatcheries and aquatic farms. Sponsor: Rep. Paul Seaton, R-Homer
Senate Bill 20, relating to personal use fishing permits; and establishing the personal use fishery fund. Sponsor: Sen. Tom Wagoner, R-Kenai
Senate Bill 24, establishing the Sport Fishing Guide Services Board and licensing requirements for sport fishing guide-outfitters, sport fishing outfitters, sport fishing assistant guides, and sport fishing transporters; making conforming amendments; allowing the Department of Fish and Game to collect information on guiding services; and providing for an effective date. Sponsor: Sen. Lesil McGuire, R-Anchorage
Here are the bills of interest to Alaska fish folk.
House Bill 20, providing for a priority for a fishery that is restricted to residents when fishing restrictions are implemented to achieve a management goal. Sponsor: Rep. Bill Stoltze, R-Chugiak
House Bill 59, relating to loans made to commercial fishermen under the Commercial Fishing Loan Act for product quality improvements and energy efficiency upgrades; and providing for an effective date. Sponsor: Rep. Paul Seaton, R-Homer
House Bill 60, relating to aquatic farm permitting involving geoducks and to geoduck seed transfers between certified hatcheries and aquatic farms. Sponsor: Rep. Paul Seaton, R-Homer
Senate Bill 20, relating to personal use fishing permits; and establishing the personal use fishery fund. Sponsor: Sen. Tom Wagoner, R-Kenai
Senate Bill 24, establishing the Sport Fishing Guide Services Board and licensing requirements for sport fishing guide-outfitters, sport fishing outfitters, sport fishing assistant guides, and sport fishing transporters; making conforming amendments; allowing the Department of Fish and Game to collect information on guiding services; and providing for an effective date. Sponsor: Sen. Lesil McGuire, R-Anchorage
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