Sponsor Statement for HB 310

HB 310 extends, to other groundfish species, the current ban in state law regarding the waste of pollock. It authorizes the Alaska Board of Fisheries to require processors to met minimal standards for the utilization of other groundfish in addition to pollock, similar to regulations adopted by the Secretary of Commerce for offshore processors. The legislation is necessary because current state law only prohibits the waste of pollock and not other groundfish species, such as Pacific cod, rock sole, and yellowfin sole.

The State of Alaska and the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council are moving in concert to reduce waste in the groundfish fisheries of the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea.

For several years the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council has been studying ways to reduce the discard of fish caught in the groundfish fisheries of the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska. The Council has determined that a large proportion of the fish discarded are discarded for economic reasons; in particular, pollock, Pacific cod, rock sole and yellowfin sole are being discarded at unacceptably high rates.

The council selected pollock and Pacific cod as targets for immediate inclusion in its plan to increase retention and utilization (IR/IU). Yellowfin sole and rock sole are scheduled to be included in the IR/IU program beginning January 1, 2003. The Council plan requires: 1) catcher vessels to retain all fish harvested of the species designated for IR/IU when directed fishing for these species is open, or the Maximum Retainable Bycatch (MRB) when directed fisheries for these species is closed; 2) a product be retained from every fish harvested; 3) processors to produce primary products that utilize at least fifteen percent of the total weight of the harvested species subject to IR/IU rules.

During the Council deliberations on IR/IU, the State of Alaska agreed to adopt a corresponding program for shorebased processors and vessels fishing for groundfish in state waters. The National Marine Fisheries Service has recently implemented a program for improved retention of pollock and Pacific cod for vessels operating in the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea exclusive economic zones. The state board of Fisheries has acted to adopt mirroring regulations for the retention of pollock and Pacific cod by fishing vessels and for the utilization of pollock by processors. However, without this legislation, the board cannot regulate the utilization of Pacific cod by processors.