PSPA Positions
PSPA Position Opposing Alaska Ballot Measure 1
October 18, 2024
The Pacific Seafood Processors Association (PSPA) stands with other business sectors in Alaska in opposition of Ballot Measure 1. Ballot Measure 1 has three parts. The first part, increases to minimum wage, would have no direct impact on PSPA companies, because they already pay workers more than minimum wage. The second part of Ballot Measure 1 requires up to 56 hours of paid annual sick leave for all employees, including seasonal workers, and would negatively impact PSPA shoreside processors...
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PSPA State and Federal Policy Positions to Improve Competitiveness and Resilience of the Alaska Seafood Sector
March 6, 2024
The Alaska seafood industry is facing economic conditions unlike any since the collapse of salmon value in the 1990s, except this time, it is across multiple species. Experts estimate Alaska and its coastal communities lost $2 billion in 2023: $1 billion in lost first wholesale revenues and $1 billion in decreased spending on vessels and facilities. Today’s problems are a result of the confluence of multiple global and national economic factors occurring simultaneously, which are outlined in this attachment...
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2023: A perfect storm of economic circumstances hits Alaska seafood
December 22, 2023
Many coastal communities in Alaska depend on Alaska seafood for food security and for an economic foundation that sustains their economies. Often, the health of the Alaska seafood industry and the health of these communities are interdependent. In 2023, the culmination of multiple economic factors has created dire economic conditions, resulting in a free-fall of seafood prices, millions of dollars in losses and, in some cases, processors had to stop buying fish to reduce further losses...
PSPA Position to Improve Global Competitiveness and Resilience of the Alaska Seafood Industry
October 20, 2023
Alaska seafood currently faces exceptional national and international challenges including trade policy and non-reciprocal tariffs that favor other nations, high global supply and existing unsold inventory for salmon and whitefish throughout the entire supply chain, high relative costs due to inflation and other factors, reduced consumer demand post-pandemic, and foreign seafood competitors that are less regulated, less sustainable, and have lower operating costs than domestic seafood producers...
PSPA statement in response to court decision on Southeast troll fishery
May 8, 2023
On May 2, 2023, a U.S. District Court judge ruled to vacate the Incidental Take Statement that governs the Southeast Alaska Chinook troll fisheries, effectively closing those fisheries and harming Southeast communities, fishermen, and processors who have been sustainably prosecuting these fisheries for decades. The lawsuit, brought by Wild Fish Conservancy, is premised on providing more salmon for the endangered Southern Resident killer whales which reside in Puget Sound, WA....
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