Alaska State Legislature
News from the House Majority

Jerry Ritter, House Majority Press Secretary
State Capitol
Juneau, AK 99801
Phone: (907) 465-3804
web site: http://www.akrepublicans.org
Actuality line: 1-800-478-6540

Senate Passes Bill on Utilization of Groundfish

Bill Aims to Reduce Bycatch and Waste

For Immediate Release April 22, 1998 Contact: Rep. Alan Austerman at (907) 465-4230.

Juneau -- The Alaska Senate Wednesday unanimously passed House Bill 310, enabling the Alaska Board of Fisheries to require shorebased processors to meet standards for the utilization of groundfish, similar to regulations adopted by the Secretary of Commerce for offshore processors.

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

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.

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 but the statutes currently only provide for pollock waste.

"Without this legislation, the Board cannot regulate the utilization of groundfish such as Pacific cod, rock sole, and yellowfin sole by processors," said Rep. Austerman, sponsor of the bill. "We need to minimize the waste of our precious fishery resources," he added.

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