Alaska lawmakers approve task force to consider responses to seafood industry ‘implosion’

Fishing boats are seen successful Kodiak’s St. Paul Harbor connected Oct. 3, 2022. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

A typical legislative sheet is to make recommendations astir authorities policies to rescue Alaska’s seafood industry, a major pillar of nan economy that is mired successful crisis, nether a measure that won last transition complete nan weekend.

The measure, Senate Concurrent Resolution 10, would found an eight-member seafood manufacture task force, pinch 4 authorities senators and 4 authorities House members and pinch nan Senate president arsenic chair.

The House passed it astir unanimously connected Saturday. The Senate, which primitively passed it connected April 19, connected Sunday gave unanimous support to changes made successful nan House.

The task force, to coming recommendations to nan Legislature by Jan. 21, 2025, is charged pinch uncovering immoderate benignant of consequence to nan “unprecedented economical implosion of our industry,” Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, 1 of nan sponsors, said successful level comments connected April 19.

Stedman, arsenic good arsenic nan matter of nan resolution, listed galore challenges facing nan manufacture successful Alaska: higher operating costs wrong nan state; overmuch little prices for fish, driven by reduced user request and a world marketplace glutted pinch supply, overmuch of it from Russia; closures of food processors; losses to communities limited connected fishery taxes; and crashes of salmon stocks successful immoderate rivers, notably nan Yukon, and of crab stocks successful nan Bering Sea.

“We person not seen an effect of our fisheries for illustration this, I don’t think, successful my lifetime,” he said. Twenty years ago, location was a situation successful nan Alaska salmon industry, which spurred nan creation of a salmon task unit that produced immoderate solutions, he noted. “This time, we’re dealing pinch virtually each our fisheries,” pinch effects not conscionable successful smaller coastal towns but passim nan state, he said. 

Sen. Bert Stedman speaks astir nan fund astatine a news convention connected May 11, 2023. Pictured pinch him are, from left, Senate President Gary Stevens and Sen. Bill Wielechowski. Stedman and Stevens were among nan Senate leaders who championed nan thought of an Alaska seafood manufacture task force. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

“No area goes untouched. Shellfish, whitefish, groundfish,” he said.

The solution was introduced on March 1 by nan Senate Finance Committee and championed by that committee’s powerful co-chairs: Stedman, Sen. Donny Olson, D-Golovin, and Sen. Lyman Hoffman, D-Bethel. Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, besides played a starring domiciled successful nan measure.

As it moved done committees, different ideas astir nan task unit constitution emerged. The original measure projected a task unit of seven, pinch 2 House members, 2 Senate members and 2 nationalist members representing either United Fishermen of Alaska aliases nan Pacific Seafood Processors Association. The seventh member, nether nan original bill, would beryllium nan commissioner of nan Alaska Department of Fish and Game aliases a commissioner’s designee.

In nan House, nan projected size of nan task unit grew to 19, including 8 members of nan Legislature, 3 commissioners of authorities departments and representatives of tribes, commercialized harvesters, processors and communities.

The last type of nan measure settled connected a task unit of 8 – 4 Senate members and 4 House members. The last type besides authorizes a legislative staffer to support nan task force’s work, and it omitted a proviso astir imaginable buybacks of harvest permits.

“These wide changes were done successful nan tone of keeping nan size and scope of nan task unit much constrictive and for nan activity of nan task to beryllium completed successful an businesslike manner,” Stedman said connected Sunday.

The measurement is now headed to Gov. Mike Dunleavy for his consideration.