Alaska/Pacific Coast
What 2019 means for Sitka’s herring future KCAW by Katherine Rose - June 25, 2019 As the summer fishing season gets underway in Sitka, the memory of this spring’s herring fishery grows a bit more distant, but the effects ripple on. What caused the sac roe fishery to fail is debated by many, but there’s no question that the absence of a commercial season had an impact on management, the economy, and subsistence. https://www.kcaw.org/2019/06/25/what-2019-means-for-sitkas-herring-future/ Bristol Bay fishermen renew call for input on Pebble Mine as commercial fishing season opens KTUU by Gilbert Cordova - June 24, 2019 ANCHORAGE, (KTUU) - Commercial fishing season is underway in Bristol Bay; but instead of focusing all their attention on their catches, fishermen are focused on the future the Pebble Mine could have on their livelihood. The public comment period on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement closes July 1. https://www.ktuu.com/content/news/Bristol-Bay-fishermen-call-for-public-testimony-over-Pebble-Mine-511725851.html Politics Legislature moves location of second special session called by Gov. Dunleavy Alaska and Mine by Jeff Landfield - June 24, 2019 In a surprising move, the Legislature announced today that they will not be holding a second special session in Wasilla. After the conclusion of the first special session, Governor Mike Dunleavy (R – Alaska) called them back to deal with the Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD). The Legislature passed an operating budget before the conclusion of the first special session but it did not include a PFD. Here is the announcement from the Legislature:
The plan is to gavel in the special session in Juneau on July 8, and the hold the majority of meetings in Anchorage. Legislators would need to go to Juneau if they needed to take a vote on something. This would likely only take a few days. This situation is unprecedented. A governor has never called the Legislature into a special session outside of Juneau or Anchorage, and the Legislature has never held a special session outside of Juneau or Anchorage. The Legislature does not have the votes to call themselves into a special session. The Alaska Constitution requires a 2/3 vote of Legislators to call themselves into a special session. That is 40 votes, they only have 39. A joint press release from House Speaker Bryce Edgmon (I – Dillingham) and Senate President Cathy Giessel included: Although we are one vote short of the forty vote threshold to call ourselves into our own special session agenda, the majority of legislators in both bodies considers it our right to determine the location and venue best equipped to conduct business on the Governor’s special session call, while providing the most access to as many Alaskans possible. There are several factors to all of this. One is the Alaska Constitution, which says the capital of Alaska is Juneau. Another is what the statues say about a governor calling a special session. And yet another is the Legislature’s uniform rules. I’m not a lawyer so I’m not going to attempt to analyze this. I’m sure it will be an interesting public battle between the Governor and the Legislature. Sources confirm the Legislature has legal opinions about their decision. I have not been able to obtain them. The question is can the governor, and a minority of legislators, dictate where the Legislature meets. I doubt that is what the framers of the Alaska Constitution had in mind. Separation of powers is at the heart of this issue. Another issue is that Wasilla Middle School is not equipped for the Legislature to meet. Gavel is not able to stream meetings and there is no phone system setup for people to call in and testify. Many have suggested that it could be live streamed via Facebook Live or another streaming platform. Some have even suggested that I do it! What these people don’t realize is how much it would cost in equipment and labor to make that happen. We live streamed our Election Central event on Facebook Live. We spent around $5,000 for streaming and audio equipment (this did not include a camera. Someone already had a one). We had three people working on audio, video, and the software to live stream the 4 hour event. This was for one camera. You would need multiple cameras to get all the meetings of the Legislature. I estimate it would cost $250,000 in equipment and labor to stream all the meetings of a 30-day special session. This would be to do it properly. You could do it for less but there would likely be problems. I know from experience. Another issue is cost. Holding a special session in Wasilla is more expensive than in Anchorage or Juneau. The Legislative Affairs Agency estimates the cost of holding a 30-day special session in Wasilla at $1.3 million. The estimated cost in Juneau is $854,000, around $450,000 less. This Midnight Sun article breaks this down. In 2015, Governor Walker called one of his many special session in Juneau. The Legislature adjourned from Juneau to Anchorage. They gaveled back in Anchorage, gaveled out, and then called themselves back into another special session in Anchorage. The only difference there is they had the 40 votes to call themselves into a special session. Ironically, then Senators Mike Dunleavy and Kevin Meyer voted to move Walker’s special session to Anchorage. Just as I finished writing this article Governor Dunleavy released the following statement: Our focus has been on bringing the people and legislature together on the PFD. But instead of convening in Wasilla, legislative leadership is attempting to retreat back to Juneau. This move to negate the special session in Wasilla has no legal basis. A governor is clearly empowered to call a special session in a location of their choosing (AS 24.05.100),” said Governor Dunleavy. “The Senate President and Speaker of the House admit they lack the votes to change the venue or call a special session of their own, yet they are committed to thwarting the law and the voice of the Alaskan people. This is all part of why Alaskans have lost trust in their lawmakers. How can we with a straight face expect people to follow the law when the legislative leadership ignores, breaks, and skirts the law at every turn? Expect things to get very loose this week between Dunleavy and the Legislature. https://alaskalandmine.com/landmines/legislature-moves-location-of-second-special-session-called-by-gov-dunleavy/
Labeling and Marketing Bristol Bay Fresh Sockeye Promotions Expanded Fishermen's News - June 26, 2019 As the 2019 Bristol Bay commercial salmon fishery got underway in June, the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association was partnered up and ready to roll with five retailers from coast to coast to promote fresh wild sockeye salmon. http://fnonlinenews.blogspot.com/2019/06/bristol-bay-fresh-sockeye-promotions.html Federal Register Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Pollock in the West Yakutat District of the Gulf of Alaska A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 06/26/2019 NMFS is prohibiting retention of pollock in the West Yakutat District of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary because the 2019 total allowable catch of pollock in the West Yakutat District of the GOA has been reached. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/06/26/2019-13568/fisheries-of-the-exclusive-economic-zone-off-alaska-pollock-in-the-west-yakutat-district-of-the-gulf FYI’s Are Genetically Modified Salmon as Safe as Wild-Caught Fish? EMD Digest by Dr. William Oliver Hedgepeth - June 26, 2019 For seafood lovers, Alaskan wild-caught salmon is one of the greatest taste treats. Having lived in Anchorage, Alaska, from 2001 to 2010, we learned the rare treat of all five kinds of Alaska salmon -- Chum, Sockeye, King, Silver and Pink salmon. https://edmdigest.com/resources/education/genetically-modified-salmon-safe/
Ann Owens Pacific Seafood Processors Association Office Manager 1900 W Emerson Place Suite 205, Seattle, WA 98119 Phone: 206.281.1667 E-mail: admin@pspafish.net; Website: www.pspafish.net Our office days/hours are Monday-Friday 8:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. *Inclusion of a news article, report, or other document in this email does not imply PSPA support or endorsement of the information or opinion expressed in the document.