HR 8 — Encouraging the Department of Fish and Game to adopt certain regulations relating to fisheries bycatch.

33-LS0731\U33-LS0731\A CS FOR HOUSE RESOLUTION NO.

8(FSH)8 IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE - SECONDFIRST SESSION BY THEREPRESENTATIVES HOUSEVANCE, SPECIALCronk, COMMITTEERauscher, ONMcCabe, FISHERIESAllard Referred:Introduced:

Rules4/20/23 Sponsor(s):Referred:

REPRESENTATIVESHouse VANCE,Special Cronk,Committee Rauscher,on McCabe,Fisheries Allard A RESOLUTION Encouraging the Department of Fish and Game to adopt a bycatch policy and certain regulations relating to fisheries bycatch.

and HR0008bHR0008a -1- CSHRHR 8(FSH)8 New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED] 33-LS0731\U33-LS0731\A WHEREAS current conservation and management measures implemented by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, while allowing for the harvest of hundreds of millions of pounds of seafood, also annually result in tens of millions of pounds of bycatch in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska waters seaward of the state;

and WHEREAS adopting regulations that permit fish caught as bycatch to be legally retained instead of being of discarded as they are now would reduce fishery bycatch in accordance with National Standard 9 of the Magnuson-Stevens Act;

and WHEREAS changes in regulations to incrementally allow fishers to retain fish that are currently discarded as bycatch would reduce waste and affirm the intrinsic value of food conservation;

and WHEREAS incrementally increasing the quantity and variety of fish currently discarded as bycatch that fishers of the state may legally harvest would improve stewardship of state seafood resources and increase the quantity of seafood available to feed Alaskans, Americans, and the world;

and WHEREAS one of the recommendations of the Alaska Bycatch AdvisoryReview Council,Task establishedForce bywas thethat commissioner"[t]he State of fishAlaska andshould game,support istaking chargedincremental withmeasures advisingthrough the Departmentregulatory ofprocess Fishto andimprove Gamebycatch onutilization implementingwith thea recommendationsparticular containedfocus inon thespecies finalthat reportare ofotherwise themarketable Alaskabut Bycatchare Reviewcaught Taskwith Force,non-targeted whichgear, includesor discards in a recommendationdirected tofishery developthat aare staterequired bycatchby policy;regulation";

BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives encourages the commissionerDepartment of fishFish and game,Game, through the commissioner'sdepartment's seatregulatory onauthority, and the Northcommissioner Pacificof Fisheryfish ManagementHR Council,8 to-2- ensureHR0008a thatNew theText publicUnderlined has[DELETED anTEXT opportunityBRACKETED] to33-LS0731\A provideand togame, through the councilcommissioner's informationseat on issuesthe relatingNorth toPacific bycatchFishery andManagement toCouncil, direct the council to fundsupport actions and conductregulatory researchchanges on limitingboth bycatchthe tostate protectand thefederal state'slevels fisheriesto resourcesincrease forutilization theof benefitfish ofthat allwould residentsotherwise ofbecome theeconomic state;discards;

and be it FURTHER RESOLVED that the House of Representatives encourages the Department of Fish and Game,Game throughnad the department'scommissioner regulatoryof authority,fish toand developgame, athrough bycatchthe policycommissioner's forseat on the stateNorth that,Pacific throughFishery implementationManagement ofCouncil, theto principlesevaluate ofthe resourceeconomic conservationvalue andthat sustainedcould yield,be willrealized protectthrough thebetter state'sutilization fisheriesof resourcesbycatch forand the benefitbenefits ofto allfishery residentsmanagement ofderived thefrom state;better utilization of bycatch.

andHR0008a be-3- itHR FURTHER8 RESOLVED that the House of Representatives encourages the Department of Fish and Game, in developing a state bycatch policy, to engage concerned state CSHR 8(FSH) -2- HR0008b New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED] 33-LS0731\U residents, partner with entities willing to fund or conduct related research and work collaboratively with the department, establish research priorities using input from the public, local governments, Alaska Native tribes, commercial fishers, and the fishing industry, make information and resources related to bycatch available to the public in a manner that is easily understood and accessible, and implement management priorities that avoid or reduce bycatch in all fisheries;

and be it FURTHER RESOLVED that the House of Representatives encourages the Department of Fish and Game, in adopting regulations implementing a state bycatch policy, to include regulations that provide for genetic reporting on the composition of Western Alaska salmon taken as bycatch so that the pollock fishery may be managed in a manner that avoids taking Western Alaska salmon in the Bering Sea as bycatch, that reduces chum salmon bycatch in the Bering Sea pollock fishery, and that facilitates departmental cooperation with commercial fishers and the fishing industry to better track and reduce bycatch and associated mortality.

HR0008b -3- CSHR 8(FSH) New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]