REPRESENTATIVE BILL THOMAS

Transcription

1 REPRESENTATIVE BILL THOMAS ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE DISTRICT 5 Interim: P.O. Box 993 Haines, AK Phone: (907) 766~3581 Fax: (907) 766~3592 September 16, 2005 To Whom It May Concern, As a lifelong commercial fisherman, who holds several permits and individual fish quotas, I know the importance of the fishing industry to Alaska and Alaskan's alike. I am fortunate to have been able to use my experience as a fisherman this past session in my position as co-chair of the Fisheries Committee in the Alaska State Legislature. My district reaches as far south as Metlakatla and as far north as Chenega and Tatitlek. It also encompasses a large portion of the areas that may be considered for open net cage finfish farming. Therefore, in response to the concerns of many fishermen in my district, I introduced HJR 15. HJR 15recognizes that the Alaska Legislature is committed to ensuring the biological and economic health of our fisheries and the social and economic well-being of our communities. It states that the Legislature is opposed to Open Ocean Aquaculture (OOA) in federal waters, and requests that the U.S. Congress require any federal proposal to authorize OOA to undergo a legislative environmental impact statement. It also asks Congress to ban the introduction of genetically modified fish into the waters of the Exclusive Economic Zone. Finally, it asks that the Regional Fisheries Management Councils established under the Magnuson-Stevens Act be granted authority over any proposals regarding OOA. I, and my staff Ian Fisk, worked diligently to make people aware of the importance of this issue and of the need for a resolution of this kind. I am proud to say that a little over a month after its initial introduction HJR 15 passed both the House and Senate unanimously. The Alaska Legislature realizes the potentially devastating impact Open Ocean Aquaculture could have in our waters and strongly opposes it. I have enclosed a copy of the actual resolution its accompanying legislative history. If you have any further questions please don't hesitate to contact my office. Encl: webpage: Representative. Bill.Thomas@legis.state.ak.us

2 REPRESENTATIVE BILL THOMAS ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE DISTRICT 5 Good Afternoon, I am Representative Bill Thomas from District 5 here in Alaska. I am Co-Chair of the Fisheries Committee in the Alaska State Legislature. Interim: p.o. Box 993 Haines, AK Phone: (907) 766~3581 I have been a commercial Fisherman for over 36 years and hold a Grandfathered Limited Entry Permit in the gillnet fishery. I have halibut individual fish quotas and I have fished halibut for 30 years. I also hold a shrimp permit. I have belonged to several fish organizations and represent a district that is primarily commercial fishing throughout. The fishermen throughout District 5 and the State of Alaska are very diversified and fish many areas of the State. It is not uncommon for a fisherman to fish Bristol Bay salmon and hold a king crab permit, a black cod permit, IFQ's and halibut quota. Most of the fishermen have to be diversified to exist in the fishing industry. As Co-Chair of fisheries, I introduced resolution HJR 15 as a result of the concern by individual fishermen and fish organizations. The primary concern came from many of my communities as I represent from Metlakatla and Hyder in Southeast Alaska all the way to Chenega and Tatitlik in the Prince William Sound. I probably represent about 1/3 of the proposed area that may be considered for open net cage finfish farming. The proposal to allow this sort of farming will have a major impact on the Alaska Fisheries both economically and potentially environmentally. I will not go into detail opposition since there are fish organizations here to discuss that portion, but I would like to point out that the Alaska State Legislature in both the Senate and the House passed the resolution with out one opposing vote. That is how strong this Alaska State Legislature opposes this proposal for ocean finfish farming. Enclosed are a copy of the resolution as well as my testimony and a copy of the legislative history. I would also like to thank my Chief of Staff Ian Fisk for helping in passing this resolution. Representative Bill Thomas Fax: (907) 766~ webpage: Representative. Bill.Thomas@legis.state.ak.us

3 STATE OF ALASKA THE LEGISLATURE 2005 Source CSHJR 15(RES) Legislative Resolve No. 10 Relating to open ocean aquaculture in the federal exclusive economic zone. BE ITRESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: WHEREAS Alaska wild fish stocks are healthy and sustainable, in large part due to a strong gene pool and Alaska's history of sound fisheries management, clean water, and habitat protection; and WHEREAS Alaska commercial, subsistence, and recreational fisheries are managed to achieve the state's constitutional mandate of sustained yield; and WHEREAS the State of Alaska enacted legislation in 1990 to prohibit finfish fanning in state waters; and WHEREAS there are numerous outstanding issues and concerns regarding the social, economic, hea1~ and environmental consequences of farmed fish, both in state and federal waters; and WHEREAS open net cage fish farming poses persistent risks to the health of the marine resources of Alaska; and WHEREAS there are patents pending to cultivate and introduce genetically modified fish into open waters, which will pose a direct threat to wild stock fisheries; and -]- Enrolled HJR ]5

4 WHEREAS salmon fanning has had severe economic impacts on coastal communities in Alaska as demonstrated by significantly lower prices for wild salmon fisheriesproduc~;and WHEREAS Alaska coastal communities and fishing families rely on the health of wild fish stocks for a strong economy; and WHEREAS global marke~ increasingly demand natural seafood products harvested sustainably from a clean environment; and WHEREAS the seafood industry in Alaska has developed strong name recognition in the marketplace for wild, natural, and healthy seafood produc~; and WHEREAS successful seafood marketing depends on product differentiation, and Alaska's untarnished name is i~ greatest asset in the global market; and WHEREAS the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is promoting legislation to permit open ocean aquaculture in federal waters from three to 200 miles offshore of the states; and WHEREAS the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act provides for input from fishermen and coastal communities through regional fishery management councils; and WHEREAS the proponen~ of federal open ocean aquaculture and members of the ocean aquaculture industry have not satisfactorily demonstrated that this activity will not be detrimental to the ocean resources and to the economy of Alaska coastal communities; and WHEREAS Governor Frank H. Murkowski has proposed a five-year moratorium on all permitting, leasing, or development of ocean pen-reared shellfish and finfish in the federal exclusive economic zone off Alaska; BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature is committed to ensuring that open ocean aquaculture does no harm to ecosystem integrity, to existing wild fisheries, or to the social and economic well-being of Alaska coastal communities; and be it FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature opposes open ocean aquaculture for finfish and predatory shellfish; and be it FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully urges Congress to prohibit the issuance of any license to permit an aquaculture facility that imports, exports, possesses, cultivates, sells, or otherwise handles genetically modified fish in the Enrolled HJR 15-2-

5 federal exclusive economic zone or has access to open waters; and be it FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature supports the regional fishery management councils under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and respectfully requests that the councils be granted authority over any proposals regarding open ocean aquaculture in federal waters; and be it FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully requests the United States Congress to require any federal proposal to authorize open ocean aquaculture in the federal exclusive economic zone to undergo a legislative environmental impact statement, as required by the National Environmental Policy Act. COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable George W. Bush, President of the United States; the Honorable Ted Stevens, President Pro Tempore of the U.S. Senate and member of the Alaska delegation in Congress; the Honorable J. Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; the Honorable Carlos Gutierrez, United States Secretary of Commerce; and the Honorable Lisa Murkowski, U.S. Senator, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress. -3- Enrolled HJR 15

6 Bill History/Action for HJR15 24 Legislature Page 1 of2 Bill Historyl Action Display BILL: IDR 15 BILL VERSION: CSIDR 15(RES) CURRENT STATUS: LEGIS RESOLVE 10 SPONSOR(s): FISHERIES SHORT TITLE: OPEN OCEAN AQUACULTURE STATUS DATE: 05/19/05 TITLE: Relating to open ocean aquaculture in the federal exclusive economic zone. Jrn- Jrn- Date Page 03/01/ /01/ /22/ /22/ /22/ /22/ /23/ /23/ /23/ /24/ /24/ /05/ /05/05 Q12l 04/05/ /05/ Action (H) READ THE FIRST TIME -REFERRALS (H) FSH, RES (H) FSH RPT CS(FSH) 4DP (H) DP: HARRIS, WILSON, LEDOUX, THOMAS (H) FN1: ZERO(DFG) (H) FN2: ZERO(LEG) (H) RES RPT CS(RES) 9DP (H) DP: OLSON, KAPSNER, GATTO, ELKINS, LEDOux, CRAWFORD, SEATON, RAMRAS, SAMUELS (H) FN1: ZERO(DFG) (H) FN2: ZERO(LEG) (H) RULES TO CALENDAR 3/23/2005 (H) READ THE SECOND TTh1E (H) RES CS ADOPTED UNAN CONSENT (H) ADVANCED TO THIRD READING UNAN CONSENT (H) READ THE THIRD TIME CSIDR 15(RES) (H) PASSED Y35 E3 A2 (H) TRANSMITTED TO (S) (H) VERSION: CSIDR 15(RES) (S) READ THE FIRST TIME -REFERRALS (S) RES (S) RES RPT 7DP (S) DP: WAGONER, GUESS, ELTON, DYSON, STEDMAN, SEEKINS, STEVENS B (S) FN1: ZERO(DFG) (S) FN2: ZERO(LEG) (S) RULES TO CALENDAR 4/12/ /16/2005

7 Bill History/Action for HJR15 24 Legislature Page 2 of2 04/19/05 OS/20/ (S) READ THE SECOND TIME 0923 (S) ADVANCED TO THIRD READING UNAN CONSENT 0923 (S) READ THE THIRD TIME CSHJR 15(RES) 0923 (S) PASSED Y19 N- Al 0923 (S) RETURN TO (H), TRANSMIT TO GOV NEXT 0923 (S) VERSION: CSHJR 15(RES) 1151 (H) 9:48 AM 4/19/05 TRANSMITTED TO GOVERNOR 2063 (H) PERMANENTLY FILED 5/19 LEGIS RESOLVE 10 Similar Subiect Match or Exact Subject Match FISH & GAME (fish) INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS Bill Root: Bi~.f 1 1 ~ ToReportProblemswithBasisInq~ LiveKTOOStreamsA Return to Basis Main Menu (24 Legislature) Return to Legislature Home Page 15&submit=Display+B... 9/16/2005