STATE OF ALASKA
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2022
House
Source Resolve No.
HR 13 13
Urging the United States Congress to pass the Alaska Salmon Research Task Force Act.
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BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:
WHEREAS the state is home to five species of wild, sustainable Pacific salmon,
King, Coho, Sockeye, Pink, and Keta; and
WHEREAS subsistence fishing for salmon has sustained Alaska Native people for
thousands of years; and
WHEREAS recreational fishing for salmon is a lifelong pursuit for urban and rural
residents of the state, and commercial salmon fishing has been a mainstay industry in the state
for over a century; and
WHEREAS Alaska is the only state with a constitutional requirement that fishing be
managed on the sustained yield principle; and
WHEREAS Alaska accounts for over 90 percent of the commercial catch in the
United States, is the world's premier source of wild salmon, and accounts for 11 percent of the
world's commercial harvest of salmon; and
WHEREAS, from 2018 to 2021, salmon fisheries in the state accounted for 75
percent of the fishery disaster declarations for the state; and
-1- Enrolled HR 13
 WHEREAS, in 2021, there were record low runs for many salmon species in western
regions of the state, while there were record high runs for sockeye salmon in Bristol Bay; and
WHEREAS those low runs of salmon led to a ban on subsistence fishing for certain
salmon species in rural communities and lower catch limits in other fisheries, which had
significant negative effects on communities that rely on salmon for subsistence and for which
fishing is a way of life; and
WHEREAS the state responsibly manages seafood using a world-class, science-based
approach to help fish stocks, communities, and entire ecosystems thrive; and
WHEREAS sustainable seafood is the most environmentally efficient source of
protein on the planet, and seafood harvested in the state is managed using environmentally
responsible practices; and
WHEREAS approximately 95 percent of the state's food is imported, and sustainable
seafood is not only crucial to the food security of residents of the state, but is also a deeply
ingrained tradition; and
WHEREAS the Alaska Salmon Research Task Force that would be established by the
Alaska Salmon Research Task Force Act would create working groups to focus on specific
regions or fish stocks, including a working group focused specifically on salmon returns in the
Arctic, Yukon, and Kuskokwim regions of the state; and
WHEREAS the Alaska Salmon Research Task Force Act seeks to ensure that, for
Pacific salmon trends in the state, productivity and abundance are characterized, research
needs are identified, and a coordinated salmon research strategy is established;
BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives respectfully urges the United
States Congress to pass S. 3429, the Alaska Salmon Research Task Force Act, as introduced
by Senator Dan Sullivan and Senator Lisa Murkowski.
Enrolled HR 13 -2-