Juneau -- The Alaska House of Representatives introduced House Joint Resolution 39 Tuesday, which urges the United States government to purchase surplus pink salmon to help feed the Albanian refugees.

Representative Alan Austerman (R-Kodiak) introduced this legislation in response to the hundreds of thousands of Albanian refugees pouring out of their homeland of Kosova. A massive relief effort is underway to shelter, feed and clothe these Kosovar Albanians as they amass at the doorstep of bordering nations. Among those involved in this tremendous endeavor are the International Red Cross, CARE, Catholic Relief Services, and UNICEF.

"I want to ensure that this humanitarian effort includes plenty of nutritious food to help sustain all of these individuals and their families through this difficult time," said Representative Austerman. "Most of these refugees are Albanian, and, being a people of the Adriatic Sea, they have included seafood in their diets for thousands of years," he said.

"There have been record runs of Alaska pink salmon in recent years that have produced a surplus of both canned and pouched pink salmon products. With this resolution, we are telling the people of Kosova that we care and that our hearts go out to them," Representative Austerman said.