Session: State Capitol, Room 13 Juneau, AK 99801-1182 Phone: (907) 465-2689 Fax: (907) 465-3472 Interim: 345 W. Sterling Hwy. Suite 102B Homer, AK 99603 Phone: (907) 235-2921 Fax: (907) 235-4008

Sponsor Statement for HJR 10
Groundfish Fisheries and Steller Sea Lion

Relating to the management of the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands and Gulf of Alaska groundfish fisheries and the protection and restoration of the Steller sea lion.

The sharp decline of the Western Area Stellar sea lion population from 120,000 to 25,000 animals in the past 30 years prompted a U.S. District Court Judge to impose a groundfish trawl ban on Alaska's coastal waters in August 2000. The judge stated that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) violated the Endangered Species Act (ESA) by failing to write an adequate biological opinion for protection of the declining sea lion population. The ban dry-docked fishing fleets from waters within 20 nautical miles of sea lion breeding and resting areas, encompassing approximately 100,000 square miles of prime fishing waters in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska from Prince William Sound to the Aleutian Islands.

Thanks to the direct efforts of Senator Ted Stevens, the August measures were suspended through 2001 and forty-four million federal dollars were allocated to review the biological opinion released by NMFS in November, 2000. Many industry and government experts feel the opinion lacks adequate scientific basis for such restrictions. The North Pacific Fisheries Management Council and the National Academy of Sciences will conduct an independent scientific review of the NMFS biological opinion. Additionally the governor has formed a Stellar Sea Lion Restoration Team to assess factors affecting the decline of the species and the need for fishery restrictions.

According to Senator Stevens, the impacts of a ban on this fishery are far-reaching:

• $1 billion pollack and cod fishery at risk (1,000 boats)
• $500-800 million dollar impact on fishing industry
• one-half billion dollar impact on the entire state's economy
• commercial fishing loan industry will lose billions of dollars
• lost tax base will make ghost towns in Western Alaska
• Native Alaskan development programs lose $50 million/year; thousands of Native jobs lost
• social impacts on communities include unemployment and related domestic problems; loss of community infrastructure employment, i.e., teachers, police officers, government officials
• national trade deficit raised by $250 million

Supporting Senator Stevens' measure to temporarily postpone fishery restrictions until the NMFS biological opinion can be scientifically-reviewed means biology-based management decisions can be implemented for both the protection of the Stellar sea lion and Alaska's important trawl fishery.

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