May 21, 2003
Wednesday - 12:45 am

Tuesday afternoon U.S. Senator Ted Stevens presided over a Senate Commerce Committee oversight hearing, held at his request on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council's Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands (BS/AI) Crab Rationalization plan. The hearing was held to hear testimony on the potential impact of this plan on fishermen, fishing communities, and processors. Stevens was joined in the hearing by Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Maria Cantwell (D-WA).

Senator Stevens opened the hearing with this statement:

Congress directed the North Pacific Fishery Management Council in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2001 (P.L. 106-554) to examine the fisheries under its jurisdiction, particularly the Gulf of Alaska groundfish and Bering Sea crab fisheries. The Council was directed to analyze individual fishing quotas, processor quotas, cooperatives, and quotas held by communities. In doing this, the Council was expected to include economic analysis of the impact of all options on the three components of the fishing industry communities, processors and the fishing fleets.

In 2002, the Council voted unanimously to create a "three-pie" system of quota share for the harvesting sector, the processing sector and communities. One hundred percent of the catch is allocated to harvesters and 90 percent to processors, with 10 percent open access. The rationalization concept of processor quota share is a novel idea that has roots in the American Fisheries Act (AFA). I worked closely with the Senators from Washington, on the development of AFA, a fishery rationalization plan for Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands pollock. AFA has proven to be a good rationalization plan that has allowed for increased use of the targeted species, better execution of the fishery instead of a race for the fish and a great success in conservation and management of the fishery, which has witnessed a substantial growth in the pollock stocks.

The BS/AI crab rationalization plan must benefit Alaska communities. This fishery is prosecuted entirely off the coast of Alaska and the various communities that have history under the Council's plan must have a role in the future of this fishery. I am encouraged to learn the Council has completed work on the "trailing amendments" and has provided additional protections for communities impacted by rationalizing this fishery.

I thank the witnesses for making the trip here today and I look forward to your testimony.

The following witnesses offered testimony with regard to the BS/AI Crab Rationalization Plan: Kevin Duffy, Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish & Game and the State's representative on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council; Linda Freed, City Manager for the City of Kodiak; Frank Kelty, Natural Resource Manager for the City of Unalaska; David Fraser, representing Crab Rationalization and Buyback Group; and Arni Thomson, Executive Director of the Alaska Crab Coalition.

Testimony submitted by the witnesses will be available on the Senate Commerce Committee website. To read the testimony of the witnesses, click here.

Senator Stevens agreed to hold the hearing record open through June 2, 2003. Others wishing to submit testimony on the BS/AI Crab Rationalization plan, can do so through any of the five witnesses listed above or by contacting Joe Raymond of the Senate Commerce Committee at (202) 224-8172. The Senate Commerce Committee requires that testimony be submitted electronically.

Additional information about the Council's BS/AI Crab Rationalization plan is located on their website: http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/Committees/Crab/crabcoop.htm

Source of News Release:

Office of Senator Ted Stevens
Web Site

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