News from the Senate Majority

Alaska State Legislature

Wendy Lindskoog, Senate Majority Press Secretary
State Capitol
Juneau, AK 99801-1182
Phone: 907/465-4582
http://www.akrepublicans.org
Broadcast Actualities: 800/478-6540

For Immediate Release: March 21, 1997 Contact: Senator Jerry Mackie 907/465-4925

Mackie’s Bill Fixes Defective Law

Senate Votes To Repeal Certain Fish Price Requirements

Juneau -- In an effort to enhance the business environment for Alaska’s commercial Salmon fishermen and processors, the Senate today unanimously passed legislation to repeal current laws requiring fish processors to post and record salmon prices at the time of delivery.

"These laws, contrary to their original intent, have created a non-competitive situation for both fish processors and harvesters," said Senator Jerry Mackie, sponsor of SB 115.

Initially, fisherman wanted laws passed that would require the price for their catch to be posted and recorded at the time of delivery, noted Senator Mackie. They were concerned that unfair pricing practices would occur under the current system which allowed a whole fishing season to pass before fisherman were notified of actual prices.

Having the price of salmon on the fish ticket seemed like a good idea at first, but it soon proved unenforceable and not practical," said Jerry McCune, Past President of United Fisherman of Alaska.

The price on the fishing grounds is always changing and many processors do not even know the final price of salmon before or during the season, said Mackie. This means the estimated price on the tickets that are signed by the fishermen do not necessarily reflect the final payment which can be much higher.

The laws only established a minimum price from which the fishermen have to negotiate up from, explained Mackie. "This situation too easily allows for dishonest buyers to claim the low preliminary price as the final price which can unfairly strip profits from the fisherman and create unnecessary legal problems. Repealing these laws will eliminate a lot of hassles for both the fishermen and the processors."

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